Easy furniture update with chalk paint

We have a few of these treasured old pieces of furniture that we’ve been lucky enough to get. To begin with, they didn’t quite match the interior style we have, but my husband and I really wanted to keep these pieces. They have sentimental value and you can’t really find those in any stores. That way they are special. So, something had to be done to fix up the old furniture to match with newer ones and the style of our home.

I decided to update these pieces of furniture with Rust oleum chalk paint. I just love chalk paint. Rust Oleum Chalked is such an amazing product! You can paint almost anything with it and it’s so easy to work with! This paint covers up with one coat and requires almost no priming at all. It doesn’t drip that easy because it’s a bit thicker and it’s easy to just wipe off. If you apply too much paint on the surface it comes off with sandpaper and no elbow grease required. All you need to do to remove the excess paint or to distress your is just lightly move the sand paper back and forth on the surface. When you are pleased with your paint job I recommend sealing the work with wax or lacquer. You can do that brush on or spray on, matte or glossy. Easy to do either way.

If you haven’t tried chalk paint yet, I wholeheartedly recommend Rust Oleum Chalked and encourage you to give it a shot. Rest assured, you won’t be disappointed! To get started, you can grab your own paint here. I’ve painted fabric, wood, metal and porcelain with it and I am completely in love with the painted pieces now. And these pieces are the ones that were nearly headed to the junk yard!!

Earlier I used the same chalk paint to fix up the fabric on this old rocking chair. It takes a little more time and effort to paint fabric, but the result is totally worth it.  In case you’re interested, you can read about the process right here. I’ve been very happy with the makeover. It’s been 6 months since I painted the upholstery and it’s still looking good as new. No cracked paint anywhere. No paint wearing off either. At first I was really worried that might happen, but I obviously was worrying for no reason.

How to paint wooden furniture with chalk paint?

Well, it’s really easy. Just wipe off the dust and dirt and start painting!

 

One coat of paint will most likely be enough on any wooden piece. One coat was enough with this sewing machine table. And that was the case, even though I went from varnished brown to lighter gray. Unbelievable!

The paint is so thick and chalky that it’s just amazing to see the transformation immediately. Just paint from side to side, brush stroke by brush stroke, and be amazed!

And there’s even more to it. Chalk paint also covers up little cracks just like that. If your piece has bigger bumps or cracks, you should sand it before painting. At least, if you’re going for a smoother look.

It’s just too easy to paint with chalk paint. It won’t drip that much and doesn’t splash around. And even if you do make a little mess, you can just wipe it off with a wet rag. It’ll come off even if it’s already dried. So, no worries about making a mess 🙂

Here are the pros & reasons why I love chalk paint:

• Covers with one coat- works on almost any surface
  
• No priming necessary
• No special brushes needed, works with any brush!
• Quick drying and easy to repaint
• Easy & quick to sand of excess paint, no force needed
• Clean with water – even after weeks!

On these decorative wooden ladders (picture on the right) my mom did one coat of paint, too. For the finishing touch to remove a bit of excess paint, she used a regular kitchen sponge instead of sand paper and avoided that dusty mess. You can read about this easy project here.

What about the wax?

The purpose of the furniture wax is to protect the chalk paint. Why? This is because if don’t have any top coat applied and you put something wet on chalk painted surface, it will stain. You wouldn’t want that to happen.

For example, if you’re painting a table that needs to be wiped clean, then you have to apply wax or other top coat product. On the ladders my mom didn’t apply wax on since those are for decorative purpose only. They don’t need to be cleaned and rubbed so no wax was needed. On the rocking chair upholstery I definitely applied the wax. With this sewing machine table that I was renewing this time I decided to apply the wax, too. That’s because sometimes there are glasses of water or toys on top, so, I wanted to make sure the paint stays on unharmed.

Apply the wax with a dry paint brush. Don’t worry if the wax seems like a big dried up chunk. That’s normal… Just firmly touch the wax with the tip of the brush and apply on top of the painted piece. You really don’t need a lot of that wax. You’ll get the hang of it once you start spreading it on with the brush.

The wax makes the paint color appear somewhat more intense, which I thought was great since on the can the color appeared how it looks after waxing.

I was careful not to apply too much wax. After applying the wax I just wiped the surface and didn’t actually polish it.

The downside with the wax is that it makes things a little less matte. Luckily there are other products available, too, if you prefer your piece ultra matte.

Clear matte protective topcoat also available instead of the traditional wax.