Our master bedroom recently got a small (and much needed) face-lift and it was all driven by a project I did with our fabric headboard. When I told my husband my plan to make our grey, fabric headboard resemble a rich cognac leather headboard, I’m not sure he could envision the transformation. Honestly, I had some major doubts myself. But it totally worked. It was so easy and it cost about $50 for all the supplies.
Before
I want to show you what I was working with before I get any further.
Before of the fabric headboard
It was a perfectly fine headboard, it just did nothing for the navy wall it was up against. I’ve always loved the look of a cognac leather with rich blues and greens. It feels so cozy, warm and welcoming- exactly what I have been trying to achieve with our stupidly-large master bedroom since we moved in a couple years ago.
The beauty of this project was that if it worked- great!! But if it was a flop- oh well, I didn’t care for the piece much to begin with. If you’re planning on doing this to a piece of furniture you LOVE… I would test a small, hidden area before totally committing.
Supply List
Here’s what you’ll need-
- Regular latex paint– Any color. I went with semi-gloss because I wanted it to have a bit of shine like leather would.
- Fabric medium– You can find this at craft stores. (I used 3 bottles, one for each coat)
- Drop cloth
- Paint brush
- Clean spray bottle
- Paint cup or something you can mix your paint and fabric medium in
Lets Go!
Make sure you wipe the piece down before starting. I found a few different ratio suggestions to use when mixing the paint and fabric medium. For money and convenience-sake, I did 1 part fabric medium to 2 parts paint and 1ish parts water. Mix this REALLY well.
Use your spray bottle to dampen the surface of the fabric. You don’t want it to be soaked, just damp so the paint goes on a little easier. Then apply a thin coat. After the first coat I got a pit in my stomach, it looked like CRAP. But I decided it couldn’t look any worse, so I went ahead with a second coat after I let it dry for 12-24 hours.
When I made the paint/fabric medium mixture for the second coat, I didn’t add quite as much water. Just eyeball it to thin the paint out a bit. Work with the spray bottle like you did with the first coat. Apply this coat a little thicker than the last. Let dry another 12-24 hours, or until dry to the touch.
After I applied the second coat, I actually deliberated with my husband whether or not to be done at this point. I was just kinda over it and disappointed with the results I was seeing. It was still blotchy and didn’t have any type of sheen to it. I decided to give it one more chance- and I’m SO glad I did!
With the third coat I only used the paint and fabric medium mixed together- NO WATER. I applied a thick layer of paint, being sure to really cover every bit of fabric and get into every crevice. (I’m wondering if it would have been better to not add as much water to the first and second coat mixtures?? I’ll never know. But maybe they provided a good base coat for the third coat to really adhere…) Below you can see how much differently the third coat went on.
I was SO happy with the results of the third coat! The color was rich and even, and the semi-gloss paint added a bit of sheen which added to the leather like look. I could barely wait for the paint to dry to try it out! I wonder if a fourth coat would have made it look even more like leather, but I was too excited to put the room back together to find out.
After
The final result prompted me to make a few more changes, and with all the money I saved on a new headboard, I didn’t have an ounce of guilt. I picked up a couple new pillows and a faux plant at Home Goods. At Target, I found the perfect mirrors and a small wooden vase- both from the Hearth & Hand collection.
The before “Before” pictures
Our bedroom has been (and still is) a loooong work in progress. If you want to see the photos of where we really started, click here.
Thank you so much for stopping by! If you decided to revitalize a piece of furniture by painting it, I would love to see how it turns out. 🙂
I was liking the before color until I read through your process to the finish. WOW, it’s gorgeous and I applaud your color change and courage!
I have a nice headboard, beige color, blah against a light blue pastel wall. I had no idea how to change the color or if I should. It looks nice but I’m not crazy about the fabric. You’ve given me enough hope to seriously start thinking and planning. Thanks for sharing your process and courage!
Kathy, thanks for the kind words! You can do it!
Hi! I have the same blah headboard in a taupe color that throws off any other neutral colors I bring into the room. I love how your headboard turns out and am just curious what color you used to get the cognac leather look and if the finish is scratchy after painting it?
Hi Amy! I’m so sorry, I’m unsure of the color I went with. I would suggest going to get a bunch of brown paint swatches and take your finalists with you to a couple stores that have furniture in the leather tone you’re trying to replicate- a fun trip to Home Goods, Target, Kirklands, etc.
As far as the texture, it was a little rough to the touch. Nothing major, it still had some give to it, but it definitely didn’t keep the same softness as regular fabric. Hope this helps!