Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Homemade Chalk Paint Bandwagon...& Painting Tips.

Lately I have been a furniture makeover machine.  I just couldn't help myself.  I became determined to weed through the furniture hoard stash I have accumulated in our basement.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Craig. ;)

I started out with a dingy, old mid-century modern bedroom set that I turned into nightstands for me and hubby. {Btw, I still have another dresser and nightstand left over from this set just begging for attention/sale in our basement.}  Those pieces got the paint-dipped treatment from me, as well as some gorgeous hardware.

And since working on one project just isn't enough for my project-ADD self, I started tackling this dresser-turned-console.  {Like the set above, I'm not using the nightstand...so it's being hoarded stored in our basement for now.}


I l-o-v-e-d the detail on these drawers and the beautiful lines.  My first thought was to just add some new hardware and call it a day.  I put the piece behind our couch, and just didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling I was hoping for.  Between the dark charcoal couch, the orangey-toned dresser and our chocolatey-toned floors....it just didn't feel right.

I thought about possibly staining the piece another color, but unfortunately the detailing on all of the drawers was plastic. Grrrrrrrr...

So much to the chagrin of many of you, I gave this baby the paint treatment.  And I'm loving how it looks!!

Since I had already dealt with sanding and priming the other laminate pieces I was working on, I did not feel like carrying this bad boy outside to sand and prime it...plus the detailed drawer fronts would be annoying to sand.  What is a lazyyyy girl to do?!?!  Duh...give homemade chalk paint a whirl!  I had seen SO many recipes and reviews for it online.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm the last in the blog-o-sphere to give it a try.  I searched the interwebz for recipes, and a million and one came up.  Ultimately, I selected this recipe based on what I already had in my basement...latex paint and Plaster of Paris.


I started by pouring approximately two cups of paint into a plastic container.  Then I mixed the Plaster of Paris and water in a separate plastic container until everything was smooth and there were no lumps left.  Once the consistency was creamy, I mixed that into the paint container.  {FYI...don't pour the paint into the Plaster of Paris/water container because it will be harder to mix evenly throughout since that is what is on the bottom of the container.}


After that...it's painting time!

Here are a few tips that I always use when I paint furniture:

1) Before you paint the piece, and when you are removing the drawers, take note which drawers went where.  I always pay attention to how the drawers go in and out.  If they don't seem to fit right...move them around. Maybe they are supposed to go in a different slot, or perhaps the wood has warped over time causing the drawer and frame to rub against each other.  This is a fixable issue.  Just take out your electric sander {or if you are into self-tourture, you can sand by hand ;)} and go over the "sticking" areas a few times.  It'll pay off in the end...especially since you are adding some thickness with the layer{s} of paint. I have also gotten into the habit of labeling the bottom of my drawers for future reference.  It really comes in handy!!


2) Eliminate the need to buy paint tray liners or cleaning out paint trays by lining your tray with aluminum foil.  Easy peasy!!


3) Lightly sand your pieces with a fine grit sanding block in between coats, then wipe off allll dust and let fully dry before applying your next coat.

Now, onto the job at hand...

I double-coated the dresser in one night.  I know latex paint says to wait a couple hours in between coats, but I was impatient and this stuff dried pretty quickly....possibly because of the addition of the Plaster of Paris?!? Not sure.  Either way, I broke the rules and double-coated things. ;)

I used a low nap roller made for cabinets and smooth surfaces for all of the flat parts of the dresser.  Then I used a quality brush for the drawers since there was so much detail.  I was a little skeptical of this homemade chalk paint after the first coat...mostly on the drawer fronts.  {Note, I was not neat AT ALL with my brush strokes on the drawers.  Since I was experimenting with new paint, I wanted to see how the brush strokes would go with this type of medium.  Typically, I do loooooong, smooth and even brush strokes to minimize lines and, well, ugliness.}





But after a second coat went on...I started to feel much better.




I called it a night after two coats, but I wasn't all done with the batch of chalk paint I whipped up.


