Painting furniture is an easy way to update your look. Don't let fabric slow you down - paint your cloth couch to freshen it up.

You'll need an old couch that's getting a bit ratty (or a nice one that you absolutely can't stand).

And you'll need some wall paint (I used cheapo Walmart interior paint for this one).

My applicator of choice is a small roller.

Step 1: Almost Done

Drying time.

You don't want too thick of a coat since that will make the fabric feel too thick and starchy (It's going to feel a bit stiff anyway). A roller will put a nice coating on the fabric without getting a heavy layer on. I use small rollers since they will get into the folds and nooks of the fabric more easily.

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself - first things first. Test the fabric on a patch that won't show. Some material isn't suitable for painting -- some couches are just foam with a thin cover. One friend painted a foam couch and it soaked up a gallon of paint before she figured out that it was never going to dry. I used less than half a gallon of latex wall paint on this couch.

Step 2: Ready for Life in the Basement

The pattern on this couch has quite a bit of definition and the light coat of paint lets the pattern show through for a bit for interesting look. And the color is an exact match for my walls, lol.

I've had good luck painting other cloth furniture. For smoother fabrics, you can take other colors and add to the scheme. I like to dip a big roller in paint and just make criss-cross marks over a more neutral or solid background by pressing the paint on the fabric, but not rolling it in.