Painting fabrics, Leather and Imitation Leather
8 min reading time
Do you have an old piece of furniture that you love dearly, but the fabric no longer suits your taste? Or are you even looking for fabric in a colour shade that perfectly matches your wall paint? Then you've come to the right place! In this special painting hack, we'll show you how to easily paint fabric and what to consider when doing so.
Table of content
1. Old to New Transformations: Before & After Photos from the MissPompadour painting community
2. Furniture or Textiles – Achieve a New Look with Paint
3. Painting Furniture: The Benefits
4. Step-by-Step: How to Paint Your Fabrics Properly (incl. Video)
5. Upholstery, Leather, or Cotton: What You Need to Know
6. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Painting Fabric
Painting fabric is a very individual experience - due to the variety of fabrics and their compositions, it is difficult to predict a specific use or an exact result, and textured fabrics in particular are real divas. However, if you have a smooth fabric, it is usually suitable for everyday use after painting.
Why should you still paint instead of throwing it away? Many of our customers have already had good experiences with painting fabric! And if you still have paint left over, it's a good way to use it up. Just bear in mind that fabric can be very stubborn and the quality of the result always depends on the nature of the fabric.
Turn old into new: Before/After images from the MissPompadour painting community
Why should you paint fabric? Quite simply because some old treasures are far too good to throw away and you can show off your creativity to the full. Our community has taken the plunge and proudly shows you their successes. Let their ideas inspire you!
Elegant
- The small sofa now fits in wonderfully.
Contemporary
- With fresh colour, this high-quality armchair looks like new!
Favourite place
- This splash of colour brings a good mood into the home!
Classics
- Our customer has breathed new life into these design classics.
Unique specimen
- This faux leather sofa now looks much friendlier and lighter.
Sample
- The great pattern of the fabric has been retained, only the colour has been refreshed.
New Look for Furniture and Textiles – All with Paint
Of course, old furniture and walls can be easily spruced up with paint. But can you paint fabrics too? Here at MissPompadour, we say: Yes, you can also transform textiles with our paints and wall paints. Almost all fabrics can be painted; there's no need for special textile or leather paint.
Give your jute shopping bag a unique design by decorating it with our stencils, or create matching lampshades and curtains to complement your wall paints. You can also easily paint clothes with personal motifs. Please note that items like curtains or clothing need to remain flexible. Therefore, with wall paint, you can only create patterns on them, not paint them completely.
Give old upholstered furniture a fresh, new look. A dark brown armchair made of faux leather can become a real eye-catcher. If you also want to paint the frames of old chairs in addition to the upholstery fabric, you'll find out how in our guide Painting Wooden Furniture.
Important: No matter which fabric you plan to paint, ensure the surface is intact and not worn out.
Painting Fabrics: The Benefits
Re-upholstering furniture yourself, such as armchairs, is often tricky, and professional repairs can quickly become expensive.
Painting fabrics, leather, or faux leather is a cost-effective and clever alternative! The big advantage of painting fabric with our paints is that they are water-based, making them excellent for colouring fabrics. Our paints do not damage the material. However, please note that the texture of the textiles will change after painting – they will lose some of their softness. Every fabric reacts differently, so it's best to test it on a sample piece or an inconspicuous area!
Which paint quality for which fabric?
As a general rule: For fabrics and textiles, our wall paint is suitable, especially our matte quality The Valuable Wall Paint!. For painting leather and faux leather, we recommend our Easy Eggshell!. These qualities are available in over 100 shades.
Step-by-Step: How to paint your fabrics the right way
In the following step-by-step guide, we’ll explain our painting hack and show you just how easy it is to paint fabrics.
Step 1: Cleaning and preparing your furniture or textiles
Now, start with a thorough clean. Remove any dust and lint with a vacuum cleaner or a lint brush. You can also remove any loose hairs or threads using a disposable razor. You should also wash away any greasy or sticky residues with water and a mild cleaner, such as our MissPompadour To Clean. Then, allow the fabric cover to dry thoroughly. It shouldn't be dripping wet when you start painting.