To store it over night, I simply wet a paper towel, squeezed out the extra water, laid it over my paint container...



...and then put that in a zip-lock bag.  {Make sure to squeeze out as much air as you can before it's zipped up tight!}



My paint was good as new the next day!  I just gave it a good stir, and I was ready to put the final coat {or what I thought would be the final coat} on my dresser-turned-console.

Stay tuned for a major blunder on this project...but how I saved the day with some awesome-sauce hardware!! ;)

42 comments:

  1. I can't wait to see how you saved the day!!!!! I am leaving tomorrow and might miss it though. :( And when I get home by bloglovin will probably just get emptied.... so please fb share with me!! I don't want to miss!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cassie! It's up now, so hopefully you'll see it! :)

      Delete
  2. Ooo, this is looking fun! I can't wait to see what you do with this in the end. So many fun possibilities with that drawer detail.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It took a while to get to the end point, but I finally got there! ;)

      Delete
  3. Looking great and I love that tip for saving unused paint! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. i haven't made my own before but i just purchased a mix at a flea market so i am going to give this chalk paint thing a try soon! looking forward to seeing the finished product with your homemade mix :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, can't wait to hear how your purchased paint works!! :)

      Delete
  5. Looks great so far!! Can't wait to see the final product! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yay, the chalk paint bandwagon. Can't wait to see it finished. And I use garbage bags as paint liners, maybe I should try the foil one day too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm surprised it took me so long to hop on. ;) I'm sure garbage bags work just as well. I like the foil since you can kind of mold it to stay in place.

      Delete
  7. I tried my hand at some home made chalk paint last year and was really pleased. It's so easy and inexpensive.
    http://www.colortransformedfamily.com/2012/03/14/duncan-phyfe-chalkboard-dining-table/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What an awesome makeover...thanks so much for sharing, Krystle!! :)

      Delete
  8. I guess the plaster eliminates the need for primer? Looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, that's the supposed allure of chalk paint...no need to sand/prime. We'll see how it holds up over time! Thanks Kate! :)

      Delete
  9. I'll have to try the homemade chalk paint! Your dresser has such great lines, it's going to be stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just one question... how do you keep the cat out of the way??? I would have an audience of the 4 legged kind if I did my projects inside. I love the way it turned out though :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Surprisingly, he kind of listens to me. He doesn't really get in the way when I'm actually working on stuff (after I tell him to scram the first time.) But then, once things are dry, he's always all up in whatever business I've got going on haha.

      Delete
  11. Great job Gabbi :) I love the way those turned out! xo Kristin

    ReplyDelete
  12. I need to try chalk paint. It looks fun.

    I have never thought to use aluminum foil. You're a genius.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dooooo it.

      I'm shocked you did think of it first. We all know you are the real genius. :)

      Delete
  13. What?! That looks amazing already! I can't wait to see the final reveal!

    Runt
    runtspickins@yahoo.com
    www.runtspickins.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Looking forward to part 2! I've been wanting to try some homemade chalk paint, maybe I'll give this recipe a try!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, give it a shot! I'd love to see how it works out for others! :)

      Delete
  15. Looking great! I need to try the recipe. I have bought it once for my desk makeover but didn't need much so just got the little guy. Love the drawer detail on the dresser!

    Laura
    House Envy

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to try this soon on a vintage secretary I have. Can't wait to see the final product!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ohhh, I bet that is going to be fabulous!! I can't wait to see! :)

      Delete
  17. Aluminum foil in my painting tray...hello super smarty pants! I just got done with a big painting job and I just kept applying trash bags over my paint which I hate because it slides all over the place. Next time, I'm totally using foil thanks to you! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. How can I be 34 and have never seen the aluminum foil trick?? HOW?! Thanks for the chalk paint tips.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Those knobs are epically amazing, and they totally belong on that killer dresser. I'm so glad you didn't stop halfway through. It looks gorgeous now!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is just crazy to me that this was totally DIY. You are fearless - and it always pays off!!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.