Thursday, March 20, 2014

DIY Painted Drapes


I am so excited to have this project done. I have wanted to paint drapes for about a year but was too nervous to do it. I bought my drapes from Ikea last May and just now got the courage to paint them. I am not sure what I was afraid of, it was easier than I was expecting and the result was far better. I read lots of tutorials before I started and they all had different advice. So here is what I did.


DIY painted drapes - the colored door

I started with some white drapes from Ikea. My drapes are 96" long so I divided the space evenly and came up with 12" stripes. I knew I wanted wide stripes and I did not want to paint the top. I was afraid it would be to hard to paint around the grommets. So I measured and taped it all out. I used a 12" square ruler and a disappearing ink pen (from Joanns sewing isle).

DIY striped drapes - the colored door

I measured and marked all the way across and down. It did not take much time at all.

DIY painted striped drapes - the colored door

Make sure when you are marking that your ruler is on the correct side (outside) of the tape. The lines don't look even now because the tape is on the side that won't be painted. I measured several times just to make sure each space was 12". I placed pieces of tape on the spaces that would not be painted, just to avoid any confusion. I used my finger nail to really seal the edges of the tape. I was hoping for a really crisp line.

DIY painted drapes the colored door

One of my easy clean up tricks is to line my smaller paint trays with press n seal. That way when I am done I just un-peel and throw away. I love a fast easy cleanup. Anything to make painting clean up easier, right?
DIY painted drapes - the colored door
I put a plastic drop cloth down first. I read several horror stories of paint bleeding through the drapes onto the floor. However mine did not bleed through at all. I used left over house paint in Intellectual Gray by Sherwin Williams. I added a fabric medium to my paint so it was a little softer and so I could iron them to heat set it. Just follow the directions on the bottle. I used Martha Stewart fabric medium from Michaels. When all the paint is dry you iron the back of the drapes to set the paint which allows you to wash them.

The fabric really soaks the paint up so put it on thick and get the edges really well.

DIY painted drapes - the colored door

I let them dry completely before putting on another coat. I ended up doing three coats so it took a few days to finish each panel.

DIY painted drapes - the colored door

A couple blogs I read said to take the tape off after the first coat while the paint was still wet and just roll on the next two coats without the tape, but that did not work for me. I could not get the paint close enough to the edge and I was afraid of getting it across the line. My second drape looks a lot nicer because I left the tape on for all three coats. I got a perfect crisp line and the paint covers the area completely. So I would recommend leaving the tape on the whole time.


DIY painted drapes - the colored door


I am SO pleased with how they turned out. These windows have been without drapes for too long. I love the wide stripes. I was concerned they would "look" painted, but they don't unless you touch them. Yes they are stiff but they fold nicely so they look draped.

DIY painted drapes - the colored door

I can't believe I waited so long to do these, now I just need to do two more for the windows on the other side of the room. Back to Ikea! We will have to plan a trip because it is not close.

DIY painted drapes - the colored door


DIY painted drapes - the colored door


DIY painted drapes - the colored door

DIY painted drapes - the colored door

I have painted pillows but never fabric this large. Have you painted any fabric lately? Did you like the result? I sure am loving stripes these days I have to be careful not to put them EVERYWHERE. Have fun painting and please let me know if you have questions.

Have a great day!!






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38 comments:

  1. These look awesome!! Thanks for sharing the tutorial!

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  2. Ronda @ the.refurbished.lifeMarch 21, 2014 at 11:42 PM

    These are fantastic! I love the way they turned out! Thanks for sharing on the Lonk Party Palooza!

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  3. I love the drapes, they're so modern and chic! Great job!

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  4. They look awesome. Painted curtains has been on my to do list for a while now and still can't seem to get it done.

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  5. Beautiful!!! Love stripes and new Spring drapes:) Pinned

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  6. I can't seem to get enough painted curtain photos and LOVE how yours turned out! Thanks for sharing at The Makers!

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  7. Thanks so much Katie! i figured if I still wanted to do it after a year I should give it a try. Have a great day!

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  8. Painting curtains is seriously the best thing ever! The possibilities are endless. Love how these turned out. Thanks for sharing at The Makers :0

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  9. Your draperies look awesome! I love the fact that you took inexpensive iKEA panels and turned them into something so high-end looking. Great job!

    Thanks so much for joining Grace at Home. I'm featuring you this week!

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  10. Pam @ Simple DetailsMarch 29, 2014 at 4:12 PM

    Fabulous job, Tammy!! I love the great graphic punch the stripes give your room, and they look so professional and high-end I'd never know they were painted Ikea panels! Thanks so much for sharing at Best of the Nest!

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  11. myuncommonsliceofsuburbiaMarch 30, 2014 at 5:17 PM

    THese are awesome! Thanks for linking up

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  12. I love these curtains and the tutorial is great! Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  13. Thanks so much Richella! It was a fun project.

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  14. Thank you Summer! I am so glad you stopped by.

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  15. Great tutorial! Those turned out...simply AMAZING! Great job! ~Tammy

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  16. You've inspired me to go ahead and paint my drapes. I've been putting it off too because I'm scard of ruining my drapes, but I can't stand the plain white any longer.

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  17. I say go for it! It is not as hard as you think and you will love it in the end. Good Luck!

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  18. Great job! I love the soft gray and white stripes, and I bet the paint gives them a bit more weight as well. Thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!

    Alison

    Nancherrow

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  19. What a great idea! They turned out beautiful. I just wanted to let you know that I am linking to this post at www.simply-creative-living.com if you don't mind.

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  20. Thanks Alison, I appreciate you stopping by!

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  21. Thank you Shanice! I will stop by your link up party, thanks for the invite!

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  22. Thanks Alyssa and I am happy to have you share my post. Have a great night!

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  23. I can't wait to try this!! Your stripes look amazing and I just so happen to have SW Intellectual Gray…painted our house with it last year. Found you through Bonbon Break. Thanks for the great tutorial and the tip about the Press n Seal! Brilliant!

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  24. So glad you stopped by Leslie! Good luck painting!

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  25. Beautiful,Tammy!
    I adore stripes,everything looks great !
    https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtDesignShop?ref=pr_shop_more

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  26. Have you ever painted drapes that already have color...I have expensive heavy drapes that are ugly would love to change them

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  27. I have only painted white drapes but if you already hate them it might be worth a try. It may depend on the fabric though, something silky might not take the paint. Good luck!

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