For those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you have probably seen me post a lot of pictures of repainted furniture lately. Today I wanted to share how I got into it, and a couple of my techniques since I have gotten a couple of questions about them. Occasionally I will share some future ones with y’all as well!
So first off, I do like to use chalk paint when repainting furniture. Chalk paint is basically a gritty paint that adheres to pieces you want to paint, without having to prime, which saves a lot of time! That rhymed!
I got into chalk paint when I repainted my entire kitchen, you can see how that all turned out by clicking here. I would not really recommend making your first attempt to chalk paint to be an entire kitchen, let alone a huge kitchen with 83 cabinets, but hey, I like challenges! After that turned out awesome, I knew I had a couple pieces of our own I wanted to redo. Then awhile back I noticed a lot of people online locally and other home bloggers I follow, repainting furniture that needed new life. Then reselling them redone and beautiful again, and I said, “I can do thaat!” So I bought my first “garage sale” piece, grabbed some chalk paint, and a new money making hobby was born…I am the queen of hobbies, so this was exciting!
So I have used different brands, many different colors, and don’t really have a preference as to brand, so just go with one that you have seen around stores near you or want to try! Then there is the question of using “wax” as your finish. Now I used wax on my kitchen cabinets, which was honestly a big pain in my butt! I learned the hard way that pieces, or cabinets in my case, that are going to be used frequently or get beat up on, should maybe not use wax. Otherwise, if you have a beautiful piece that isn’t heavily used, definitely use wax on it! So what do I like to use? Right now I like to use a “polycrylic” seal. I like to use the one by Minwax, it can be found at any hardware store or in the Amazon link below. Now I use polycrylic instead of polyurtherane because polyurtherane “yellows” over time and you don’t want that!!!!! If you do end up trying a different seal that maybe matches the brand of chalk paint you decide to buy, just make sure it says “clear” and “non-yellowing” and you should be good! I plan on cleaning my cabinets VERY well and then re-sealing them with polycrylic….I am procrastinating this so much you have no idea!!! :'(
Now I like to “distress” my pieces, before I seal. Meaning to antique it, give it some age, make it look like it has lived through many years of use! Lots of people like this look, if you love the show “Fixer Upper” and are obsessed with Chip and Joanna Gaines like us, then you know exactly what I am talking about and probably want everything you own to be distressed…I like to use a number of different things to do this. Sometimes I use fine sandpaper, a sand paper block, steel wool, and there are many other ways too. Its all about experimenting and seeing whats best for you! I like to distress areas where naturally it would wear, like edges, rounded areas that stick out the furthest, etc. You can take a look at my pictures if you want an idea. I look at it as if I were to bump up against it frequently, where would it scuff? And your good! LOL. You can’t really mess it up!! Then you seal it so it doesn’t “distress” any more, go figure…
Anyway, there are so many tutorials on repainting furniture with chalk paint, that is how I learned. I am no expert, I learn as I go, but it is fun, rewarding, and we make a little extra money with it as well. We really enjoy it, and get a kick out of taking what might belong in the trash, into something that makes a “conversation piece” in someones home. All the pictures you see here are ones we have refinished ourselves and since sold to happy homes. If you want to get started, there are some of the supplies I like to personally use below.
Have you ever painted something with chalk paint? What was it and what techniques did you use?
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Chris P says
its a great hobby that has a lot of accomplishments. You feel proud of what comes out.
Stacy says
I love refinishing old furniture and I’ve used chalk paint several times. I’d like to give milk paint a go next!
JoAnn says
I love the work your doing and the life you bring back to each piece. But, I’m not into Refutbishing myself anymore. Can I just pay you to do it for me?!!!
Katelin says
How cute! We recently modernized our fireplace with chalk paint. On a project like that, it’s amazing how far a bit of paint will go!