Shabby Chic Wooden Furniture Redo Using Fabric and Starch
Shabby Chic Wooden Furniture Redo
Using Fabric and Starch
Grab your favorite fabric, soak it in liquid starch and cover your furniture. It is a great way to cover almost anything with fabric.
Here is my subject, a blanket chest.
The supplies are liquid starch, pocket cutter with a new sharp blade, wallpaper brush, and of course your favorite fabric. Liquid starch is a little hard to find, it use to be everywhere, but it is no longer available at my Target, Kmart, or Walgreens. I did a little internet search and found it at Winn Dixie a grocery store chain we have in the south.
I decided to apply the fabric in 3 pieces, it could have been done in one piece, but since I was doing it alone and the fabric is heavy when it is wet, I cut 3 pieces of fabric larger than what I was covering.
Completely wet your fabric in starch. To get the excess starch out, run the fabric between your 2 fingers. If you scrunch the fabric up to get the excess starch out you will end up with wrinkles.
Did I mention this is a messy project, you will want to do it outside or put plastic down.
Put your wet fabric on your furniture and smooth out the bubbles. I use a wallpaper brush, but you can use your hands. The air bubbles are not as bad as gluing paper or wallpaper, as fabric breaths.
Use your pocket cutter and trim off the excess fabric. The fabric cuts very easy, just like wallpaper.
Here it is all trimmed up
And Finished! I added a little cushion in matching fabric. Back in my Boudoir!
Here is the best part!! For those of you who change your decor as often as some people change underwear………It is removable and reusable!!!! To reuse, pull up a corner and peel it off, or wet it slightly. Now, just throw the fabric in the washer to get the starch out and use it for another project!!! Then just wipe down the surface it was on and it will be back to it’s original finish. I have used many different fabrics, the only ones I would not use are those that run when wet, so you will want to test a small piece.
Fabric wet with starch will adhere to almost any surface. You could use it to cover:
1. Any furniture or drawer fronts
2. Line the inside of drawers
3. Backing for china cabinets
4. Cover the glass in old windows used for decorating
5. Dress forms
6. Mirrors
7. On painted walls instead of wallpaper.
What projects have you done with fabric and starch? Happy creating!!
>Excellent! Thank you so much for this tute! The bench is adorable!
>Beautiful job on the bench! Your bedroom is gorgeous!!
Your room is way too girly for me but it’s done beautifully. Thanks for the tutorial. I was going to cover a piece with contact paper but many said it may tear up the piece of furniture if I ever decide to remove it. Your method seems SO MUCH EASIER!
Thanks.
Hi – love your project!!
I have been looking in to doing this. I have added burlap to furniture and wainscoting – but never fabric. If you wanted it to be more permanent – what would you use – Mod Podge or Carpenters Glue?
Thanks…
Linda
Linda, I am worried that both of those glues could be really sharp with burlap, like rough- rub your skin off…. you might want to test it out on a random piece of wood and see which one works better or is more comfortable! Good luck
I have used Stiffy Stuff to do this before, but never liquid starch! WOOO HOOO Gotta be WAY cheaper! Love the bedroom! I like that you can take the fabric off. I’ve never been too successful with the Stiffy Stuff.
Cant this be done with any fabric? like chiffon, satin, or even silk?
Sasha, you could always try a test piece to see how it turns out. I am not sure how the sheen of the fabric would react with the starch…
You say this works in all areas, I am wanting to cover vertical blinds, could this technique work?
I’d love to cover a small storage cube that as an coloured fabric that doesn’t match.
Could I do the starched fabric over the existing fabric? Thanks!
Cute stuff!!! How long did it take to dry? I want to try this on a drawer front, but don’t want to paint or something more permanent. How do you think it’ll do?
Hi Teressa! This was a guest post so if you’ll head over to the guest’s blog (linked at the top of the post) then she can answer your questions! Thanks!