Painted couch? - Yes we did- Video included

Painted couch... yep it sounds a little crazy and it kind of is;  but very doable and the results can be pretty astounding; you might not tackle a big L shaped couch like I have in this video, it might be an old seat of a vintage chair an upholstered stool, ottoman or piano stool... the fabric might be in good condition, no rips or tears, a few stains maybe, or major fade. On it's last leg or that one you always walk past and go "must get that reupholstered some day" you might want to consider painting the fabric in your favourite Artisan Colour, it could be the quick low fuss low cost fix that it needs.. 

Our couch is just that, old... super old. Purchased before we even had pets or even our daughter, it was the couch we bought when we first met, were renting and setting up "home"... so that gives you an idea of just how old this is and how much of a hoarder I can be too, I don't let go of things very easily that's for sure.  The back cushions long gone, because of it's refusal to understand that it was meant to be a rectangular squab and not form into round balls which it did. So we replaced them along time ago with a scatter of cushions which I prefer anyway. We've had a lot of interest around this on our recent sneek peek shots on social media; so as promised below is the full video where I recorded snippets of myself painting the couch, there's loads of information in it and below the video I've jotted down some key things from the Video worth reading if you are looking to paint your upholstery. Press play below to watch!

 NOTES WORTH NOTING: 

- Natural textiles and non textured textiles are even easier to paint than what is shown in the video

-Where you can, test it first on the underside or somewhere you can't see so that you can roughly figure out how much paint it's going to take, what it will look and feel like; every fabric will be a slightly different experience; some will be much easier; the one showed in the video is about as hard as it will get. A lot of it will depend on the fabric, the colour and what colour you are changing from and to some may take just 1 coat some may take 3 coats, the key here is to build it up slowly using Velvet Luxe a staalmeester brush and spreading it out. Always test first. 

- Circular motions  with your Staalmeester brush works well to work it into the fibres then level and brush out in one direction as shown on the video 

- SPREAD, SPREAD SPREAD, as long as each coat is spread thinly you are safe, don't allow for build up of paint, therefore using the right tools is important; a large Staalmeester brush is loaded with bristles for easy spread and loading and a pointed tip to keep the paint thin around any seams or piping. 

-Sanding for softness if you choose to do this use no stronger than 320 grit sand paper, I found this just perfect for softening gently removing excess and it kind of polishes as you go, remember to wipe firmly with a damp rag after sanding too. This kind of helps to add a polished look to the whole thing so even if you don't sand I would still wipe it down with a damp rag afterwards and let it dry, it kind of burnishes the paint and gives you a really lovely look. 

- Load the paint brush generously, work it into the fabric and SPREAD. That's it and you get the hang of it pretty quickly, start with a less obvious area, it won't take long before you get into the rhythm and  the whole thing will be a breeze.

If you have decided to paint your upholstery after reading this; you now have the hardest decision to make which of the 67 Artisan Velvet Luxe colours will you go for?  

We hope you enjoyed the video and of us sharing a little snippet of the room and of us bringing our old couch to life in a very unorthodox way :-) 

- Dorophya