Painting Leather with Old World Clay & Chalk Paint — The Ultimate Ikea Hack!

If you don't have one of these chairs, you've probably seen one.

You can find them on Gumtree and ebay and at garage sales (or maybe even stashed in your shed or garage?)

They still sell them at Ikea in various forms (the Poang chair) from $189 on up. They're a useful  piece, solid construction and can squeeze into a tight spot.

​Obviously this one had seen better days — what better to play on?

BEFORE: Ikea chair in need of love...

Let's go coastal with Old World Clay & Chalk Paint.

The awesome thing about painting this chair? The seat cushion and headrest slipped right off the frame.

WIP: Painting with a Cling On Brush using Old World Paint in the colour City Lights

This isn't my first rodeo...I've done a fair amount of painting various materials and fabrics with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Chalk Paint and Fusion Mineral Paint.

There are tricks to help (for example, Fusion's Colour Blocker works fantastically well as a primer when painting light colours over dark). Nap is everything, the smoother the fabric, I find the easier the task.

In this case I used the new Old World Paint colour, City Lights, a deep and sophisticated navy blue for the leather. And the frame was painted (no sanding, no prep) with a rough coat of Old World Paint in Industrial White, a pale cool grey.

The weather wasn't super cooperative (hot and humid!) so I allowed overnight drying times. 

WIP: First coat in Old World Clay & Chalk Paint, Industrial White

Once the first coat dried, a  second coat of Old World Paint in Lighthouse, a cool bright white with grey undertones, was dry-brushed over the top for a subtle layered effect.

WIP: Layers of cool white...Old World in Industrial White and Lighthouse

One thing to remember is that the backs of these chairs are quite visible. The cushions need as much attention as the front.

Business in the front...party in the back!

The backs of the cushions are cotton canvas, which behaves entirely different to leather.

The paint glides onto the smooth leather surface. With canvas, it absorbs and the brush needs to be dipped in water often and the paint put on quite heavily.

There are also a number of seams, folds, piping and zippers to work around...adding to the fun! I just swiped my awesome Cling On Brush right over everything.

Even though one coat seemed to do the job, another quick coat on both back and front made me feel better.

But it didn't seem to make much of a difference. Having said that, I believe a second coat always catches spots that were missed and waiting to turn up once everything in finished! 

Second coat of Old World Clay & Chalk Paint

And I always need to add a little bling, right?!

What better than an anchor stencil in Fusion Metallic Paint in copper!

Ahoy!

Adding an anchor stencil with Fusion Metallic Paint in Copper

The chair is going into a holiday rental, so the frame was sealed with Old World Liquid Sealer (available soon) for a super tough and hardy finish.

After allowing the painted cushions to dry overnight, the leather was sealed with Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil.

I recommend using a brush or cloth...unless you're looking to try out for the Blue Man Crew!

Sealing the painted leather cushion with MMSMP Hemp Oil

I love working with my  hands so I had a blast, in fact, here's a quick little vid to show how much fun it was becoming BLUE!

I allowed the MMSMP Hemp Oil to dry overnight and in the morning excess Hemp Oil pooled in spots. Simply wipe it down and wait again.

When I wiped away excess Hemp Oil I dragged the cloth across the anchor and it left streaks  — which looked like a verdi or patina on the copper — did I plan that? Nope! But do I love it? Yup! Happy accident!

With Hemp Oil you need to allow time to cure or oil will transfer. I place a piece of paper with the final curing date on it with the project. After 30 days, retest before use.  I tested it at 10 days and the bluing has stopped and you need to rub the leather for colour to come off. Very happy with that! 

How good is this? Quite the transformation. 

It's all here...for the love...
Sada