One of my favorite things about blogging is sharing DIY tips and hacks with others. Recently, I was googling whether you could paint grasscloth furniture, but I couldn’t find much information. So I decided to go for it and was happy to discover that, YES, you can paint grasscloth furniture!
A little backstory: I was working on a bedroom refresh and had been searching everywhere for matching nightstands. I wanted a specific height and wanted something to complement the grasscloth accent wall I had installed (see it here). Then I remembered a set of nightstands that I had bought for one of our short-term rental properties, but they were too big and ended up in storage. I loved the shape and size, but the color wasn’t going to work. But what if I could paint them?
Preparing your grasscloth furniture for painting:
- Make sure the piece is clean and dust-free. My piece is new, so that wasn’t an issue.
- Remove or tape off any hardware.
It turns out that painting grasscloth furniture is all about the quality of primer and paint and being patient with your drying times.
Choosing the right paint and supplies:
- Oil-Based Primer– Do not use a water-based primer
- Paint Brush- easier to get into the texture than a roller
- A quality Latex Paint- I used Sherwin-Williams paint in a matte finish (from Lowes) in SW Retreat
The photo above was taken after two coats of primer.
Painting your grasscloth furniture: Step-by-step instructions:
- Paint a thin coat of oil-based primer going with the grain and let dry for 6-8 hours.
- Repeat a second coat against the grain and let it dry for another 6-8 hours. Do a third if you still lack coverage.
- Paint a coat of latex paint and let dry. Repeat if desired.
Tips for a professional finish:
Why oil-based primer? I was most worried that the paper would peel off the furniture when I started painting. I tried using some water-based primer I had on hand, but it soaked in too much moisture and started to lift the paper. I switched to an oil-based primer, which worked much better and prevented the paper from peeling.
I was trying to keep the texture of the grasscloth, so I stopped after the first coat of paint. If I had wanted a deeper color coverage, I would have used a second coat of green, but I love the texture.
Shop the bedding at my Amazon Storefront here.
That’s it for today.
Until next time,
Libbie
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