Upcycling Furniture & Home Decor For Dummies
Explore BookPick your paintable piece and gather supplies.
Annie Sloan chalk paint is sold in pints and quarts and is the original and still most popular chalk paint on the market. You can purchase chalk paint at some craft and hobby stores, online, or at your local vintage/antique/repurpose shop. You also can make your own chalk paint with a few simple ingredients.
Also seen in the photo above is a can of wax and a wax brush (for use in a later step), some sandpaper (for use in a later step), a simple chip brush (no fancy brushes needed for the paint), some shop towels (any lint-free cloth or towel works), and a piece of aluminum foil for wrapping your wet paint brush (if you need to take a break and don’t want your brush to dry out).Clean the furniture.
You don’t need to strip anything off your furniture, which includes old paint or old finishes, but you do need to make sure that it’s clean and dry. Simple soapy water is the best option. Don’t use furniture wax to clean it! The wax component of most furniture polishes does not mix well with chalk paint.
If you’re a sloppy painter, you might place a drop cloth or old sheet below your item. If you’re neat, don’t worry about it. If you do get chalk paint on the carpet or floor, you can remove it easily with dish soap or laundry detergent, water, and a little elbow grease.Use the chip brush to paint your furniture.
Lightly sand to create the perfect distressed look.
Wipe off the sanding dust.
Apply the wax.
Apply the wax generously in small sections at a time. Use the shop towels to wipe off the excess wax as you go. For this piece, for example, wax one of the outer legs and wipe off the excess wax, wax the other outer leg and wipe off the excess wax, wax the inner legs one at a time and wipe off the excess, and so on.
Note that for outdoor pieces, you do not apply wax; the piece will age and fade more rapidly, but the wax will not set outdoors.(Optional) Apply dark wax.
The coffee table shown was painted in La Chaux Candied Yam (two coats), waxed with clear wax, and then waxed with the dark wax.
Let dry and enjoy your new, old furniture.
(Optional) Create a more modern finish with chalk paint.
If you aren’t going to distress the piece or let it show its age by having some of the old colors show through, you will want to give the piece at least two complete coats with lots of drying time in between. This is a more modern look for painted furniture. Make sure that you are generous when applying the wax to give the piece a nice sheen.
The dresser shown was painted with Annie Sloan Paris Grey and Old White, given three coats of color, and waxed.