I am beyond excited to share this furniture makeover project with you all! I whipped up this makeover in two days and I really got creative for this one.
I did something a little different and decided to makeover a whole piece using Suede paint from DecoArt.
Suede paint is unlike any other paint on the market. This unique paint has the ability to add the rich, indulgent look of brushed suede to any project and today I am going to show you just how marvellous it really is.
Here’s what I started with:

This is an old chest that I picked up off the side of the road like three years ago. It has been sitting in my store and I was using it for display but it’s more than ready for a face lift.
This is where Suede comes in.

I am going to go a little out of my comfort zone with this one and try a darker colour. A colour that I don’t normally gravitate to.
I chose the gorgeous shade, Olive.

Spoiler Alert: I LOVE IT.
So let’s dive right in and get this chest painted! Before we begin, I did decide that I want to turn this chest into a bench. Can’t wait for you to see the after!
When painting with Suede paint you want to paint in a “cross-hatch” motion. In short, you basically paint in an “X” formation. Move your brush back and forth over your piece as if you are painting X’s.
This is what is looks like:


I painted the entire piece first with one light coat. I let the paint dry for 12 hours and then I came back and did a second coat — again, repeating the cross-hatch technique.

I let my second coat dry for at least 6 hours.
In the meantime, I decided to add a little DecoArt Texture Metallic paint to this project to kick it up a notch.

I chose the shade Deep Bronze and this was exactly what I needed to add a rich, high quality looking embellishments to my bench.
I used these wood garden markers that I picked up from my local dollar store.

In just a few steps, these are going to look like wood anymore!
I first had to cut these down as I am just using the tip end. I placed the marker on my chest, and then made a mark where I would be cutting it.

And then I cut the maker using a mitre saw. I used this marker as a guide to cut 15 more markers.

With my markers cut, I could now paint them.

I painted all the markers with one light coat of the DecoArt Texture.

I let this layer of paint dry for about 3 hours and then I came back and added some “Texture”.
This was super simple and easy to do. All I did was sort of “glob” the paint on with my brush all over the marker allowing the paint to stand up stiff.

Once these had dried, you would never know that they were wood — they look just like textured metal. This stuff is seriously so cool.

I placed my embellished markers on the corners of my chest and then secured in place using an air nailer.

With my chest finish I could now move it into my space.
What do you think!!?? EEEEK!!! I am seriously in love!

You can see the gorgeous suede looking texture to this paint even in a photo but I am telling you, it looks so incredible in person.

i am so glad that I decided to working in the Americana Texture paint as well for the embellished corners. It really kicks this piece up a notch.

Also, if you are admiring my french tufted cushion, my mom was kind enough to lend her talented hands for this part.
She whipped this baby up for me. I am not the best at sewing so I thought it was better to pull in the big guns.
If you want to make a tufted cushion you can find the tutorial that my mom used here. Mine is a little different as we always like to put our own spin on things.
I hope this project has convinced you to give DecoArt Suede paint a try. It really is something so unique and special.
If you love this project, don’t forget to share it!

If you want to try out this incredible paint, DecoArt® Suede™ is available at Michaels and select Joann stores and Americana Decor® Texture™ is available at many retailers!
Grab some today and try your hand at a makeover like this!

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