How to Paint a Monogram on Furniture

Last week I went to Walmart to find something to personalize with craft paint for my daughter. She is moving into an apartment in August and I am helping her with the furnishings.  Plaid – you know the craft people that make tons of awesome craft supplies recently sent me a craft supply filled package as part of a fun Plaid campaign – buying Plaid products at Walmart.

Along with my Plaid package of crafty goodness, I was also sent a $25.00 dollar gift card to Walmart to shop the craft aisle and pick out an item to add my own style to.  I browsed the Plaid section in the Walmart craft department and was amazed at all the product that they carry.  Then I strolled around the store a few times looking for something my daughter could use to personalize with craft paint. I considered many items, but in the end I chose this black Saddle Stool. Exactly $25 – the amount I was to spend.    My daughter is a horse lover and having this stool in her new place will add a bit of equestrian style to her new apartment. I personalized it just for her by painting her initials in the center.  She loves it.

Supplies Needed:

I used Photoshop Elements to make the monogram.  I used the font Cursif. The ” H” is 340px.  The “K” and “C” are 24p px.   I then placed a circle around them.  There is a link at the end of the post to get the Cursif font. It is a freebie.

I also made an image of a chevron pattern.  I printed both of them out on draft mode on my printer.  You don’t need these images to be high quality as they are just going to be used for tracing purposes.  I sized the monogram to be 8” x 8”.  The chevron pattern I fit to an 8 1/2” 11” page size.

I chose to paint the circle for the monogram first and do the chevron pattern after.  I wanted to make sure the circle was centered and in place before doing anything else, but you could trace the chevron first and then add the circle. No right or wrong way.

Cut the monogram out and make sure the chevron pattern is tall enough.

Measure the center of the stool top and mark an X in the center.

To find the exact center of the monogram circle. fold it into quarters. Use the fold point as your center mark to line up on the “x” on the stool top.

Place a piece of transfer paper – graphite/color side down and then center the monogram print-out over the X.  Use painter’s tape to secure.  Trace over the circle with a sharp pencil point. You don’t have to press hard – a little pressure is all that is needed to transfer the image. Trace over the inner and outer lines of the circle and then remove the print-out.

Hold a small piece of sandpaper in your hand and gently rub it over the circle to rough up the glossy finish so the paint will adhere better. Clean off the sanding grit with a tack cloth or damp paper towel.

Using a pointy craft brush, outline the inner pencil line of the circle with the white paint.

I chose to paint the circle first to make sure I had it centered, but as long as you have the outline drawn in white paint, you can wait to paint the circle until you have the chevron stripes taped on and then paint over the entire top at once.

Screw on a roller top to the white craft paint bottle and gently squeeze the bottle until paint fills the roller. Roll it on a scrap piece of paper first to get it going. Once the foam has paint all over it.  Roll the paint on inside the circle.   I did 3 coats – letting each coat dry before applying the next.

To transfer the chevron pattern to the stool.  Lay transfer paper graphite side down and then place the chevron pattern over it making sure it is lined up straight. Tape it down to secure.  Using a sharp pencil trace the edges of the zig-zags .  Remove the print-out and transfer paper.  If you look closely at the photo above you can see the faint lines of the pattern.

Repeat on the other side of the stool making sure to line up the pattern.   If graphite from the transfer paper gets on the paint. Gently wipe it off with a damp rag.

Lay down the painter’s tape following the chevron pattern. Run your fingers over the edges of the tape to make sure they are sealed.   I added tape to the sides of the top -no pattern transfer needed.  You will see where to add the tape – just extend the zig-zag lines.

Run a piece of sandpaper over all the non-taped areas of the top and side of the stool. Remove the sanding dust with a tack cloth or damp towel.

Using the foam topped roller – roll over the top and edges with white paint.  If any areas need smoothing, use a flat tipped brush to even the rolled on surface out. Let it dry. I applied 3 coats to get full coverage.

Note: Very important -  Remove the tape right after applying the last coat of paint.  If you let it dry and  remove the tape – the paint will come off with the tape.   When I removed mine there were some areas that I needed to touch up. I used a small flat tip brush to do this.

Center the monogram print-out and transfer paper over the circle. Tape it down and then carefully trace over the letters with a sharp pencil.

When you remove the print-out and transfer paper you will be left with this.

My eyes needed a bit more stay-in-between-the-lines guidance, so before I started painting the letters, I went over the transferred lines with a fine tipped black marker. I used a fine tipped pointy brush to fill each letter in.  I did one coat and then went over a second time to clean up the edges that I messed up.

I used a flat tip brush to paint the circle around the monogram.  If you have any areas that need cleaning up use a pointy tip cotton swap to clean up any painted lines.

Once the paint is touched up and dried. Spray 1-2 coats of non-yellowing sealer over the top, letting each coat dry before applying the next.

Now my daughter will have a place to store her horse gear or just use it to sit on.

Click here to install the  Cursif free font on your computer.

Copy the chevron pattern to save on your computer to print.

I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.

Tagged as: Chevron, Craft Paint, DIY, Monograms, Plaid Enterprises