The Velveteen Owl: Velvet Chair "Paint-Over"

I am a thrift store fanatic. I could spend hours and hours searching for hidden treasures that someone once considered junk.

The one thing that I could never find but always wanted was a velvet chair!

Through all of my searching, I was never able to find one and I was starting to lose hope! I even considered spending $500 on brand new chair because I was growing so desperate for one.

Last Friday I had a long and frustrating day, and I decided to go thrift shopping to ease my tension; little did I know that all of my wishes were about to come true!!!

After picking up multiple wonderful things (including a stack of vintage Disney vinyl records), I had one last area to check...and there, out of the corner of my eye, I spot it. Corally and velvety and comfy as ever. Like manna from heaven!!

Okay...even if you can't understand my excitement or my thrift store craze, I'm sure that most people can understand the usefulness of being able to update old furniture to match your ever-changing styles. Even though this chair was stunning to begin with, it was a little to outdated for what I like. What it needed was a touch of gold.

"Gold??!!" you say, "E gads!!!"

I know...but listen...

Maybe not listen, but seriously. It looks great.

SO - let's get past my written rambling. If you have a piece of furniture with wood details that you'd like to paint, here's what you want to do:

Supplies

-Sandpaper-

found at Michaels or any craft store - be sure that it comes in different grain levels - you will need it

-Acrylic Paint-

found at Michaels - I used Martha Stewart Gold Coin in Satin - I used only 2 bottles but I would recommend purchasing more - always better to have too much than too little

-Paint Pallet or Bowl-

to hold your paint, of course

-Varying Sizes of Foam Brushes-

found at Michaels or any craft store - MAKE SURE to buy the foam brushes in the bag - they are worth the extra .50+ - the cheap brushes that aren't in packages fall apart ridiculously fast

-Finishing Spray-

found at Michaels - I used Martha Stewart Indoor/Outdoor finishing spray in Satin

-Painters Tape-

found at Walmart or any home improvement store - I would HIGHLY recommend Frog tape - it is somewhat costly (around $7.00), but it stays where you want it to and removes easily

-Plastic or Drop Cloth-

we don't want you dripping your paint all over the place!!

Once I had all of the supplies, this entire process took around 2 hours.

Annnnd here we go.

Step One

Cut your plastic or drop cloth to fit the area that you'll be working in. If you plan on working indoors, you'll want to leave quite a bit of extra room as sanding and finishing will get somewhat messy.

If the clothed section of the chair is easily removable, that will save you a LOT of time. If not, never fear. There is always a solution. If you're lazy like me and don't want to remove the chair and backing, use your painters tape to line the edges as well as you can. Sometimes you can even slide the tape in between the cloth and the wood, which will completely protect any paint from getting on your lovely coral velvet fabric (yes, I'm talking about my chair...I just love it so much).

Once you've lined the edges, wrap the ENTIRE fabric with painters tape. You might start thinking you're going to skip this step to save time, but don't!! Seriously. Sanding will get dusty and you'll be spending even more time trying to get your chair clean afterwards.

Step Two

Using either the most dense grain or medium grain of sandpaper, sand off only the top layer of the wood, just enough to get the lacquer off but not too much that all of the wood color is gone. I chose to sand the wood to appear slightly grainy and scratched so that the gold paint would look more antique.

Once you've sanded the off the lacquer (which is important...you'll find out why), use the smallest grain of sandpaper to smooth over the wood in case there are any stray slivers.

Dust off the entire chair - wood, taped fabric, everything.

Step Three

Begin painting your wood. Don't worry about laying the paint on the first time around. The less strokes you use, the smoother the finished result will be. I went around my chair 3 times to complete the look I wanted. Don't worry...it doesn't take as long as it sounds! Luckily, Martha Stewart Acrylic dries very fast, so if you finish the first go-around quickly, you should be fine to add your next layer.

Side Note - the reason I say to make sure the lacquer is gone is because your paint will not stick and you will frustrated. You might even break your chair that you've already worked so hard on!! So sand properly, kids.

Step Four

Once your paint is COMPLETELY dry, use the smallest grain sandpaper again to lightly go over any bubbles or rough areas. Wipe off the sanded areas and remaining dust.

Step Five

If you are inside...OPEN YOUR WINDOWS!!! As many as you can. Of course the can says to spray in a well-ventilated area, but my two skylights were not enough. I started feeling dizzy after 30 seconds. I may have lost 3 whole years of my life to this project. At least that means no rest home for me.

If you are outside...don't huff. That's all.

Holding the can about 10 inches away, use solid movements to spray your finishing spray over the painted wood. Wait five minutes (it dries fast), sand and dust any rough areas, and spray again. Repeat this process a third time.

Step Six

Wait at least 30 minutes until your chair is completely dry...

Make sure all of the dust is wiped clean from the tape...

Remove tape...

And gasp in awe at your new, lovely piece of furniture!!!

You may even want to sit in it.

It feels good, right? Better than it did before? That's because you worked so hard, you little soldier.

Congrats to you and your new home accessory!!!