First Chalk Paint Project

So recently I decided furniture was really expensive and my house needs some so I needed to explore putting a fresh coat of 'make up' on some of my own pieces and knowing how to turn garage sale furniture awesome.

So I have an end table that I want to upgrade but decided finding a test project to 'learn from' would be a better place to start. Glad I did!

I read countless blogs (hence why I feel I now need to give back!) and made some key decisions.

1. using chalk paint instead of latex
2. Using home depot brushes not the fancy special chalk paint brushes
3. Not using the fancy wax but painting on minwax polycrylic to finish it up

So with those big decisions I was off!

Step 1 -- find furniture! My sister in law was in town and we found this little gem in an estate sale

And away I went! I decided with this one I wanted to practice all the techniques so I decided to sand/stain the flat parts and paint the legs white.

So once this little table got sanded (and I got husband approval I wasn't just avoiding spots because I was way over it) it was time to stain

I got it stained and went on to painting the legs -- note you have to swap the blue tape around in between so staining took minimal time but taping took some time. Waited a day for the stain to set and was FINALLY ready for the fun part - chalk paint! I went with Annie Sloan for my first go round since it seems to be the preferred brand but will be open to other brands next, and eventually want to try making my own.

Finally the last step of sealing with the minwax and I was all set! I did 2 coats of this.

Things I wish I knew/learned
1. Sanding will take some time but is worth it
2. Chalk paint drys FAST, I mean really fast
3. Do the 1.5 coats method I found after learning fact 2 next time
4. Use a foam roller whenever possible. Had to use foam brush for this round since those cute little legs are touch to paint.
5. The paint will clump, be sure to smooth before you move to another spot (see note 2)
6. When sealing do all the paint portions first THEN the stain as the stain can pull through and get on your pretty white paint

But it was all worth it! Final Product!