Before you start painting, carefully protect any areas you don't want painted with masking tape. If possible, remove seat cushions before painting them. Our paints adhere brilliantly to all surfaces and are difficult to remove once dry. If the paint is still wet, simply wipe it away with a damp cloth.
Step 2: Preparing the Paint
We recommend adding a little **oil** to your paint before you start painting the fabric. This will make the painted fabric more supple and give it a lovely soft finish. Use regular sunflower or rapeseed oil – about **1 tablespoon per 1 L of paint**. It's important that you **mix the oil thoroughly with the paint**. Mix it together in a paint tray to keep the paint in the original tin untouched and long-lasting.
You can usually paint directly onto all fabric types without needing to dilute the paint with water first. It's always a good idea to test a small, inconspicuous area first to see how well your fabric absorbs the paint. **Apply the paint as thinly as possible**. Only if you find it difficult to spread the paint smoothly on the fabric should you dilute it with a little water.
Step 3: Applying the Painting Technique
- If you're painting a heavy, thick fabric that absorbs a lot of paint, it's helpful to dampen the fabric with a little water, e.g., using a spray bottle, before the first coat. Use a roller or a brush to paint the fabric. Of course, you can also spray the paint. If you do, make sure to protect all areas that you don't want to get paint on.
- Paint the fabric from the inside outwards. Start with a small amount of paint and always work wet-on-wet, ensuring no dry spots appear that you then paint over. This will give you an even result. If you only want to colour certain areas of the fabric, tape off very carefully and always paint away from the tape to prevent paint from seeping underneath. Be sure to remove the tape while the paint is still wet.
- Allow the surface to dry for a few hours (perhaps overnight). Ironing is not necessary. Afterwards, you can sand it with medium sandpaper. This step helps to remove excess paint and make the fabric more pliable. Vacuum the fabric again.
- Repeat the entire painting process a second time, without dampening the fabric again. Depending on the quality of the fabric, a third or even fourth coat may be necessary. Wait at least 1 week, or ideally 14 days, before you subject the fabric to any stress.
Video: Painting fabric - With these tips & tricks from MissPompadour you'll succeed (for sure!)
In this video MissPompadour shows you how to paint different fabrics.
Upholstery, Leather or Cotton: What You Need to Know
- For faux leather or real leather, we recommend matt to satin paints, as they are a little more flexible than wall paint and flex better with the material.
- High-pile fabrics, such as velvet, absorb a lot of paint due to their long fibres. This makes it difficult to achieve an even finish when painting, and to prevent streaks when drying. We recommend testing on an inconspicuous area to see if you like the result.
- If you're painting a very thin fabric, start with very little paint and avoid moving the fabric too much during application. Paint may seep through the fabric onto the surface underneath.
- If you want to paint fabric wallpaper, test beforehand on an inconspicuous area to see how the wallpaper absorbs the paint. The water-based paint may cause fibres to loosen from the wallpaper.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions about painting fabric
What challenges can arise when painting fabrics?
Fabrics vary greatly in thickness and quality. Therefore, they absorb different amounts of paint. For example, if you want to colour the fabric of your sofa with acrylic paint, you will probably need more paint than if you want to decorate a fine cotton fabric. If the fabric is very thin, the paint may seep through to the other side when you paint. Start carefully with a little paint.
What should be considered when painting furniture?
Tape carefully when painting upholstery to prevent paint from getting onto frames and surrounding surfaces. If any does go astray, quickly remove the paint with a wet cloth or sponge, as it's water-soluble when wet. Remove the tape while the paint is still wet.
How long does it take for freshly painted fabrics to dry?
The drying time depends on the colour you have used and the type of fabric. A heavy, highly absorbent fabric naturally absorbs more paint and therefore takes longer to dry. We recommend that you do not load the upholstery for at least 1 week, better 14 days.
What can I use to seal painted fabric?
The good news is: because fabrics are flexible and moveable, a topcoat, which often protects against hard impacts, is not necessary at all! So you don't need to seal your fabric - we don't recommend it either. It can, for example, make the fabric too hard or cause other side effects. So just save yourself this step!
