Before & After: IKEA Club Chairs Get a Black & White Look for $40

The chairs also felt a little bland as-is. I was very skeptical that the painted upholstery would turn out well, but to my surprise, after a little sanding (yes, sanding!) with 220-grit sandpaper, the fabric turned out feeling like outdoor canvas. The hand-stitching was tedious, but not difficult, and I love the comic-book style outline it gives to the chairs! I purchased several 50-foot packages of 1/8″ paracord at the hardware store and hand-stitched two lengths side-by-side around the seams of the chairs. I used a quart of satin interior paint in Sherwin Williams Divine White (color matched to Glidden paint) as well as several bottles of Martha Stewart’s fabric medium to paint the fabric on the chairs. I doubt anyone would even notice that the chairs had been painted! After painting, I wanted to achieve the look of double-welt piping without the hassle of actually creating piping.