I have written about this in the past but thought it was worth a little before & after post.  Yes it’s true you can use Chalk Paint® on fabric.  It’s expensive to have things professionally redone these days.  I bought a set of six of these amazing french chairs and yes I was so tempted to spend a ton of money to have the seats done and use some amazing chic fabric but at the end of the day it’s a huge investment.

As an alternative I decided to paint the seats with Chalk Paint® and paint the frames.  I figured the new owners could either keep the Chalk Painted seats (which I think look adorable) or they could pick out the perfect fabric for their space and have them redone.

What you need for this project

– Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan

– Clear wax by Annie Sloan

– 200 grit sanding spong

– I used an Annie Sloan medium brush for paint and a small wax brush

Chalk Painting Fabric Tutorial

1 – The chairs were pretty grungy so I cleaned them with TSP spray from Home Depot

2 – I applied 1 solid coat of old white Chalk Paint® on the entire chair let it dry should take 20-30 minutes.  If you are doing multiple chairs like I was by the time you are done with the set the 1st one is ready for the next step.

3 – I took my sanding sponge and I distressed the frames of the chairs.  After you are done sanding/distressing just wipe the frames down with a moist cloth to remove the dust.

4 – On to the seats….mix 25% water + 75% chalk paint (you pick the color I chose Paloma).  Apply this mix to the fabric seats.  Let it dry for about 20 minutes.

5 – 2nd coat for the seats this time use straight chalk paint (you can water it down a little if you want).  After the 2nd coat it’s up to you if you want to do a 3rd coat.  I did only 2 coats because I liked the texture of the fabric showing through.

6 – Final step if to apply clear wax to both the frame and the seat.  This will give the seat a plush almost leathery feel to it.  I only applied one coat of wax however if you want extra protection wait 24 hours and apply a 2nd coat.

You can purchase the products for this project in our shop in Falls Church or at our online shop!  Happy painting…..

And here is the final product….

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