DIY: chalk painting furniture

As a kid, my mom was almost always painting something. She would paint a room and then a few months later decide she wanted a completely different feel. It was normal for me to come home from school to a freshly painted living room. I always loved her little painting projects. To this day, it still amazes me how much a can of paint can do.

Once I moved out, I found myself following her footsteps. When Matt and I moved in to our house four years ago, we painted every single room in the house and we’ve already repainted one room and have plans to repaint two others. I also painted three bathroom cabinets and two pieces of furniture.

A few weeks ago, I shared a photo on Instagram of a dresser (photo above) that I refinished about a year ago and I got several questions about how I did it and what paint I used. At the time, I used a tutorial that I found on Pinterest and I wasn’t blogging at the time, so this gave me the perfect excuse to refinish another piece using my own technique from my experience the first time around.

Materials: White chalk paint // Rust-oleum linen white chalked paint Gray chalk paint // Rust-oleum aged gray chalked paint Antique wax // Devine color antique effect wax Creme wax // DecoArt Americana creme wax Protective top coat // Rust-oleum matte clear 2 Paint brushes 1 rag 1 sandpaper block

Step 1: Prep. Depending on the finish of your piece, you may want to sand before painting. I did not sand this nightstand before, but I did give it a nice wipe down. As far as sanding goes, you could use a sander block or an orbital sander. I used an orbital sander for the dresser that I refinished last year and I highly recommend using one, especially if the piece is on the larger side.

Please note that you do not have to paint the top white. I originally wanted to paint the entire nightstand white, but changed my mind after applying the first coat of paint.

Step 2: Start painting! After you have prepped your piece, you’re going to start painting your nightstand with the white chalk paint. You don’t have to paint the top with the white chalk paint. Once you are done applying the first coat, you’re going paint the top of the nightstand with the gray chalk paint. I waited about an hour between coats. I applied three coats of the aged gray to the top and four coats of the linen white to the nightstand. You may not need as many coats depending on the original color.

Step 3: While the top is still wet, you are going lightly dip the tip of your paint brush into the white chalk paint and lightly brush across the nightstand top to make streaks that vary is size. You are trying to create the illusion of wood grain, so there is no need to worry about uniformity here. If you end up getting a little heavy handed with the white paint, you can go back with the gray and try again.

Step 4: Start distressing! Once the white chalk paint has dried, you are ready to start distressing your piece to your liking with the sanding block! I try to focus on the corners, any raised decorative details and edges of my piece, as this is where your piece would naturally distress on its own. This part is really up to you, though. If you like a more clean look, you may not want to distress at all! Once you are satisfied with the distressing, you may want to wipe down the piece to remove any of the excess dust.

After applying the antique effect wax

Step 5: Wax Once the nightstand top has dried, you are going to apply the antique wax to the top. A lot of people use a wax brush, but I find that an old rag will do the trick and it is not as expensive! Lightly dip your rag into the antique wax and then make little streaks on the dresser top. Once you are done doing this, you are ready to apply the clear wax. Using a different corner of the same rag, lightly dip into the clear wax and rub across the dark streaks. This will help lighten the streaks up, so they look a little more natural. Once you are satisfied with the way the nightstand top looks, let it dry and then you can apply the matte clear coat. And just like that, you are done with the top!

After applying the clear wax

Step 6: Matte Clear Last but not least, apply the matte clear and your piece is finished!

I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did! xoxo kristina