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How To Paint Patio Cushions

Psssst... this post *might* contain affiliate links: see my disclosure here.

June 7, 2016

How to Paint Patio Cushions

painted cushions excerpt

Last week I debuted our awesome eclectic repurposed patio makeover (say that ten times fast!) and I promised to share a tutorial on how I painted those cushions! If you’re cool with my oh-so-casual summer hair, then carry on! I got all the deets for you here! Just to get you up to speed… I bought a couch from a local consignment store and theeeese were the cushions. I *almost* left them behind but then I remembered the power of paint! I’m SO glad I kept them because they fit the couch perfectly and now, thanks to a couple of days of watching paint dry, they are a vision in coordinated navy blue.

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

If you can believe it… here’s how they look now!

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

I made a video to show you how it all went down and honestly, I think that’s the easiest way to see how I did it, but… I’ll try to write it out with some screen grabs at the end of the post for those of you at work or unable to see the video!

Step 1

Mix one part water to one part fabric medium to one part paint.

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

Step 2

Spray cushions with water until they are fairly damp. Not puddles, but definitely saturated.

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

Step 3

Brush paint onto cushion making sure it soaks in. Be careful of drips, but don’t be afraid to apply liberally. (I know that sounds contradictory… basically, slap on as much paint as you want and then go back over at the end to clean up any excess/ drips.)

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

Step 4

When paint is dry, repeat steps 2 and 3.

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

Step 5 (Optional)

If you feel that your paint is too rough on the cushions, go over with some fine sandpaper between coats. I didn’t do this for the patio cushions because they are already a little ‘stiff’ and I didn’t mind the texture of the painted cushions. Also, I’m lazy and that saved some time.

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

That’s it! Can you BELIEVE how simple it is?? Even at Homegoods, patio cushions can cost $30 a piece! For a large 3-seat couch… that can get pricey FAST. I also love that this meant I could paint other cushions around the patio to coordinate the colors. Win-win.

How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint. How to makeover patio cushions by painting them with regular ol’ latex paint.

If you’re interested in how that copper garden stool was made (and to see it back when it was shiny and new), here’s my post about that here!

Materials

(affiliate links included for your convenience)

• Fabric medium

• Latex paint (I used Behr latex in eggshell finish)

• Squirt bottle

• Mixing Cup

• Sand paper (optional)

• Paint brush

pin-me-pin-me

I saved so much money painting these dated floral cushions!

XO Charlotte

21 Comments · Furniture Fixer Uppers

Comments

  1. Bridget says

    June 7, 2016 at 9:12 am

    Have you used Chalk Paint on fabric? (somehow I think you have)…is the process different as in do you still need the fabric medium? They look great!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      June 7, 2016 at 10:37 am

      🙂 I haven’t actually but my friend Rachel has… here’s the link to her YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX1yeuNOb3k

      Reply
  2. Carole says

    June 7, 2016 at 3:24 pm

    That’s really interesting and seems so simple. I’ll be curious to see how the paint holds up, too. Thanks for sharing this!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      June 15, 2016 at 1:18 pm

      SO simple. I think the paint is penetrating the fabric so… I’m cautiously optimistic that it might hold up! I’ll keep you posted!

      Reply
  3. Karen says

    June 14, 2016 at 8:47 pm

    Wow- I didn’t realize you could paint fabric with latex paint. Where did you get the fabric medium? Great job, and directions, too!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      June 15, 2016 at 1:24 pm

      Hi Karen! I bought some at our local Michael’s store… just in the paint section. And then I ordered the rest on Amazon. So easy and pretty inexpensive… maybe $4.50 a bottle?

      Reply
  4. Claire says

    May 20, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    How have the cushions held up since you painted them?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      May 22, 2017 at 4:25 pm

      Hi! Sorry for the late response! They look good as new aside from things like the tree leaves getting all over them. 🙂 I will say, they don’t drain as easily as they did before… so I try to take them in if I *know* it’s going to be a big storm. Otherwise, I just have to leave them out in the sun a little longer than normal!

      Reply
  5. Lauren says

    June 1, 2017 at 12:05 pm

    Do you know the color of paint you used? I love the color. My mother did this several years ago and hers still look great!!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      June 4, 2017 at 9:21 pm

      Shoot. I don’t! If I think of it, I’ll try to check my paint stash. I’m TERRIBLE about keeping track of my paint. :/

      Reply
  6. Bernadette says

    June 28, 2017 at 3:23 pm

    Did you use exterior paint? I’m curious as to if it will stick to youif its on direct sun.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      June 30, 2017 at 11:02 pm

      Gosh… I don’t remember, but it doesn’t stick to you even a little bit. It’s not tacky or shiny or sticky at all.

      Reply
      • Bernadette says

        August 21, 2017 at 9:18 am

        So mix for example 8 oz water,8 0z medium and 8 oz PaINT.IS that correct?

        Reply
        • Charlotte Smith says

          August 22, 2017 at 3:25 pm

          Exactly! It doesn’t need to be a science, but that’s a good ratio of color density to texture, etc. Good luck!

          Reply
  7. ALINA says

    July 9, 2017 at 7:24 am

    GREAT VIDEO! i’M ABOUT TO TRY THIS. dID 1 QUART GET YOU THROUGH ALL OF THE CUSHIONS?? i HAVE 4 SEAT CUSHIONS AND DON’T WANT TO OVERBUY!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      July 9, 2017 at 4:39 pm

      Yes! That should be plenty… you water it down SO much that a little goes a long way! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Nora says

    February 15, 2018 at 11:25 am

    Hi there! Cool project! Do you remember about how long each coat took to dry? I’m wondering how much time I should/would budget to do it.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      February 16, 2018 at 11:17 pm

      Hi Nora! I did this in the bright summer sun, so not long. The earlier coats took longer because the paint was soaking into fabric… by the end, it’s just layering onto more paint than fabric!

      Reply
  9. cynthia says

    March 28, 2018 at 2:54 pm

    hello, just had a question regarding the fabric holding up in the sun. did the paint crack or peel, or would this issue be completely eliminated by the fabric medium?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      March 29, 2018 at 9:00 pm

      Not in the two summers these chairs were outside! Not even close to peeling and no signs of cracking. The fabric medium seems to make it a bit more supple, yes.

      Reply
  10. Daniele griffin says

    July 10, 2018 at 7:50 am

    Hi charlotte, you did a beautiful job on the Patio cUshions. I followed the steps and painted my patio cushions for my deep seating set which included 2 chairs with ottomAns and couch. I have some scotchguard heavy duty water repellant. Do you think i need this or any kind of weather sealant on tHe cushions or they should be fine Without it? I didnt want to use it and damage paint. Thank you

    Danielle

    Reply

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Lover of color, wrangler of chaos, thrifter of all the things.

head-shot-1 Hi, I'm Charlotte! I'm fixing up our 100 year old house and artfully hoarding armchairs in the garage. I love color. I love flea markets. I love a little mess. My days are spent writing, painting, sanding, laughing and negotiating with our 5 kids. You can read more about us here
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