It’s no secret people have been using painter’s drop cloth as fabric for home decor.  It’s incredibly affordable, has a nice neutral color and texture, has a hefty weight, and wears incredibly well.  Just the other day I realized how many times painter’s drop cloth has been my go to for projects around the house and wanted to share some of the ways I’ve used it.

Slipcovered Nightstand

I was o-v-e-r our old matchy, dark wood bedroom set.  The bed was replaced, but we still had the matching nightstands.  I replaced one with a lighter wood desk I refinished and then slipcovered the remaining nightstand in drop cloth.  What a cost savings that was!  Now no-one (ok, well except for all of you) has to know there’s an old piece of furniture below.  Perfect for those who have a significant other who doesn’t want to part with their bachelor furniture (cough, cough) or those who are using handed down furniture that might not be your style.  For more of our master bedroom, click here.

Slipcovered Console Table

This one is just like my nightstand.  We had my husband’s grandmother’s buffet, but the style was not our taste.  Instead of getting rid of it, I covered it and was in love with the simplicity of it.  The top of the piece was curvy, so I just added some plywood to the top for a simple rectangular look.  I was able to staple the fabric to the plywood so the buffet wouldn’t be damaged in any way.  You can barely see it in the first photo because it blends in.  It’s under the DIY pressed botanicals.  The table also ties in perfectly with the fabric on our Restoration Hardware wingback chairs.  You can see how I made the no sew cover here.  For more info on the dining room (including links to the DIY pressed botanicals and sheets as drapes) click here.

Bean Bags

I wanted some bean bags for the kids, but the ones I found in my price range either had bright colors or were covered in kids characters.  I decided to create my own using drop cloth as the base fabric and painted a stenciled pattern on it.  They have held up perfectly to the kids’ daily use, and I love how they blend in with our everyday decor.  Psst… the playroom doesn’t look like this anymore and I cannot wait to share it with you guys!!  You can find info on the bean bags here.

Slipcovered Bed

Remember the matching dark wood bedroom set I was talking about in the beginning?  Our old wood sleigh bed ended up in our guest room, as all cast off furniture does.  I too tired of it in there and decided to give it an update.  Instead of painting the bed, which wouldn’t have softened the look up enough, I made a slipcover.  Drop cloth to the rescue!  You can find out more about the guest room makeover here and can check out the slipcover tutorial for the bed here.

Pillows

I needed a sturdy neutral to back my DIY mud cloth pillows with and had just enough drop cloth left over from another project.  The fabric would also make perfect neutral pillows all on their own.  Or, use it to paint your own pillow pattern like I did with the bean bags!

Dog Crate Cover

Archer isn’t at the point he can be trusted in the house alone, so if we have to leave and he can’t be outside, he has to be crated.  Big dogs have big crates and I was tired of looking at it.  I was also tired of all the nasty hair and funk that was ending up all over my walls.  What does he do in there?!  I made a cover for it out of drop cloth and now all three of us are happy.  He has a cozy space to hang out when we’re gone, my walls aren’t covered in dog filth, and the crate isn’t as much of an eye sore.  You can find out more info on our bedroom here.

DIY Pin Board

Kids collect stuff.  Lots of it.  Izzy was quickly running out of space on her small, store-bought pin board so I made her a huge one out of a sheet of foam insulation and covered it in drop cloth.  Check out more about that project here, and visit her room tour here.

Slipcovered Chair

One of my first drop cloth projects was covering my grandmother’s blue velvet wingback chair.  It started out in our daughter’s room, but then was relocated to the living room when we moved and needed more seating.  It then made it’s way to our master bedroom for a while when we purchased our current living room chairs.  I washed the slipcover several times and it has held up really well.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a tutorial for this project since it was back in the day, but you can find a ton online.

Puppet Theatre

A couple of Christmas’ ago I wanted to get the kids this adorable puppet theatre from Land of Nod , but it completely sold out before I could get to it.  I couldn’t get the idea out of my head so I made them one with another leftover piece of drop cloth.  I’m telling you guys, you can use this fabric for anything!  I don’t have a tutorial for this, but there’s a good one here you can adapt.

So, what you think?  Have I converted you into a painter’s drop cloth lover too?  What would be your first project to use it on?

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