Furniture Makeover with Chalk Paint

Hello Friends,

When I first “discovered” CHALK PAINT and how versatile it is, I decided to makeover this old side table I got from my aunt. It had spent a good deal of time in an old barn or outbuilding at the farm and was in terrible shape. There were cracks in the top of it, it was water-stained, and it was FILTHY. Some of the drawer pulls were missing and the ones that remained were rusty and not really usable. It was just a MESS!

This is one of the first furniture-makeover projects for me, and though not really a craft, I wanted to write a blog post about it. So follow along and see how I transformed this shabby table into a beautiful piece of furniture.

Supplies needed for furniture makeover

• table
• bucket of soapy water
• wood putty and sander to repair holes
• Waverly chalk paint: brown, off-white, and antique wax
• new drawer pulls
• stencils
• shelf paper
• paint brushes, scissors

I didn’t get a good BEFORE picture. The first thing I did before even bring this into my home was to give it a good cleaning. I used a bucket of warm soapy water and rags to clean it, then hosed it off as good as I could. After it was dry, my husband patched the cracks in the top with wood putty, then sanded it (see picture).

I tested different colors of chalk paint on the front of the table to see what I liked best. Also I removed the drawer pulls.

I used brown chalk paint, then dry-brushed with the off-white paint. The final coat was antique wax. As you probably know, using chalk paint requires little or no prep work for the wood. In other words, no need for sanding. All you have to do is make sure the surface of the wood is clean and the chalk paint will adhere to it.

After painting the drawers, I painted the rest of the table/cabinet, following the same process.

I decided to add some detail onto the drawers, so I stenciled some florals onto the sides, using the same color paints. Also added some new drawer pulls.

And I added shelf paper to line the drawers. Even though I had cleaned them thoroughly, they still looked a little rough.

I think this project turned out pretty awesome for my first attempt with chalk paint.

I LOVE this little side table and still use it in my home. I hope I’ve inspired you to work with chalk paints. I think you will be hooked! They are just so easy to work with.

Happy Crafting!

Pamela