Do you ever find that perfect leather couch or chair, but think the color needs an update? This is How to Chalk Paint a Leather Sofa, it is so easy and very inexpensive! Come take a look at our easy chalk painting tips. We will also answer some of your most asked questions.
So my daughter in law found this amazing leather sofa, but the color was just dark and dank. So she decided to paint it blue to accent her living space.
Supplies:
Painting Leather
When she bought this used, there was wear in the seats with discoloration and scratches. First you’ll want to choose your color. We went with Dixie Belles Bunker Hill. Then just give your couch a quick wipe down to ensure there is no dust. Read more information on chalk paint and Fusion mineral paint.
If there are spots to tape off feel free to do that. Like she taped off the wood areas of the couch so she wouldn’t paint on it.
The Best Paint Brush
I went with my favorite paint brush, which is listed above. To the can of my paint I added a little bit of water to thin down the paint. This helps with first coat coverage, while not having thick coats of paint. It also helps to get in the cracks and crevices of the couch.
After the first coat it might be a little scary. Don’t worry just keep going and I promise it will turn out. A great tip, if you don’t have cushions that come off, pull the crack apart. In between the crack paint one side of the crack and hold a blow dryer to it till it’s dry. Then repeat with the other side of the crack. That way your cushions won’t be dried together. I hope that makes sense. Otherwise just take off each cushion to paint.
Chalk Paining Tips
Depending on the base color of your couch and the color you choose will depend on how many layers of paint you do. For this she did 3 layers. She thinned down the first layer pretty good, then after that she just painted on as normal.
How to apply a clear wax
What I love about chalk paint, is that it has no smell so you can do this indoors. Once you are finished putting on your coats of paint, I would wait 1-2 days before using. After it is dry you can add a clear wax for sealant. Just use an old cotton cloth and buff your couch with the wax. Then wait another 1-2 days for that to dry. She did not seal her couch with wax and it still looked stunning.
Fusion Mineral Paint
She did end up getting sick of the blue so then she decided to repaint it in a charcoal Ash by Fusion Mineral. When using Fusion there is no need to water it down. It has a very liquid consistency but with great coverage.
Chalk paint leather sofa questions
Does the paint crack?
After about 6 months she had to touch up spots with cracks. Once again she just painted as normal in the spots that needed touch up.
Does the chalk paint scratch?
Not immediately, it might over time with use. But chalk paint and Fusion bond very well to almost any surface.
Can I use different brands?
Of course! But you get what you pay for I highly recommend using Dixie Belle. I have always had great outcomes with them and it’s what I use daily in work.
Do I have to rewax over time?
Not typically, after a year or so you might want to give it some new wax.
I have a high quality leather set that has some holes, cracks and scratches from cats. I am filling the cracks and repairing the holes but am curious would the chalk or fusion paint be better for camouflaging repairs? The original color is cream and was planning to use rusoleum chiffon white chalk paint which is brighter.
I feel like the chalk paint would be better for covering up some of those imperfections.
Nice work! Chalk paint looks good on that sofa and it’s very interesting to try with our leather sofa. Thank you for sharing this article!
Thank you!
Hello,Great job!
But does it get/feel stiff?
Thanks
No it doesn’t because this is not a stiff leather. The fusion mineral does have a better feel than the chalk paint by dixie bell. The chalk paint has more of a texture.
Hi! I bought a used beige leathjer sofa that has buttons all over it. It also has random small cat scratches on the cushions and arms, In addition, it’s color separating because I thought it was dirty and rushed into cleaning it with a scouring sponge and liquid Ajax. Yes, I admit it. Its coming clean though. 🙂 the original color is coming off pretty easy but it will be a big job to clean all of it like that.
My question is can I stop what I’m doing, clean it correctly, then use white chaulk paint and fusion?
Yes you can stop. I personally wouldn’t do anymore. Just paint it and if you have problem spots later you can easily add more paint later.
I painted my sofa with blue chalk paint can I seal it with gator hide or easy peasy spray wax please help
I would do a spray wax, I haven’t used gator hide enough to see the cons.
Hi there. I started to painted my leather couch and love seat in chalk paint and started getting a lot of concerning feedback. I stopped and have been looking at doing a dye. I’m trying to decide if I should just complete in the chalk paint or switch to cushion or dye? If move to fusion is there a different cleaning process I should follow? Also, we have 1 large dogs that tend to sneak up on the couch. Do you have dogs that “nest” and scratch the paint?
Or do you think it best to change to the dye? If so again any cleaning process that’s different? TIA! – Cecilia
Hi Cecilia,
Thanks for questions! I would stop the chalk paint if your going to go with fusion mineral. If your going to dye I would continue chalk painting, I have noticed a different color variation when applying the dye when there is chalk paint underneath it. For clean up I just use a damp rag, nothing special when it comes to animals. I like fusion mineral because you can easily touch up any scratch marks without any paint color difference. So far we haven’t had a problem with the animals on fusion mineral paint but we also don’t have aggressively scratching dogs, they just sorta sit there.
Rhonda
OMG: I learned so much today about painting leather furniture. Thank you so much for
sharing such great information. I am going to try painting a leather ottoman first, that goes with a sofa and love seat set. I can’t wait to see my results.
Yes thats awesome! I love to hear it!
Rhonda
Will the paint come off if water or a drink is spilled?
No the paint will stay intact with any spillage. Its awesome.
Hello! I’m loving the look you have achieved with the blue sofa. I have a light brown leather sofa with a slightly nubuck finish. There is an unsightly sweat stain where my husband’s head rests. Can I just paint over this or should I try to clean off the stain first? If I should clean it, do you have any advice what I can use?
Many thanks.
Thanks for the question! No worries about cleaning just paint right over it. It’ll look great!
