Until recently, it never occurred to me that we could paint vinyl upholstery…

But that was before I became acquainted with the amazing array of DIY Decor products available to us today...like FAB, from Heirloom Traditions Paint {who sponsored this post}

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I’ll bet that you have a serviceable and non-descript chair similar to this one tucked away somewhere in your home…

And for certain rooms, that look is perfect. 

If, on the other hand, you’d like a little more fun and color to greet you when you sit down to work, join me for this quick demonstration of how to paint vinyl upholstery pieces like this and get a DIY Painted Grunge Effect for Furniture!

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Hello, my Graphics Fairy friends! It’s Heather from Thicketworks.

Today, we’re going to transform this Plain Jane Office Chair into something with a bit more personality.

{this post contains affiliate links}

Supplies:

• Heirloom Traditions Chalk Type Paint: Squash
• Heirloom Traditions Chalk Type Paint: Kingdom Gold
• Heirloom Traditions Chalk Type Paint: Espresso
• Aurora Staining Gel: Bite the Rust
• Aurora Staining Gel: Black Magic
• Heirloom Traditions FAB!
• Painter’s Tape
• Assorted Paint Brushes
• A small container to hold the Staining Gels
• A container of water

 How to Paint Vinyl Upholstery:

Begin by disassembling the chair, if possible –

This just makes the painting process simpler for you in the long run.

Use Painter’s Tape to create a design that will reflect your vision.

Remember: anything you cover with tape will remain the color of the original vinyl.

For this project, the original black vinyl was fine.

Customize your project to suit you!

This happens to be an old workhorse of a chair that was already splattered with paint…So why not add a ‘Caution Tape’ motif to this piece which gets such rugged use?

Create the ‘Caution Tape’ design on both the chair back and seat.

Squash is a soft, buttery yellow. It makes an excellent base layer for Rust Effects…

Carefully apply the first coat of paint over the taped design.

Use an ‘almost’ dry brush to minimize bleed-through.

Note: if you want perfect edges to your design, paint the base color (black in this case) over the edges of the tape first. Allow to dry, then paint a coat of Squash.

Cover the entire piece with a base coat of Squash, and allow to dry. 

Kingdom Gold is a deep, rich almost mustard color…

Using an almost dry brush, add a scruffy layer of Kingdom Gold to the bars of the “Caution Tape” motif.

Layering the two colors results in an almost perfect match to that unmistakable Caution Yellow!

Next, we’ll add a layer of dark ‘grime’ over the edges of the piece.

This will create a sense of drama, and help to create an authentic industrial feel to the finish.

Espresso is the right color for this job:

A dry-brush technique will help to vary the intensity of the coverage…

We just want to give the impression of wear and discoloration, so concentrate the pigment along the lower edge of the Caution Tape, and at the margins, brushing a lighter and lighter layer toward the center.

Apply this same technique to the chair seat.

One the Espresso has dried, it’s time to add the RUST!

Aurora Staining Gels are formulated to bond beautifully over unsealed Chalk Type Paints…they offer a sheer wash of color that can be intensified by repeated coats.

The tone of Bite the Rust is spot-on. I love it!

Pour a small amount of Bite the Rust into a container, and use a brush to spread a thin layer over the entire piece, EXCEPT for the ‘Caution Tape’ motif.

Wet your brush with water, pick up more Staining Gel, and create drips along the lower edge of the chair back ‘Caution Tape’:

Do the same for the chair seat, but without adding drips:

Once the Staining Gel has dried, carefully peel off the tape, revealing the stark design beneath:

With a brush, apply an uneven layer of Bite the Rust over the newly exposed areas:

Create deeper color by adding more Stain in some areas:

Black Magic Aurora Staining Gel will take the intensity up just a bit:

Create a few drips that flow naturally from the upper edge of the chair back. Encourage the drips with water if necessary.

Allow to dry.

Here’s our secret weapon…FAB! is an amazing product that will seal and protect painted vinyl, keeping it flexible…no cracking paint! How awesome is THAT?

Just apply a single coat of FAB! with your brush, and allow it to cure (overnight is best)

And, NO, the paint will not transfer to your cute white pants!

This piece now takes pride of place in a hard-working studio…

This finish would be perfect for a ‘Man-Cave’ accent chair or ottoman…even a recliner!

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A custom piece like this would command top-dollar at any trendy boutique…

Extending the motif to encircle the entire chair back creates a much more ‘realistic’ finished piece:

Most vinyl upholstery has texture that will lend itself beautifully to this technique…

Here you see the layers: Squash, Espresso, Bite the Rust, and Black Magic.

It’s the layers that work together to create such a rusty feel…

I couldn’t be happier with the results…I have a few more pieces that I’ll be transforming with this finish, I love it so much.

A glimpse of the ‘Caution Tape’ detail:

This makes me smile every time I catch a glimpse…

For more information on Heirloom Traditions Products, please visit Heirloom Traditions Paint.

Full Disclosure: Heirloom Traditions supplied their products to be used in this project, and they sponsored this post – however, I supplied the elbow grease, boring office furniture, design concept, and experimental insanity! All of which reflect my own point of view, regardless of affiliation…

Thank you for visiting The Graphics Fairy today! I hope this inspires you to Paint Vinyl Upholstery someday and try out this DIY Painted Grunge Effect for Furniture! – it’s a blast!

Remember: this is just ONE way to use the rich combination of Chalk Type Paint + Aurora Staining Gels + FAB!…the possibilities are truly as limitless as the imagination.

Visit me at Thicketworks to delve into even more bizarre Crafting Mayhem!

Until next time,

Heather ♥

You might enjoy this recent rant on the joys of Dry Embossed Paper: