Guys I know I am probably the last person on the planet but I just did my very first project using chalk paint. Gasp! I know I have been living under a rock, well not really. I have known about chalk paint for a long time and have seen it used in about a million projects, I have just never used it myself. Why not? You might ask, Why now? To be honest the main reason is I love spray paint! I love the smooth finish you can get when it is done correctly. I love the bright intense colors, I love that it dries fast and I am not covered in paint when I’m done. What I don’t love is you can’t spray paint in the winter, with a 50ºF temperature minimum that means it is totally off for the winter. So with spray paint on winter break, I decided to try out chalk paint.
The piece I decided to re-finish is a little dresser I got from the local Habitat for Humanities Restore. I was in a little disrepair but with a few nails and some wood glue, I got it back into working order. Now for the paint…
One of the perks to chalk paint is that you can paint over almost any finish with no stripping, no sanding, no priming but let me make it clear that means that it will stick to the finish not that it will correct a lumpy, bumpy, scratched finishes. If you have a piece that has areas like these you might want to give those areas a sand just to smooth out the finish. That’s what I did with this little guy.
The chalk paint I used was Amy Howard One Step Paint in Palmer Pink which was available at my local Ace Hardware. I also purchased the Clear Wax to gloss up the chalky finish, I’ll share how that works later.
So with the help of my assistant Blanche (see below,) I applied three coats of paint. If you were going to distress the piece two coats would be fine but I wanted full coverage so I opted for three. As a first-time user one of the things I loved about the chalk paint was that it dried extremely quickly and the coats were not at all sticky so you could apply the second coat in just 30 minutes.
If you like the chalky finish you’re done! You could run a sander over some areas for a distressed look or just leave it as-is. As a spray paint fan, I like a little gloss to my finish so I used the Clear Wax which is a lot like using shoe polish. You brush it on, let it sit for 30 minutes, and then buff it out with a lint-free cloth for a nice shine.
For an authentic vintage look, I used 1″ Antique Clear Glass Knobs from D Lawless Hardware.
The pastel Palmer Pink turned out perfect, and the finished product is super cute! I know there are a lot more techniques and products that work in combination with chalk paint but for the first attempt, I am pleased with these pretty basic results.
My final conclusion…
Would I use chalk paint again? Definitely!
Will I give up my spray paint? Never! But Chalk paint may be my new winter friend.
I LOVE this….and the little vintage clock, so jealous!
I actually bought two of theses little clicks on Germany, one for my mom who collects clocks and one for me jus because it’s so darn cute.
so soft and pretty- love the shape!
Isn’t it a cutie! I find these kinds of pieces super easy to sell. Small enough to be tucked almost anywhere and everyone could use a little extra storage. Problem is sometimes I want to keep them for myself!