Transform Old Vinyl In Less Than 30 Minutes

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Sometimes I find things at the flea market that I didn’t know I needed. Exhibit A: this pair of stackable vinyl stools/ ottomans. I’m a sucker for good extra seating and bonus points if it doesn’t take up too much room. These slide right under the coffee table in our family room and are perfect for when the kids gather around to play games or build with their magnetic tiles.

These ottomans did NOT look cool when they came home with me. They had dirty, mustard-colored seats. No bueno.  I loved the shape of the cushions and knew that there was no way I’d be able to upholster anything that neatly. I also LOVE vinyl for the kids stuff because it’s easy to wipe clean if they get pizza sauce on it or something. Hypothetically. (Ignore the price tag… I talked her down to $20.)

I started by giving them a really good cleaning. I hit the creases with an old toothbrush and went after the  seats themselves with my secret furniture cleaning weapon …  I use it on just about everything.

Once the seats were clean, I unscrewed them from the base and gave them a coat of vinyl spray paint. Yep. Your read that correctly. It’s a spray paint MEANT for vinyl.  The colors aren’t varied or all that interesting, but navy blue has my heart these days and the color works perfectly in our family room and matches the eclectic collection of throw pillows.

A few light coats of the spray paint, and the cushions were ready to screw right back in place. I didn’t even repaint the base because it is the same shade as our floors. Meaning… this DIY cost me $20 for the stools and $5 for the vinyl spray paint, and it took *maybe* an hour.

I also used vinyl spray paint on the amazing MCM bench that lives up in Eleanor’s room. It’s been up there for a year and a half and there’s one tiny little corner where the paint flaked off a bit but… if I’m being honest… I never cleaned it before painting so that’s user error in all likelihood. Nothing a touch up won’t take care of!

Leave any questions in the comment section… I’ve only tried this on smaller pieces likes stools and ottomans, but… for $5 a can, it’s a GREAT alternative to upholstery if you’re looking to keep the vinyl!