Tired of faded patio cushions but don’t want to spend the money on reupholstering or replacing them when they’re in good condition? Then paint them!
Not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars on replacing twelve cushions on my patio set, I spent hours of researching on how to darken the faded color. The first thing I found was to try dyeing them. The result? It was a huge mess and turned out to be a disaster! The dye alone made a huge scarlet red mess everywhere and then the color kept bleeding whenever the cushions got wet. On a rainy day, that would be a disaster! So next came my attempt to “paint” the cushions. I read up about painting indoor furniture and thought it was worth a shot to try and attempt this on my outdoor furniture. It only requires a small amount of supplies and lots of patience, but you can choose any indoor semi-gloss paint from your favorite home improvement store or anywhere that sells paint. The color choices are endless! And the final result was definitley worth the time!
The key ingredient in this process is clear textile medium. This is the must-have product for penetrating the fibers in fabric and keeping it soft. Do not skip using this or you will end up with super stiff, hard fabric. I used four 8 oz. bottles of Delta Ceramcoat Clear Textile Medium that I purchased online at Joann.com for under $6 a bottle. Any brand will do, but Delta Ceramcoat Clear Textile Medium works with 2 parts paint for 1 part medium. Based on the size of my patio set, here’s a list of the supplies I needed to complete the project. You’ll need more or less depending on the size of your project. Just remember: read the back label of the textile medium for the ratio of paint:medium.
The supply list:
32 oz. Clear Textile Medium
2 qt. Any water based interior paint (I used Glidden Brilliance semi-gloss interior paint in Cranberry Zing)
Spray bottle filled with water
Water to add to paint
2″ paintbrush (or larger, depending on the size of surface)
Paint tray
UV fabric protectant for outdoor furniture (found at Joann stores)
Directions:
1. Thoroughly clean the surface you wish to paint by wiping down, dusting, or even vaccuuming. You want a clean surface to work with.
2. Wet the fabric of the piece you want to start painting with a spray bottle till it’s very damp, but not dripping wet.
3. Mix 2 parts paint with 1 part textile medium in the paint tray (I eyeballed it, but make sure there’s enough textile medium). Add enough water till it’s almost the consistency of milk. STIR WELL!
4. Paint onto that damp surface! (Try to do an even coat since you will be doing around 2-3 coats total.)
5. Let dry in sun. Repeat process, making sure each application fully dries. Carefully blowdry fabric with hair dryer to “heat set” textile medium.
6. Spray UV fabric protectant. Let dry.
Since you are watering down the paint it will take about 2-4 coats to get the color you want. When completed, don’t forget to spray all the cushions down with the UV outdoor fabric spray and let dry. You wouldn’t want it to fade again after all that hard work!
Some of the most frequently asked questions I heard while painting the cushions on my driveway were:
How does the fabric feel? – Well, it is slightly stiffer than before, but it was a rough fabric to begin with. It’s still very comfortable to sit on. I wouldn’t recommend painting velvet or any fabric that is super soft.
Were the paint coats very even? – Yes, but I learned to add lots of water and to mix it in very well into the textile medium and paint. My first pillow I didn’t add enough water to the mixture and it had streaks of the paint color. You really want a milk-like consistency.
How much did the process cost? – I used a cheap $2 economy 2″ paintbrush, a $1 paint tray, a $1 spray bottle, $30 for textile medium (on sale at joann.com for $5.59/8 oz. bottle x 4 bottles + $6.95 shipping), $19 for two 1 qt. of Glidden Brilliance Collection paint in Cranberry Zing from Walmart, and the UV fabric protectant spray was $10.95 at Joann but with their 40% off one item coupon they have every week in the Sunday paper or printable online coupon it brought it down to $7. Total cost = $60 for 12 cushions and I still have some paint & textile medium left!!
How many coats did it take? – For me, it took three coats. My cushions were a faded off-pink salmon color and I ended up with a beautiful dark cranberry color.
How long did it take? – Well, it took about 3 months after I purchased all the supplies just to get the courage to do this project! It was done within a week.
Remember to always test a hidden area first. See how it dries and if it looks good then you’re good to go!
