When my husband and I moved into our "chouse" (or church house) this past summer we came to the conclusion that there were just some things we'd have to live with for awhile until we'd have the time/money/energy to tackle them. We've been making steady progress, but I just couldn't get past the idea of having an aisle down the middle of my house. It felt more church and less house and so something had to be done (even if just for my own peace of mind). Enter — fabric spray paint.

Now I'd been sitting on a few cans of fabric spray paint for a few months and hadn't quite found the right project to test it out on. In theory it's sold to completely change the color of an entire sofa or large furniture piece, but I just didn't think that would yield the best results (sounds patchy at best), so I'd been holding back and I'm glad I had.

A few weeks before Christmas, during a time where I should have been doing more productive things like cooking dinner or wrapping gifts for a rapidly approaching family get together, I decided to paint the carpet aisle or runner that divides our "living room" (for all intents and purposes).

The sun was setting (why do all the good projects get started so late in the evening?) as I armed myself with a few supplies and a bit of courage and set to work. Our sofa (which is rather large and pictured in full back in this post from our previous warehouse space) would hopefully break the look up and the goal was that after painting, I would have an entryway of sorts and then a lounge area. The carpet is super old, obviously faded and stained from the previous owner. It wasn't a pretty site, but that was all about to change. Ready? Go!

We let things dry overnight and they were crisp and clean in the morning. Although it doesn't exactly change up the base color carpet that's this old-maroon-gross-worn-down-icky shade of red, it does give me some separation of space and thus anchors the furniture a little better. I ended up using 2½ cans of paint and spent a few hours tackling the project. Time well spent until my husband and I can decide how we're going to fill the aisle in the near future!

Questions:
Would I do it again? In a heart beat!
Would I use it on a carpet I found on Craigslist? Absolutely!
Could I use a stencil next time? Sure could, just make sure it has a sticky back. The spray paint is very forceful and would blow up a simple piece of paper or vellum.
Would this cover a stain or spot I can't get out? Most likely if it's a dark color so get creative! Free hand or use tape to help guide you.
Was it scary? Were you nervous? Yup, but you only live once right — just call me the wild child!

Image: Sarah Rae Trover

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