How To Paint Leather Furniture
Revive leather furniture by painting it!
If you’ve been following along recently, you’ll know I picked up a set of 4 chrome and leather chair at my local tip shop for $15 each. The chrome was riddled with rust and the leather was, to put it bluntly, gross. However, I was blindly in love with them regardless and decided I was up for the challenge. I removed the rust and grime from the chrome (check out my step by step tutorial here) and then it was time to revive and totally change the colour of the leather. Read on to find out how to paint leather furniture. Hint: It’s a lot of fun!
And make sure to watch my “How To” tutorial video.
Before & After
Project Details
♻️ Upcycling: Chrome & Leather Chairs
🕒 Project Time Estimate: 10 to 20 mins per chair with at least 2 coats required
💰 Materials Cost: Under $15 per chair
💡 Tip: I used 1 and a half bottles of 29.5ml leather acrylic paint per chair
Materials
Optional: Clear distilled vinegar
Tools
Microfibre cloths
Small paint brush
How To
Step 1: To begin with I thoroughly cleaned the leather with leather stripper and a microfibre cloth. The smell is quite intense so make sure you do this outside or in a well ventilated area.
Optional: Some of the edging on my chairs had mould, so I cleaned this with vinegar and a clean, dry microfibre cloth.
Step 2: After the leather has dried, I applied one coat of leather acrylic paint using a small paint brush. It’s pretty scary to begin with so you have to simply trust the process. As per the instructions, I let the first coat to dry for a minimum of 24 hours.
Step 3: The next day I repeated Step 2 and waited 24 hours for the paint to dry. I did wait another 24 hours before we started using the chairs. It’s best to wait a bit longer so the paint has time to settle in.
Optional: You can apply a coat of acrylic clear finish to the leather using a paint brush. Let it dry for 48 hours before enjoying your furniture.
Ta daaaa!
This has been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on in a long time. I had no idea it was possible to paint leather furniture, but it is! Angelus Leather Acrylic Paint has been specifically designed to use on leather; the consistency is quite runny, so it’s not as thick as your every day interior/exterior paint. And it goes a long way.
