Painting Upholstered Furniture with a Paint Sprayer

This wingback chair makeover is proof that tired upholstery doesn’t always need to be stripped off and replaced. Sometimes, a paint sprayer, a little latex paint, and a willingness to try something new can completely change the look of an outdated piece. If you’ve ever wondered whether upholstered furniture can be painted, this project shows how a budget-friendly chair got a crisp new look with the help of my Finish Max sprayer.

This cane wingback chair was $5 at a yard sale. I knew it was the perfect project for me to try painting fabric furniture.

All of the fabric had seen better days, but the chair was mainly structurally sound. I did have to glue and clamp one of the legs and staple the lining, but other than that, it just needed some TLC (paint).

Upholstered Wing Chair Ready For Paint

Here, she is in the paint booth, ready for her makeover.

Painting Upholstery With a Paint Sprayer

This HomeRight Finish Max is my secret weapon for easy makeovers. I knew the fabric and cane on the sides of the chair would be challenging to paint.

Painting Upholstered Furniture

To get started, I used one of my extra Finish Max cups to spray the chair lightly with water. I’ve seen a lot of fabric furniture painted, and dampening the fabric first seems to be one of the major tips. Since I don’t have a water bottle sprayer, I let the Finish Max handle this job. This shot is after dampening the chair and spraying a light coat of Finish Max over the entire piece.

Touch Up Upholstered Chair

After two light coats of DIY Chalk Paint on everything, I switched to a chip brush for another (heavy) coat of paint on the fabric back and sides of the seat. You can see the difference in this photo.

Plan B is In Order

Upon closer inspection, I saw that the padded armrests did not look very nice.

I spent almost two hours removing the bazillion staples and tacks from just ONE armrest. After that, you can see that I needed to touch up the chair.

painting upholstery with a paint sprayer

Add a Coordinating Fabric

At this point, I knew I wasn’t going to be using the seat “as is,” so I checked to see how this fabric looked. I loved it!

Finishing Touches Make a Difference

I removed the other armrest padding, used some spackling to patch all the staple holes, and did a final coat of paint in the spray booth with Finish Max and Behr Premium Plus Ultra in white semi-gloss. Finishing touches like this will make your project shine.

Amazing? I think so! I’m not the first to paint a fabric chair, but I’ve never seen anyone do it with a Finish Max before!

Painting upholstered furniture with a paint sprayer is definitely one of those projects that makes you stop and look twice. The fresh white finish gave this chair a whole new personality, turning a worn yard-sale find into something bright and useful again. It’s a great reminder that with the right tools and a little creativity, even fabric furniture can get a second chance.

Why This Project Works

This project works because it saves a solid chair with good bones, while skipping the cost and hassle of a full upholstery redo. Using a paint sprayer helps get more even coverage on the fabric and detailed areas, making it a smart option for transforming dated upholstered furniture on a budget.

Painted Upholstered Wingback Caned Chair

Here she is now! I employed my neighbor to recover the cushion for me because I didn’t want to drag the sewing machine out of the basement.

vintage cane wing chair upholstery refreshed with a paint sprayer

Have you ever considered painting upholstered furniture? I’m glad I finally got it out of my system. Given the chance, I would definitely do it again!

UPDATED to ADD: Many of you have asked how it feels. It feels like faux leather or vinyl. How will it wear? I’m not sure. Since the seat was reupholstered, I think the back will hold up fine. I’d give it a run for its money if I had room for it in my house. I found a great post from 11 Magnolia Lane about how her fabric-painted chair is doing seven months later.