How I went about refreshing our dressers with chalk paint
No need to prep your piece with chalk paint; Step-by-step of the process I went through refreshing our dressers; I share the products I used; Before and After pictures of my piece
Does organization apply to painting? The way I see it, being organized sometimes means that you have to be frugal and undertake projects on a budget in order to achieve the goal you’ve set for yourself.
Do you have pieces of furniture that you like that just don’t blend in with your style? I may have the solution for you and it’s as easy as paint. Here is how I went about refreshing the dressers that we have in our walk-in closet.
I’ve had these dressers for over 10 years now. My grandfather made these when my mom was a little girl. They’ve been passed along to me around the time I left home to go to university. They have followed me and my husband through three moves and are still very sturdy. I figured that if they lasted this long that I should make an effort to keep them for as long as I can. I also have a little bit of an attachment to them since my grandfather passed away a few years ago.
When we moved into our newly built house, we dedicated a space in our walk-in closet for our dressers. The only thing I didn’t realize was that having dark furniture in a closet without any windows would bother me as much as it did. After experimenting with chalk paint on an upholstered chair, I decided to tackle these by refreshing our dressers to lighten up our closet.
1- Empty and Clean
Because of the nature of what was in our two dressers I decided to do one at a time. I started by emptying the drawers and laying the clothes in clothes baskets so they wouldn’t be scattered everywhere. I then went ahead and removed the drawers.
Once all is empty and apart, you can start cleaning your piece of furniture. I like using Krud Kutter Stain Remover and give my piece a good clean before starting to paint.
It’s simple. We believe cleaners should clean without being toxic. Krud Kutter® safely removes the toughest stains and everyday messes that most “all-purpose” cleaners can’t touch – grime, grease, pet stains, and crayons. It even removes dried latex paint and permanent marker. Our eco-friendly formula is safe for the environment and your family.
https://www.rustoleum.ca/product-catalog/consumer-brands/krud-kutter/
I really like this products and its versatility which reminds me that I forgot to mention it in my safe cleaning products blog post. The product can be found in any hardware store such as Home Hardware or Canadian Tire.
2- First Coat of Paint
I then went ahead an applied a first coat of Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint (colour: original). What is so neat about chalk paint is that you don’t need to sand or prep your piece beforehand. As far as the strokes you give when painting, they can be in which ever direction you want. The goal is to cover your piece. Keep in mind though that you will need at least two coats if not more (depending on your piece and the colour you are applying).
3- Second Coat of Paint
Once it’s dry (which actually does not take very long) you can go ahead and apply a second coat of paint. This second coat should give you a good idea if you need more coats or not, depending on the look you are going for.
4- Waxing Your Piece
Once your piece is all painted and is to your liking, you will need to seal and protect it with wax. I used Annie Sloan’s Clear Wax. Make you you apply the wax in small sections and wipe off the excess with a clean cloth. I like to use the blue shop towel as a cloth.
If your piece will be in a high traffic area, you may need more than one coat of wax. If that is the case, contrary to the paint, you will need to wait 24 hours between coats with the wax.
5- Adding Character
I personally wanted my piece to look aged and antique-like so I went ahead and applied Annie Sloan’s Dark Wax on the corners and edges of my piece. You have to be careful with the colored wax. If you don’t apply the clear wax first, the colored wax will stain your piece.
In order to have more control on the colour and effect of the wax, you will apply the clear wax first and then play with your colored wax over it. If for instance you’ve applied too much of the colored wax, you can go over it with the clear wax and take some of it out.
6- Finishing Touches – Hardware
I couldn’t find drawer knobs that I liked (for a reasonable price) so I opted to paint the wooden ones we had on the dressers. I painted them in Annie Sloan’s Honfleur and applied a coat of clear wax and of dark wax to finish them off.
Here is how it turned out! This was my first time experimenting with a coloured wax and I learned a lot. Although there are different ways to apply wax, I personally preffered applying the coloured wax with a rag. I felt like I had more control over it.
I couldn’t believe how a lighter colour on these pieces really lightened up our walk-in closet. Stenciling the back wall of the walk-in closet also contributed to the look of the space and made a real difference in the feel of the space combined with refreshing our dressers.
If this inspired or motivated you to refresh pieces you may already have, I strongly suggest checking out Kàcha‘s YouTube channel.
Have you ever painted furniture with chalk paint? If so, how was your experience? Did you piece turn out like you wanted? Let me know in the comments below 🙂
