Chalk Paint Revival

When an idea pops into my head, sometimes it's good, and other times...well, maybe we shouldn't dwell on those other times.

The latest idea: Experiment with painting furniture, a risk I was willing to take.





The original buffet and hutch,
sans paint, and middle glass due to an, ahem,
indoor ball incident.

After several years with young children running about, and sticking with dark furniture to hide all those greasy little fingerprints, it's time to convert to a home of my dreams, and to me that would be a more cozy, farmhouse feel. One of the most obvious changes to begin any home transformation is furniture.

Buying all new furniture is not an option for us, however DIY revamps are. The chalk paint craze over the last couple of years seemed like a viable option. I started researching, and the more I investigated, the more confident I felt about taking the gamble.

I decided to start with one section of my house, the small dinning room, before moving to other more drastic spaces. The buffet and hutch could be the statement piece of the room, I felt this was a good place to start the conversion of themes.

I'm not as brave as I would like think I am. Before I dared putting a brush on my own buffet and hutch, I bid on a test piece at an auction. I figured if it turned out as planned then I'd sell it, if I didn't achieve my vision, then I saved myself many, many tears from tuning my buffet and hutch into a regretfully painted mess.

The test piece worked like a charm. In fact there was one brief moment where I almost kept the test piece for myself. I was able to part with it, and get my original investment back, plus I had enough leftover funds to purchase paint for my own project.

The process of painting was a time consuming task, but not an impossible task.

This is how I approached it.




Voilà! A fresh farmhouse style buffet and hutch,
new middle glass included.
Suddenly the eating area seems so much brighter!


1) Wiped down all the cabinet surfaces, removed the hardware, and separated the pieces.

2) Applied the first coat of paint, let it dry thoroughly, then applied a second coat.

3) My preference is to sand a small amount of paint away once the second coat is dry, (some sand after both painting and waxing) creating a slight distressed look. This part can be over done, be careful, remember less is more. Sanding is an art form unto itself.

4) Completed the project with a nice coat of chalk paint wax. The wax adds depth to the paint, and seals it up nicely.

5) Then put all the pieces back together again. I lightly spray painted my old hardware with a black spray paint in order to pop against the off-white paint.


TIPS:
*Buy a reputable paint product. I made the decision to use Valspar Chalk Paint. There's' also popular brands like Annie Sloan, and Rust-Oleum.

*Gather the proper tools, paintbrushes, painter's tape, sandpaper, screwdrivers ect.

*Research, there are tons of painted furniture pins on Pinterest.

*Watch YouTube videos, to see how it's done.

*Take your time! Don't rush because once you start there's no going back. Do it once, and do it right.

I'd say this project made the good idea list, no regrets!

Next issue to tackle, how do I resist painting everything?