(Sounds like an adventure novel if you ask me)
Everyone has been asking to learn more about my painted leather chair, even Annie Sloan herself has been getting impatient with me. I didnt want to get everyone excited about something that might be a fail so the plan was to wait and finish this post now during the holidays offering some time and use to report how it is holding up. Unfortunately the trials of life stepped up this week to give us a warning.
Dec 24th was for last minute grocery shopping, a few small gifts and visiting with friends.
My well laid Christmas plans quickly changed first thing as the caller explained my Mother was on her way to the hospital having a stroke. It ended up being mild and she was home that same night to recover. My family spent the next 36 hours filling in where they were needed to get all her cooking, cleaning, wrapping, and decorating done. The holiday definitely had a different meaning for the grown ups and the kids simply asked why grandma was using a cane. I want to thank those who have sent messages, well wishes, and prayers.
Now its time to get back to the famous painted leather chair.
I think this has been my favorite painted chair project so far, maybe because Im keeping it.
Here is a look at some of my other painted upholstery.
My Union Jack chair and my French Berger chair were both very successful
and both offer different ways to redo upholstery with paint.
My painted leather parlour chair has settled into my space well
and I dont see it going anywhere soon.
It all started last summer when I got two of these chairs. You cant see it in these photos but there
was a lot of damage to the underside including the frame and leg that needed to be reinforced.
The original leather on the seats is old and worn with cracking which will crack the paint.
More on that at the end.
I sprayed the right chair in ASCP and distressed the frame with 220 sand paper.
When using my sprayer the paint is always watered down slightly, more info on my sprayer here:
http://blogspot.ca/2011/07/to-spray-or-not-to-spray-paint-sprayer.html
The color of the white chair is a 50 - 50 mix of AS Old White and Pure White.
The entire chair was then clear waxed.
Then a day later her frame was dark waxed.
The stripe and graphic came next. The stripe is AS Coco and marked out with painters tape.
After she was finished she was invited to attend a Home Show and hang out with Annie Sloan.
See there is Annie and George talking about the chair or me but they are pointing at the chair
Im sitting in, Im sure of it.
3 months later the seat is showing all the cracks the original leather already had.
The paint is not coming off but the cracks are showing and it looks great!!!
My favorite part about painting upholstery is that when you are done and you wax it,
it is now so easy to wipe clean with a cloth. I have also bit the bullet this fall and painted
a velvet chair to show you how costly and catastrophic it can be to paint the wrong type of material.
Dont hold your breath on that post but it will show up in your email eventually.
For more info and ideas check out my Pinterest Folder of Painted Upholstery here:
http://www.pinterest.com/firstfindsgg/chalk-painted-upholstery/
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