Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Chalk Paint 101

One of my favorite things to do is take a piece of furniture I have sitting around the house and give it a little face lift.  A few years ago, actually during the nesting phase when I was expecting my third (and final) child, I discovered chalk paint.  I am amazed at how easy it is to use.  I decided to post this simple "tutorial" not because I am an expert, but to show you that if I can do it, anyone can do it!  Seriously, chalk paint is easy to apply, odorless, and dries fast, which means, this can be a nap time activity, mamas!

This was the first project I ever tackled.  The quality of the picture isn't that great, but I wanted to show you how fast you can transform a piece of furniture into something completely different.  



Then, I found this beauty at an online garage sale.  


And turned it into this...


So, today I am going to show you the very basic steps I took to transition my end tables and coffee table into a "new creation."  I decided to stain the tops of the tables and chalk paint the bottom, similar to how I did my dining room table and hutch.  I forgot to take a "Before" picture...oops.  That never happens to Bob Vila.  

When I did my dining room table I conned talked my loving husband into stripping the finish off of the top of the table (since I was staining it) with this Minwax Antique Furniture Refinisher.  My husband wasn't home when I started this project, so I attempted it alone.  Wearing durable gloves, I poured a little of the Refinisher on the table and scrubbed it with steel wool, then took a old cloth and wiped it off.  


I was unsuccessful at this process.  Remember, the title of the blog "Simply a Rough Draft."  I'm going to give you my moments of failure, too.  I have the upper body strength of a toddler...and not even a feisty toddler, just a normal toddler.


 Speaking of feisty toddler, this girl was no help.


So, I opted to use my handy, dandy handheld sander.


That was so much easier ( and faster).


Then I stained the top of the table...three times exactly, because I just could not get it right.  Thank goodness I have a handheld sander, because I stained and sanded it down over and over.  In the end, I used a staining brush (not that foam brush pictured).


Then, came my very favorite part, chalk painting!  I have used several different brands of chalk paint, but this time I used Dixie Belle.  The color I used is called Mint Julep.  Check them out, they have beautiful colors and are less expensive than the other brands.  My friend, Kary, happens to sell this brand, so she even delivered it to my house!  Now, that's customer service, but I can't promise that she will deliver to you!  Ha!


While the stain dried, I painted the bottoms of the tables.  Remember, very little (if any) preparation is needed for chalk paint.  You can lightly sand it if you want, but I very seldom do that.  No sanding, no stripping, just painting!  


When I painted my hutch and dining room table, I was using white, so I painted, then sanded with fine sand paper to get the brush stroked out, then applied a second coat before distressing.  Since I was painting this a green color, and I wanted a pretty distressed look, I opted for just one coat of paint.

After the paint had completely dried, I took some fine sand paper and lightly distressed the areas I wanted, to give it an aged antiqued look.




Then I wiped it down and put a wax on it.  Most chalk paint companies sell an odorless wax, but I am cheap, so I opted for this wax that can be found at Lowe's or Home Depot.  I think it works just as well as the pricey wax, BUT it has a strong odor.  If this is a project you can do in your garage, I would recommend this, but if it's something like a bathroom cabinet, then you might want to spend the big bucks and go odorless.




And, this finished project will tell you exactly why I'm not shelling out the big bucks for new furniture just yet; someone photobombed my "After" pic by eating an orange on the table.  Again, does this stuff ever happen to Bib Vila?



One of my favorite things about chalk painting is the fact that it gives me time to think.  I am not distracted by TV or social media or even people.  It's just me and my thoughts.  While I was painting I thought about how I was taking a perfectly good (although dated) piece of furniture and stripping it to make it some "new."  I couldn't help but think about how Christ has done that in my life.  I came into this world a new baby, but through "life" sin has wrecked me, stripped me, and worn me down.  Sin is the stain that I cannot get rid of on my own.  Romans 3:23 says that  "We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  Our lives are full of "distress."  These are the things that help make us who we are today.  Isaiah 53:4 says, "He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows."  The good news is we don't have to go through these alone.  Jesus took them on himself.  When we choose to accept a life with Christ, we allow him to work our past mistakes and struggles into our whole story into becoming a new creation.  A beautiful, new creation.  In the words of Mercy Me, "No matter the bumps, No matter the bruises, No matter the scars, Still the truth is, The cross has made, The cross has made you flawless.

If you have any questions on chalk painting, or about a personal relationship with Christ, let me know.  I'd be happy to help you find the answers.

Have a great Tuesday!  I'm linking up with my friend, Beth, for Tuesday Talk!  

Emily 



23 comments:

  1. Love this!!! It turned out great! I love all your chalk paint projects! And what a cute little helper you have! ;)

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    1. Thank you, Sara! I love painting. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Beautiful pieces! How long did it take to do the coffee table?

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    1. Thanks, Misty. Well...if I would have gotten the stain right the first time, I probably could have stained & painted in a day, then waxed the next day & then moved it back inside on the third day. But, since I kept sanding down & redoing the top, it took about six days. My daughter's night stand took about an hour to paint, then the next day I waxed it...overall, that project took maybe 2 hours.

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  3. I love that blue color I NEED to paint a piece of furniture that color but I just don't know which yet. This weekend I made my own "chalk paint" and I think it turned out pretty good for first try!

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    1. Thank you! I made my own once, but I don't think I got the measurements right because it didn't "distress" very well. Chalk paint is more pricey, but it goes along way!!

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  4. Gotta love chalkpaint and it's drying time. The tables look amazing! Can you come paint all my furniture for me? Your hutch is beautiful btw!

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    1. Jacie, I would love to come paint your furniture & soak up some Florida sunshine, too!!

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  5. This turned out so great! I love the look of chalk paint, although I have never tried to paint anything with myself.

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    1. Thank you! You should try it. You could always buy a practice piece at Good Will just for fun...you never know, it may turn into a treasure!

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  6. Your pieces turned out great!! I have always been scared to try chalkpaint but you have convinced I need to try it. I need to repaint two furniture pieces this summer and I think I will try chalkpaint.

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    1. It is so fun! You should definitely try it. I've bought some paint in downtown McKinney before, too. My friend, Kary, sells her's at Trades Days, too. The Dixie Belle prices are great!

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  7. I love the furniture but love your words and your love for Christ more!
    And I love you too :)

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    1. Awww...thank you!! I'm so thankful for your friendship!! Love you, too!!

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  8. I love it and I wish I could do something like that too!

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    1. You could totally do that!! Chalk paint is available in such fun colors, too!

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  9. Oh man it looks SO good. I am keeping your tips in mind just in case Marissa ever decides to let me paint that dresser of hers :D!

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    1. Thank you! Maybe if you show her all the fun colors available she'll let you. Check out the Dixie Bell colors. They're bright & cheerful.

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  10. It looks amazing! Great job!
    I have big plans to use chalk paint on our screen door this weekend. I just wanted to add a little something extra to our sun porch playroom!

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    1. Fun! I hope you'll share pictures of your finished product. I'd love to see it!

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  11. Great post! I've been dying to try chalk paint, but I'm not sure it will work with the particular item I want to paint. I have an old Ikea desk (it's stained wood) and I want to paint it with dark blue chalk paint. Do you think it would work on something like that?

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  12. I am so behind because I am just now learning about this amazing chalk paint! I painted 2 picture frames a few weeks ago with chalk paint and fell in love. There is so much more I want to paint now, and your pieces you have done have come out amazing!!!!

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  13. You do such nice work. My daughter enjoys transforming old pieces too. I'm amazed how much life can come back to them. Nice job!

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