I decided that I needed to paint these leather Container Store media boxes in our entertainment center as a way to start lightening that side of the living room (the untouched side!). The rest of our living room is bright and airy and minty, and the entertainment center, TV and media boxes are all dark and drab...
Am I crazy deciding to painting leather? I thought so, but it turned out to be really simple!
I experimented a little and with guidance from this wonderful blog, I was able to successfully paint these leather boxes using just a few simple things that I had laying around the house.
What you need:
Paint (I used leftover wall paint)
Paintbrush
Water
Dish/Tray
Sandpaper or Foam Sander
Blue Painters Tape if you're getting fancy
You're all going to be surprised at how simple this is.
Step 1: Clean off your leather, then roughen it up with some sandpaper or a foam sander. Paint will soak in and stick better if the surface isn't so smooth.
Step 2: Dillute your paint in water. I went with about a 50/50 mixture. It doesn't need to be an exact science, but you need the paint extra liquidy so it will soak into the leather.
Depending on your color choices, you'll need a couple of layers of the liquid paint, not allowing it to fully dry between coats. I used three coats with my yellow, two with my gray.
Step 3: After letting your liquid coats dry, apply undiluted paint. You'll likely need a couple of coats.
Step 4 (optional): Depending on the design that you chose, feel free to tape over any painted areas for layers after it has dried for at least 24 hours. (Don't worry, the tape won't peel off any paint!)
And they turned out great! Check out a couple of before & after shots.
So who's off to paint something leather?!
P.S. Congratulations to DJ for winning the wall decal from Dana Decals.
And don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an eco-friendly candle from Fremont Candle Co.! Enter through this post.
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