Infant Car SeatsTravel System Car SeatsConvertible Car SeatsBooster Car SeatsCar Seat AccessoriesPremium Car SeatsCar Seat BasesStroller & Car Seat Toys car seat finder finding the perfect car seat has never been easierYou may have a piece of furniture that you love that has vinyl upholstery that you don’t. Reupholstering pieces can be a lot of work. Good news: You can get a new, fresh look on your vinyl furniture simply by painting the vinyl! I have had a pair of black vinyl barstools for years and, while they weren’t terrible, they were simply too dark for my basement kitchenette. I wanted them lightened and brightened.Some things you should know before embarking on this DIY project:Step 1: Move your furniture item to a well-ventilated area. I carried my barstools out to the garage and placed them on some well-used drop cloths.Step 2: Clean furniture thoroughly with grease cutter. I used LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner, and it did a fantastic job of cleaning things up. A product like Krud Kutter would produce great results as well.
Let furniture dry thoroughly.Step 3: Paint thin base coat onto furniture. I used Kryolon Colormaster paint + primer in Classic Gray because it adheres to plastic and because the color selection matched what I had in mind better than Rustoleum. Tip: As you spray, push the nozzle while you’re aiming the spray can slightly off the edge of the piece, then move the spray lightly over the furniture. This prevents paint pooling.Step 4: Allow base coat to dry. Focus on keeping the base coat thin rather than even. The coverage won’t be even with your base coat, and that’s just fine! Tip: The thinner your individual coats of paint, the better they will adhere to the vinyl. (And the less likely they will be to crack.)Step 5: Paint additional coats as needed. Paint one thin coat at a time until the entire furniture piece is evenly covered. I did three coats on my barstools. Step 6: Get creative! Of course, you could easily be done with painting your vinyl upholstery after step 5. But I wanted to add a little more personality to my barstools.
I decided to create an ombre effect, with some cobalt blue on the tips of the legs and moving up gradients into white at the top of the barstool seat back.Here is a closer look at the seatback. Tip: Ombre is spray painting’s best friend. Remember to keep all paint sprays light, and ALWAYS start and stop your spray while aiming at the air near, not at, the furniture. More solid components of ombre should be done with a higher number of light coats – not heavier coats – than the gradient sections.I carried some of the white paint onto the barstool seat as well, to create an overall ombre effect. I also added a fourth “color,” Smoke Gray, which is slightly darker than the Classic Gray of the base coat, to create more depth within that massive sea of gray on the chair. It’s subtle but important.Step 7: Let everything dry. It’s hard to wait, I know. But take this opportunity to clean up the area where your new favorite vinyl furniture is going to live.Ombre painted legs resemble dipped chair legs.
I hope you can learn to love your vinyl furniture again with a little love! This idea would look great as a vertical or horizontal stripe, a buffalo check, an abstract, a geometric…the sky’s the limit, really. Have fun with this!Now that the constant boy projects have come to an end, I can focus on some neglected areas of our home. And namely, the HOME itself. We moved in 6 months ago and really went full-force that first month with the home improvements. But since then, there are many unfinished projects to tidy-up. When the new counter tops went in, we extended the kitchen island to create a bar for the kids. It then took me 2 months to find the right bar stools. And another 2 months to actually make the covers for them. That’s just how it goes sometimes, right? 6 months later, we’re fully functional! And the kids love it. The stools were my Christmas present and came from good old IKEA (info on the stools HERE). IKEA sells slipcovers for these stools but with kids, I wanted something waterproof and easy to wipe up.
So I decided to make my own covers out of oilcloth. I used one of the IKEA slipcovers as the pattern and appx 1 yard of fabric for each stool. There’s no pattern for me to share with you here, other than showing you an IKEA slipcover. If you’re making your own chair cover: * inspect what’s already on there * measure your cushions * allow a little extra for your seams * figure out a way that works with your chair, bar stool, bench, seat cushion, whatever! * research tutorials or extra info online (do a google search for “recovering a chair cushion” or whatever fits your project) * no real guidelines here. It’s one of those “figure it out and make it work” kind of projects. Tim Gunn will be proud of you. My plan was to make my own pattern from their cover and then return that original to the store. But I quickly realized that the pattern was more complicated than I pictured. So I simply cut up their cover and used that instead.
My time is worth more than $20, right? And with something like this, it needs to fit like a glove. Just some basic construction about the slip cover… Each side has a flap that comes down like this: With a strip of Velcro sewn to the bottom: There is velcro attached to the underside of the chair too, so just push it up the fabric and it stays: The fabric wraps around the corners of the legs. I actually hemmed the oilcloth here but with the next chair I left the edge raw, since the fabric will never fray and no one will notice: Okay, on to your other questions….. Oilcloth is a vinyl that is bonded and supported with a woven cotton mesh. It’s water-resistant, a bit stiff, and the surface can be wiped clean. It has roots in the fishing and sailing industry. But these days it makes very cute tote bags, lunch sacks, table cloths, baby bibs, home decor projects, and more! It’s hard to find in normal fabric stores. Specialty boutiques and online shops are best.
I’ve never worked with Oilcloth before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But….it was kind of fun. It was stiff to maneuver around. But it was nice that it holds it’s shape and there’s no fraying on the edges so I didn’t even finish off some of the edges (the part that wraps around the legs.). First assessment: I’m kind of in love. Can’t wait to tackle more projects with it. Other options, similar to Oilcloth: If you can’t find an Oilcloth print that you like, you might try using a cotton fabric and then pairing it with clear vinyl on top or a self-adhesive vinyl. Or you can also find some cool laminated cottons, such as these by Amy Butler. You’ll pay twice as much for the laminates, however. Caring for Oilcloth (from Oil Cloth Addict): Oilcloth is waterproof and stain resistant. Fading may occur under direct sunlight for extended periods of time since the Oilcloth does not contain a UV inhibitor. You can wipe Oilcloth clean using a warm, soapy sponge then dry it off with a soft cloth or sponge.
Machine washing is not suggested. Oilcloth left folded will retain creases but they are easily removed. Creases can be removed from your folded oilcloth by laying it flat in a warm place. The oilcloth will become soft as it becomes warm. Use you hands to smooth out any creases. Once your oilcloth product is smooth keep it rolled or hung up. Where to Purchase Oilcloth It’s hard to find Oilcloth in normal fabric stores. * If you live in LosAngeles, try Michael Levine * If you live in Austin, TX, try The Common Thread Or try these ONLINE stores for the best selection: * oil cloth addict (etsy shop) I’ve purchased from Oil Cloth Addict twice now and will definitely use her again in the future. Her prices are reasonable, the shipping is quick, and she sends a couple samples of other cloths with your purchase. Look at the little collection I’ve gathered. That faux wood is kitchy cool: And from Oil Cloth Addict, here’s their Spring Swatch Sheet, as seen on the Oil Cloth Addict Blog (along with some fun ideas about what to make with Oilcloth).
Orange is one of my favorite colors (next to yellow) and so I immediately went for the “Orange Lace“. But when it arrived Casey and I both wondered if it was too bright. I was hoping it would be more of a tangerine shade like my orange Rollie Pollie. So Casey said, “go with the blue“. I liked it too, so I ordered it. But you know when your gut is telling you something different? When just feel like you should go with the original plan? Well, late last night when Casey was sleeping, I went with my instinct. The chairs became orange. But I still have the blue. Maybe I should make two sets? What do you think….Did my gut treat me right? With velcro on the bottom, it’s easy to pull them off. Hey, I could have one for every day of the week! That’s a bit much. I’m just happy we have a place for our kids to sit, eat popcorn, joke around, and share their sibling love. Three cheers for Oilcloth, Orange, and Doing It Yourself! I really love the bright orange pop it adds to the room.