I scored this Wingback chair off Craigslist for $30! It was in great shape besides the sun faded fabric and the ugly color. When looking for upholstery quotes, they ranged from $400-$700. No way was I going to pay that. So I decided to chalk paint the chair. Since I found it for a bargain, I figured it didn't matter if I ruined it, or I could just throw a slip cover over it.

How I Chalk Painted My Wingback Chair:

I mixed Rustoleum's Linen White chalk paint with Annie Sloan's Old Ochre chalk paint. This gave me a lovely cream color. I then added water so that it had a very runny consistency. There's not a formula to this, but really trial and error. You want it thin enough that it's going to soak into the fabric rather than sit on top of the fabric. I then started painting the chair with my water and chalk paint mixture. It took about three coats over the course of three days. This was by no means a quick project. Especially with the original fabric being rust red, it took some time to cover that up completely. The fabric had a 3D design on it, and even once painted, you could still see the design.

When it dried, it had a pleather like feel, which I LOVE! It does not crack when sat on, which was something I was worried about. I use this chair to nurse my daughter and we love it more than we would have a rocker. I did not end up sealing the chair with anything because it didn't need it, but I read that you can wax it if you want to seal. It's held up beautifully and everyone who sees it thinks that I reupholstered it. Compared to the $700 I was likely to spend upholstered it, I instead used about 3 quarts of chalk paint, ranging at about $70. In hindsight, I could have used purely Rustoleum's chalked paint saving even more money!

Would I recommend this? ABSOLUTELY! If reupholstering is not going to be an easy or feasible task, painting fabric is the way to go! Just make sure to add water!

Chalk Painted Wingback Chair