This easy hack totally transformed a dated armchair – using just a can of spray paint

You won't believe the result

 A sumptuous armchair is the perfect finishing touch to a living room. But if you're stuck with a chair in a dated colour that you don't know what to do with, you are going to love this mum's upcycled armchair.

Related: From an unloved garage to luxury bathroom - this is one DIY project you have to see

Mum, Jade Hanley, posted her upcycled armchair on the Extreme Budget DIY & Life Hacks Facebook group. The before and after photos were almost unrecognisable as she transformed a dull old armchair into a deep blue number, with just a can of spray dye.

Upcycled armchair

blue velvet arm chair with books and painting

(Image credit: Jade Hanley)

Group members were bowled over by the transformation, with the post clocking up over 500 like and 98 comments.

'Beautiful amazing colour,' commented one member. 'What a gloriously rich colour...so striking,' said another.

Speaking about how she came by the armchair and upcycling idea, Jade explains: 'I was given the chair for free as a friend of mine was having a good old clear out. It was in great condition but sadly dull in its original colour.'

Armchair before

brown armchair with carpet flooring

(Image credit: Jade Hanley)

Jade, already a massive fan of upcycling, decided to transform the chair into an eye-catching blue armchair for her other half to sit and read in.

'First I got lukewarm water and gave it a good scrub and let it dry,' says Jade. She then sanded down the legs with fine sandpaper and painted them with a test pot of antique gold furniture paint.

After the gold paint had dried Jade sprayed the whole chair with a can of navy blue fabric paint from Fabric Spray. One can cost £14.49, Jade stocked up on four cans for the whole project.

'I did one layer of spray paint and let that sit for half an hour to let the first coat sink it and repeated two more times after and let them dry for a few hours,' explains Jade.

Armchair after

blue velvet armchair with wooden flooring

(Image credit: Jade Hanley)

Jade added a final coat of spray dye to the chair to get the lovely deep navy colour. She then left the chair to dry in an airy room overnight.

'It was ready to sit on the next day. No colour transfer. That simple,' says Jade.

The whole gorgeous upcycled armchair cost Jade just under £60. The dye works best with light fabrics, so if you have a similar light-coloured chair or sofa you're looking to update why not consider giving it a few coats of fabric paint.

Related: Transform a tired looking radiator from £10 with this clever paint hack

Will you be giving this armchair hack a go?

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.