Hi my name is Tamasha’ and I have a light mint green couch pleather ) I wanna change the color to black where can I buy Dixie Belle paint or what do you suggest ? And how much paint do i need for a couch and a lounge seat. Thank you
Hi Tamasha,
I’m happy to help, I would suggest using fusion mineral. Which ever paint you end up purchasing, buy two cans to get a good coverage. I’ll link both dixie bell and fusion mineral here for you. Dixie Bell : https://rstyle.me/+l8YlCh-XSpS9Zmi1pRkCmQ Fusion Mineral :https://rstyle.me/+TY8LVrladf7lQD0a5N6glw
Thanks for all the info. I have a leather chair and sofa that have nail head trim. I am wondering how I could cover the nail heads.
I myself would just paint right over them.
Such a cool idea! We got a great couch after my grandma passed away but it’s dark brown leather and doesn’t match our room at all. It receives very heavy use (every day) in our space, would you recommend painting still? Can the mineral paint withstand a lot of use?
Yes I would still paint it and use the mineral paint! That holds up really well and if it fades or cracks it won’t be for a long time and then you can just touch up with the paint.
Hi, thank you for all the info!
I’m about to paint a pleather Chesterfield that has been peeling away and needing some love for a while.. I am really torn between fusion and chalk paints! I am a painter so I am not intimidated by a lengthy process, and know the outcome is highly affected by how thorough the prep work is (wet sanding off the parts that are peeling, wiping the whole thing with alcohol to spot clean, many thin layers as opposed to fewer thick ones, etc..). I see online much more on chalk painted couches, yet I read Fusion is more durable. It’s the only couch we have, which we sit on everyday, so flexibility of the paint and overtime resistance are a must. What do you advise?
Thank you for your time and help!
I absolutely hear you and would highly recommend going with fusion. This couch was first chalk painted then we used fusion on it and gotta say the fusion has way less prep work and you don’t have to use a clear wax over top and it feels amazing!
thank you so much! I will go with fusion.
Someone gave me a beaten sectional. Some places there was no more leather like fabric. The couch was brown, and I it painted gray. Where it was really worn you can see the brown in the cracks. Is there something I can do to correct that? The back look like new.
I’ve seen a couple videos on a leather crack filler maybe look into that and then repaint over those spots.
Question! I have a bed that is wood with leather inserts around the headboard and footboard. I would love to take it all from a brown leather and wood to white. Can you use the fusion paint on wood as well? How would you get it to match?
Yes you can use Fusion for wood and leather and it should give you a very smooth gorgeous finish!
I painted dark brown leather bar chairs a cream color. The paint cracked significantly the first time we sat on them. I have cleaned it all off and am ready to start over after sanding a bit. any advice?
I would recommend using fusion mineral paint, chalk paint is a little bit more of a process.
I have a dark brown leather couch that is exposed to a lot of humidity year round at our home in the Caribbean. Its cracking and feels pretty rough. What would you recommend? I would LOVE to paint it a different color and smooth it out some.
I would recommend using Fusion mineral paint for a really smooth look. I have heard of a leather crack filler, I have never used it myself, but maybe if the cracks are really bad this could help to apply before you paint.
I’m so happy to have stumbled across this site and I am a huge fan! I noticed the couch in white appears to be more dull and the couch and blue has a sheen to it. Is this just photography? Is there anyway to get a nice chain if I paint the couch white?
Thank you!
Sheen not chain
The difference is, is the white is painted with chalk paint which doesn’t have a lot of shine. It’s more matte. The blue is painted in Fusion mineral paint which is a different type and goes on with a shine. you apply it the same you would as chalk paint.
How much paint did it take to paint your couch?
We used about a quarter of the chalk paint can.
The color is amazing…we were about to get rid of a black leather couch because we hate the color but now that I’m seeing this I can’t stop thinking about this gorgeous blue! Was the couch originally black or white? I’m curious if the blue would look as bright on a black background. I’d hate to paint it but have it turn out duller than yours. Beautiful job!
It was originally a tan colored sofa. After the couple coats it normally needs, it should look great!
Lovely, I like my fusion paint… question on the sofa… will color rub off in your clothes?
No, the color has stayed on the couch to last. There has been no signs of paint on our clothing
Can you paint a material sofa with chalk paint ?
Yes you can!
Does one wax after Fusion paint or just following chalk paint. If using wax does it have to be removed to touch up paint.
Many thanks.
Just chalk paint! Fusion already has a sealer built into it. You do not have to remove paint you can just paint right over the wax. Hope that helps.
Rhonda
I have now chalk painted 3 different leather club chairs – for my college kids off campus housing. Love it. I used Annie Sloan but I think my next one I will try Fusion Mineral. So glad you did a post so o could see areas I did it right and where I could make changes.
Hello Candace, That is also another great brand! Yes fusion just goes on so nicely.
Wow, I would have never thought about painting a couch. It looks fantastic!
Isn’t it such a cool idea!
What color is that creamy off white or beige on the couch in the pic? I love that.
We don’t remember the exact color but it is similar to Dixie Belle Driftwood
Oh my goodness, I love the blue, and I’m surprised that she changed it, but if she got sick of it then it’s a good thing that it can be changed! Here’s the funny thing, I’ve been toying with the idea of painting our leather club chair and ottoman because it is dark brown and sticks out like a sore thumb in amongst all of My shabby vintage farmhouse things and now I know I’m just going to go ahead and do it once I get my kitchen table done! Thanks for sharing this inspo! I loved it!
Yes and she can always change it back! You should give a try! Let me know if you have any questions
WoW…I love the blue leather…can not believe it turned out so beautiful…I like the blue best…I will try Dixie Belle paint from now on….thanks so much for info…
Thx Lynda! Yes the blue is so pretty