A FUN VINTAGE HEARTS THRIFT STOOL PROJECT – HOW TO DECOUPAGE OVER VINYL FURNITURE| YOUTUBE VIDEO
Hello creative friends and welcome back! With Valentine’s Day just a few weeks away, I’m sharing this cute thrift stool makeover using the sweetest decoupage paper – Vintage Hearts. This is a ‘build-your-confidence’ project (for me) because I’ve never tried decoupaging over vinyl furniture before!
And oh, for any of you who were curious, my lead tester swabs did get delivered and unfortunately, the paint on the back of this piece looks like it has lead in it. I was looking forward to saving this cutie and I had already invested so much time in sanding the top and front of this piece. Boooo. I’m not sure how to proceed with this piece now but I’ll be honest, I’m tempted to put it back onto the curb. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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Here’s the thrift store stool find. It was marked at $7.99 with 50% off!
The seat is made of black vinyl which was a little dirty but in good condition. Thrift finds always look better once you get them home, don’t you think?!
The base is metal and I have to say I love all the curves and floral details.
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WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Thrift Seat – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Heat Gun
Bonding Primer
Chip Brush
Honky Tonk Red Chalk Mineral Paint
Cotton Chalk Mineral Paint
Vintage Hearts Decoupage Paper
Clear Satin Topcoat
VINTAGE HEARTS MAKEOVER
Here’s how I decoupaged over vinyl to create a sweet vintage hearts stool…
DISASSEMBLE
Using a furniture mallet I took this little seat apart by smacking the heck out of it, lol. It didn’t look to be screwed in or nailed in so I gave it a few good smacks with this furniture mallet. Then a few good pulls. And it finally popped out. I’m so impressed with the way things were made years ago. I’m not sure how old this would be but I’m going to guess from the 70s. ?? If any of you know what decade this was from, I’d love to hear!
CLEAN
I removed the price tag started cleaning with a heavy-duty cleaner and cleaned it from top to bottom. I made sure to give the top extra attention as well.
BONDING PRIMER
Because I wanted to paint the vinyl and the metal, an adhesive bonding primer was needed. I added one coat onto the vinyl seat and one coat onto the metal legs using a synthetic chip brush. These chip brushes are so good for applying primer!
PAINT
Now for the fun part! For the metal base, I used Honky Tonk Red – which is a REAL red. It’s super vibrant and pigmented and so fun to use. The perfect paint color for a thrift Valentine’s makeover! And I don’t know about you but using these bright cheery paint colors puts a big smile on my face!
For the stool seat, I used Cotton White Chalk Mineral Paint. The pure white paint creates a clean white background for the Vintage Hearts decoupage paper design to show up beautifully.
ADDING DECOUPAGE PAPER OVER VINYL
So I learned that adding decoupage paper over vinyl is the same as adding it over wood or painted wood. The only difference is the prep. A good bonding primer is key. Once the primer and paint are adhered, the steps to decoupaging the vinyl are as follows ~
- Clean vinyl with heavy-duty cleaner.
- Prime with Bonding Primer then paint the base color.
- Cut decoupage paper to the size of the project. If two sheets are required make sure they line up nicely.
- Add a clear coat or Mod Podge glue to the surface.
- Lay your decoupage paper on top and smooth out any wrinkles.
- Add another layer of clear coat or Mod Podge glue on top.
- Match up the seams if using additional sheets.
- Cut/remove the excess with a craft knife or putty knife.
PIN AND SHARE 🤗
Once the Vintage Hearts design was on, I used my heat gun to speed up the dry time and put the stool seat back in place.
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About the dresser. I would call the your city offices and explain that you found an old piece of furniture and did the test showing it was probably lead paint. I don’t think it is a good idea to set it out anywhere public for someone to pick up who does not know about lead paint. There has to be a place where “hazardous” materials go.
You might want to say you got it at a garage sale years ago and just now got around to doing something about it.
Thanks for this Mary! I could also drop it off at the Halton Waste depot if I go this route.
Such a big help as I have a fake leather chair and ottoman I want paint. Bonding Boss to
The rescue!!!!!
Yesss, Bonding Boss is awesome and sticks to everything. And I’ve seen full vinyl (faux leather) chairs getting decoupaged on Youtube so it works!
Thats a real cutie now ! I had no idea a transfer would work on vinyl.
Sooo cute.
Happy V day to You !
Happy V day to you my friend! And ya, I had no idea it would work this well either!😃
Really adorable. You always have such
Vision. The passion you have for what you do shows in your work.
Thanks for sharing.
Aw, thanks so much Ruth! I really did have fun with this one and it’s nice trying new techniques. 🙂
Hi Denise. Regarding the lead paint, you can buy “lead paint encapsulant” products that you just paint on and they seal in the lead paint. Lead paint is only dangerous if ingested or inhaled as dust from sanding or friction (such as sliding drawers open and shut). If it’s only on the back, which would be against a wall, I think encapsulating it would be fine.
PS – Thanks for all the great how-to’s. I may be trying the “black wash” on a beautiful old radio cabinet I recently bought.
Oh thank YOU Barb! I’m going to google this and see if I can order it on Amazon! If you try the black-wash on the radio cabinet I’d LOVE to hear how it turns out!!
Fun project, Denise! I like how you used decoupage on the vinyl. Thank you for sharing your Valentines 💌 makeover. Enjoy the rest of your week. 😘
Thanks Do! I enjoyed working with this cute paper and pop of color. Wishing you a fabulous week as well my friend. XOXO
Oh my! So cute and fresh! What an adorable transformation!! Love it!! ❤️
Thanks Karen❣️
Hi Denise,
About the lead paint – is there some way to block the lead? And if you did and finished the piece would you, in good conscience, be able to sell or donate it? Looks like a loss on this one.
Your valentine piece is really cute, Red grabs me every time.
Sheila
Hey Sheila, I’m thinking the same thing about the little dresser, looks like a loss and heading back out to the curb. I’m not sure if I’m up to going through all the extra steps to strip it safely and you’re so right, not sure if I’d be comfortable selling or donating or keeping. So happy you like the little valentine stool though. That red puts a smile on my face!
Hi Denise. What a sweet Valentine’s project❤️❤️❤️
Yay, so happy you like it my friend. XOXO
The red base with the hearts paper looks adorable Denise. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure Nicki, glad you like it! XOXO
So pretty!
Thanks Ruth!🤗
That little thing is totally adorable!!
Adorable, right!?😃 I think it’s super cute as well!
Totally agree — that little thing is beyond adorable! It’s amazing how such a small detail can add so much charm and character to a space. Sometimes it’s those tiny, thoughtful touches that really pull a whole room together!