In all honesty.....I did NOT need another chair for my office. BUT.... evidently.... my readers and online family needed a "how to paint on leather" demonstrations.....and because of that.....this gorgeous painted leather chair was created....and I'm keeping it!
I love it when you actually let me know what you'd like to read and learn more about....it helps me to deliver better content! So to all of you that asked about painting leather.....I thank you.....and this is for you!
I purchased this leather chair on FB Marketplace for $70. I am hopeful that many of you already own a chair similar to this....or that you can pick one up for much less.....and try this project for yourself!
I gave it a shower (really good wipe down) with White Lightning.
I then made my decision to prime or not to prime.
Is the surface slick?
....just the back of the chair was slick so I chose to prime it in Slick Stick.
....the front of the chair was worn in a soft and supple and did not require it.
Will the leather bleed through my paint with dyes from the leather?
.....possibly.....but I am painting with a dark color so I do not need to consider this.
....and I am sealing with spray wax or butter (because I don't want to use a sealer that cures to a hard finish on my chair)..... which do not pull tannins through the paint.
This prime or not to prime ... and with which product... are the questions I get asked ALL. THE. TIME.
I coated the back of the chair in Fluff...directly over the Slick Stick....as the base for my planned stripes. (and yes...I painted right over the nailhead trim)
I allowed this to dry before taping off my stripes.
I followed my "stripes protocol"....burnish with base coat...let dry....paint stripes with minimal paint....remove tape while the paint is wet......voila!
I painted the front of the chair on live video and you can watch this here...
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How to paint on leather with chalk paint
My progress steps are listed for you here....
1. Painted the entire front in Peony.
2. Painted the area near the "crack...aka where the seat meets the back" in a blend of Caviar and Muscadine Wine....which made this beautiful Black Cherry color. I will use this color on future projects without a doubt!
3. Painted the middle section of both the back and the seat in Plum Crazy.
4. Using a spray bottle and my brush I blended the line between the custom Black Cherry and the Plum Crazy to soften the transition of color.....making sure to neatly wrap the color all the way to the nail head area.
5. I then added a fresh line of Peony to the most forward area of the seat cushion and the uppermost area of the back cushion....and again....using water and my brush I blended the transition line of the Peony to Plum Crazy....again....making sure to neatly wrap the color all the way around to the nailhead area.
6. I painted the leather on the arms in a Plum Crazy and Peony Blend.
7. I allowed all paint to dry overnight before applying Easy Peasy Spray Wax to seal the paint. I did not need to sand prior to this. I just BRUSHED on the spray wax and let it dry.
8. I then used my go-to Liquid Leaf Gold to paint all the wood areas of the chair for that extra glam!
9. And finally.....I used my fingertip to dip into the Liquid Leaf gold and apply it to each nailhead.
The chair is NOT crunchy or even hard in the very least!!! It is soft and smooth and supple....and has a finish that is almost velvety to touch!
In my honest opinion......leather chairs paint up SO easily.....and even better than fabric chairs! Fabric chairs require quite a few extra steps to make sure your chair FEELS good enough to sit it. I offer fabric chair painting as a class and you can purchase that right here.
But the leather??? It doesn't need a class..... it's EASY EASY EASY with great results!!
So there you have it!
My latest painted leather project just for you!
And I owe you a big THANK YOU.....for the gift of my new desk chair!
I'll keep you posted on how she holds up over time! I'm a bit of a workaholic so she's going to get a lot of use while I write these blogs and answer your comments!!
See you next week!
XOXO,
Tracey
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