How to Paint a Vinyl Chair with CeCe Caldwell’s Paints

UPDATE! I no longer use CeCe Caldwell’s Paints.  I have found the long lost love of my life with DIY Paints by Debi’s Design Diary.  

It is an all natural Clay Based Paint (Like a Chalk paint, but with a predominantly Clay Base).  The Clay makes the paint so much richer in depth of color, and more durable because it bonds even stronger to whatever you are painting.   DIY Paints is hand crafted in America, with over 130 retailers nationwide and growing.  You can find it online HERE or check RETAILER MAP for the retailer closest to you.

Yep, I just said PAINT and VINYL and CECE CALDWELL’S PAINTS all in one sentence.  (DIY Paints will stick to just about any surface like white on rice.  Leather, Vinyl, Glass, Plastic, you name it, I have tried it with incredible results).

People, this will change your life.  You will see everything in a new and improved light.

Not really.  But, it is super cool and way easier than ripping off the vinyl, not to mention all the nail heads and reupholstering the whole thing.

I knew I could paint Leather with CeCe Caldwell’s paints, even crackle with it, these chairs have held up fabulously.

Now I wanted to see how it would hold up with vinyl.  Here is my chair before.

I used a damp rag to wipe off the vinyl.  I didn’t use any detergents because I didn’t want any residue left that would compromise adhesion.  CeCe Caldwell’s paints bond really well with pretty much any surface, why not vinyl?

I wanted a darker neutral, with possibly an old world look.  I painted all the vinyl on this chair with Cinco Bayou Moss.

Photo courtesy of Furniture Affair 

Cinco Bayou Moss is gorgeous rich caramel color with a hint of green moss.  All the colors in the CeCe Caldwell’s pallet are named for places in the United States.  Love this.

If you are looking for a similar color at DIY Paints, I recommend using Prairie Gray or for a lighter color Sandy Blonde.

I only used One Coat of Cinco Bayou Moss.  I let it dry thoroughly for 24 hours.  Now for the fun part.  I actually sanded the vinyl! I used a sanding block with a fine grit. 

CeCe Caldwell’s paints are 100% chalk and clay based, so they do need to be sanded, wiped down with a damp cloth, or burnished to finish them.  The effect after burnishing is like smooth super soft, expensive furniture. By the way, you can “burnish” with a brown paper grocery bag.  It is like super fine sand paper.  You can see how in my Endurance Finish Video.

I wanted the overall effect to look like aged leather, worn to a soft, aged perfection.  I wanted the finish to be similar to an old distressed leather jacket.  Soft and well worn.

Photo courtesy of Distressed Jackets 

For the frame of the chair, I used one coat of CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White.  I used the same sanding block I used on the vinyl for the chair.  Normally, I would switch so as not to transfer any color pigment to the white.  However, I wanted the white to age, so this was a quick and easy solution.

I sealed the entire piece with CeCe Caldwell’s Endurance.  I burnished the whole chair, including the painted vinyl with a brown paper bag when the Endurance was dry. The chair is super soft and supple.

And that my friends is how to paint a Vinyl Chair with CeCe Caldwell’s paints.

Sharing my Vinyl Fabulousness at these lovely parties: