I am a professional painter, right? So it only makes sense that I would be drawn to painting furniture, right? RIGHT. My husband and I purchased our first home in March and I've been painting just about everything in the house.... walls, furniture, counter tops, outdoor cabinets-turned-planters.... Yes, I did say counter tops. That project is still on going, so perhaps I'll post about the process some time soon!
Like most gals my age, I'm pretty much obsessed with Pinterest, and I've been pinning some awesome furniture makeover projects for MONTHS now. We were pretty fortunate in that we didn't have to buy a lot of furniture for our new home because we have been given quite a bit over the last 6 years or so, mostly hand-me-downs, but I'm not a very picky person. My Aunt passed down some end tables to me about 5 years ago when I was in college. They've been wonderful- they have always matched our decor, they're a great style and are really decent quality wood furniture. But the tops were rather worn in several places from regular use, which made them perfect painting projects!
So here goes my first DIY Tutorial on a Blog!
Like most gals my age, I'm pretty much obsessed with Pinterest, and I've been pinning some awesome furniture makeover projects for MONTHS now. We were pretty fortunate in that we didn't have to buy a lot of furniture for our new home because we have been given quite a bit over the last 6 years or so, mostly hand-me-downs, but I'm not a very picky person. My Aunt passed down some end tables to me about 5 years ago when I was in college. They've been wonderful- they have always matched our decor, they're a great style and are really decent quality wood furniture. But the tops were rather worn in several places from regular use, which made them perfect painting projects!
So here goes my first DIY Tutorial on a Blog!
1. A small box of plaster of paris, which can be found at any hardware store. I paid about $6 for this one.
2. Get at least one good angled brush (two is better if you're using oil based primer).
3. A fine grit sanding block for between finishes. You want it to be nice and smooth, and sanding between coats also allows a second or third coat to adhere better. A higher grit block can also be used to distress the piece if you don't have a power sander.
4. Clean tack cloths or old rags for wiping after sanding and between coats (not pictured).
5. Optional, Oil based primer: This is not necessary when using chalk paint if your piece is in good condition. I used it on my end tables because I didn't want to distress them and I wanted the paint to really adhere, even if scratched. My tables were already rather scratched and scuffed, so I gave the tops a good sanding before hand with my power sander (pictured below). This primer blocks stains and discoloration on the piece's original surface. If you're really going for that crazy distressed look, then there's no need to use this. Again, that's not what I wanted for these. Also, if you use oil based primer, you'll need a second brush because you don't want to mix that with the latex paint. You'll need mineral spirits (pictured below) to clean the oil primer out of your brush- water won't do.
6. Furniture Wax for sealing. Annie Sloan is very popular, but I can't buy it where I live, and couldn't find Minwax furniture wax, either, so just plain SC Johnson wax did the trick for me!
2. Get at least one good angled brush (two is better if you're using oil based primer).
3. A fine grit sanding block for between finishes. You want it to be nice and smooth, and sanding between coats also allows a second or third coat to adhere better. A higher grit block can also be used to distress the piece if you don't have a power sander.
4. Clean tack cloths or old rags for wiping after sanding and between coats (not pictured).
5. Optional, Oil based primer: This is not necessary when using chalk paint if your piece is in good condition. I used it on my end tables because I didn't want to distress them and I wanted the paint to really adhere, even if scratched. My tables were already rather scratched and scuffed, so I gave the tops a good sanding before hand with my power sander (pictured below). This primer blocks stains and discoloration on the piece's original surface. If you're really going for that crazy distressed look, then there's no need to use this. Again, that's not what I wanted for these. Also, if you use oil based primer, you'll need a second brush because you don't want to mix that with the latex paint. You'll need mineral spirits (pictured below) to clean the oil primer out of your brush- water won't do.
6. Furniture Wax for sealing. Annie Sloan is very popular, but I can't buy it where I live, and couldn't find Minwax furniture wax, either, so just plain SC Johnson wax did the trick for me!
My finishing sander
| 
Mineral spirits
|
To mix the chalk paint:
Generally, it's one part plaster of paris to two parts latex paint. First, mix the plaster of paris with some warm water- MIX IT WELL, you don't want any clumps! Then, mix in your two parts of latex paint. If you use a higher quality paint, you might need to add more water to your mixture. If you use a low or no VOC paint, or a cheaper brand, you don't need as much water but do need to add more paint.
So here's my process, step by step:
Generally, it's one part plaster of paris to two parts latex paint. First, mix the plaster of paris with some warm water- MIX IT WELL, you don't want any clumps! Then, mix in your two parts of latex paint. If you use a higher quality paint, you might need to add more water to your mixture. If you use a low or no VOC paint, or a cheaper brand, you don't need as much water but do need to add more paint.
So here's my process, step by step:
Original Table, wiped clean.
| 
|
After sanding the top with my power sander to make it smooth.
Then it got primed!
| 
|
Sanded after priming to make sure it's smooth, then wiped clean with a tack cloth.
After one coat of chalk paint
| 
|
I painted it with two coats of chalk paint total. I wanted to see the brush strokes, so I didn't add a third, but if you want to minimize the strokes, definitely do three coats of paint!
Chalk paint dries VERY quickly, so you can generally do another coat after an hour or so.
I sanded it with a fine grit after each coat, including the last, then wiped it clean with a tack cloth.
I let it dry overnight, then sealed it with furniture wax. I waited a couple hours between wax coats so that it was completely dry.
Chalk paint dries VERY quickly, so you can generally do another coat after an hour or so.
I sanded it with a fine grit after each coat, including the last, then wiped it clean with a tack cloth.
I let it dry overnight, then sealed it with furniture wax. I waited a couple hours between wax coats so that it was completely dry.
After two coats of paint, sanded, wiped clean, and then sealed with wax.
Here's another piece I did, but with yellow chalk paint. Same process as above.
RSS Feed
