This bench was just crying out for a little loving, don’t you think?

I just couldn’t resist updating this bench with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and some Spoonflower fabric!

First, I chose a library themed fabric from Spoonflower and put in my online order for one yard of a cotton canvas.  If you haven’t checked out Spoonflower before, I highly recommend it.  You know how you may have an idea for a fabric you want and when you go to the fabric store to find it, you are really disappointed when they don’t anything close to what you imagined?  Well, with Spoonflower it is possible to find a fabric in most any theme you may imagine!

I prepped the bench by taking off the cushion and I prepped the fabric by washing, drying, and ironing it.

The original color of the paint on the bench was black.  I chose to paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in graphite.  (I was a little bit tempted to choose a red paint, but if I bought a can in red, I knew I would never use the rest of the can!)  Because I chose such a dark color paint, I had no worries about color showing through from the old finish.  I simply painted the bench with two coats of graphite and waxed it with Annie Sloan clear wax.  I let the first coat set and applied a second coat of clear wax.

I removed the old fabric from the top of the bench using a screwdriver and pliers.  I was happy to find the padding in good shape since, beyond my labor, I really couldn’t spend more than the cost of the paint, wax, and fabric for this update.   Using a staple gun, I carefully reupholstered the top of the bench in the super cool fabric I found at Spoonflower and reattached it to the bench.

The second coat of wax wasn’t totally dry when I took these photos.  When it was, I buffed the piece with a soft cloth.  Project complete!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie