However, those two pieces are good solid pieces and so we saved them for our future child. Now with Ellie coming in 5 months, it is time to give them a not so late 80's early 90's look!
Eric had begun to sand the pieces to stain them with a beautiful espresso wood stain. But, much to our surprise, all of the pieces are solid wood with the exception of the top main surface....which is some cray cray vinyl or something that even the toughest grain on the sander could NOT touch! Soooo.....what were the options? We have this furniture, we have already saved hundreds of dollars by owning these....we did not want to buy or register for something new or even used. That money could be put towards/ saved for better things.
So, we looked into Chalk Paint. I was hesitant at first. While I love the vintage, distressed look...this would not match the espresso modern crib my sister is giving us. But it was the best option.
My faith in Chalk Paint grew when we paid a visit to "Vintage Now Modern" in downtown Greenville. A shop that specializes in restoring old furniture especially via Chalk Paint. In fact, they hold fun classes on how to revive your special piece!
Vintage Now Modern showed us how to obtain a modern (less distressed) espresso finish and gave us a lot of tips and advice for the process. Overall it is really simple. Which is why this Domestic Diva decided to take on the project while hubby works!!
Here is the BEFORE:
FIRST: It is suggested to do a light sanding of the furniture. Eric went to town on one piece's top, but mama here is gonna finish the dirty work. This called for a picture obviously,,, 4 months pregnant using a power tool wearing my pearls of course. It doesn't get more Domestic than this!!
Please note: Sanding is NOT necessary for every piece you may decide to chalk paint- only those you wish to obtain a modern look versus the distressed look. The Chalk Paint would have gone over even the vinyl surface with no problem without the sanding. Again- this is a step necessary only for a modern look.
SECOND: Sanding is finished-any dust has settled- It is now time to use some Dawn dish soap and water and wash the furniture. This helps get any old grease, oil,and residue off the furniture- helping the paint to adhere at its best. I also vacuumed the space to suck up any residual dust. Then, I laid my old paint sheets under the furniture and drawers (painting in the nursery, not outside or in the garage).
THIRD: Begin to paint! You will need a special Chalk Paint Brush. These can be bought at Vintage Now Modern for the Greenville townie local supporter OR your local Lowe's, Home Depot, or even ordered online. What makes these special are the soft bristles. Here is a photo:
The Chalk Paint we selected to obtain our desired Espresso modern finish was the Annie Sloan, Honfleur. This color was coated with Annie Sloan Black Wax to give it the darker finish.
Blondie of course wanted to help ;) My constant sidekick!
To obtain the "modern" look versus the "Distressed/vintage" look, I lightly watered down the paint with some lukewarm water as was suggested. It helped the paint to spread smoothly.
Blondie, my sidekick- ready to get started!
When painting, you will want to do two coats. One 32 oz. jar of Chalk Paint covers roughly 150 sq. ft. which easily covered the two pieces. I had over half the jar left at the end. The second coat may be applied 20 minutes after the first is completed, or once all is dry- use common sense! Allow your brush strokes to be easy, even, and to flow with the grain of the wood.
First coat almost completely dried.
Once the second coat is completed, and roughly 50 mins. to an hour has been allowed for drying (again use common sense and make sure it is completely dry), it is time for the next step!
FOURTH: Wax time! The wax is an essential step in completing that perfect look for your "new" furniture. I again, used the Black wax to obtain the Espresso look. There are different wax finishes contingent upon the look you desire to achieve! The application of the wax is different than the paint. Apply the wax with a fresh brush. You will see above I have two of the same soft hair brushes pictured. Use the clean one now, for the wax.
Apply the wax firmly with a bit of a push. Don't force it, but don't be delicate- just a firm swiping of your brush. Apply the wax in small amounts and surfaces as it dries almost instantly!
Remember Mr. Miyagi from "The Karate Kid"? "Wax on, Wax off". Wise words! Channel your inner Mr. Miyagi when Waxing- just don't chop your furniture with one fell sweep of the hand!!
So to do this, have a lint free cloth. I used one of Eric's old beat up white T-shirts. Again, apply wax in small surface amounts, then wipe the wax with your lint free cloth. This should be instantly dry.
Here are some "During" photos to show how the black wax really brings out the espresso color over the Chalk Paint. It was a very easy and quick process. I just turned on my '90s Pandora station and got to work!
The application in process
You can easily see the comparison in the drawers as the two on the right are finished and the left has not been waxed yet.
The very LAST step I took in the waxing process was to top the black wax with a finishing wax creme coat. It's a clear creamy consistency wax that seals the black wax and the chalk paint for a more durable, long lasting finish. It was even easier to apply than the black wax! It was truly like putting on body lotion! See Below:
The wax will need 5-21 days of "curing" before it can truly be used. I will wait to decorate the surfaces with baby things!
And then we have the FINISHED PRODUCT!!
AFTER:
Top: Before; Bottom: After
I am very pleased with how these turned out! The project took me one afternoon and one morning. A very good weekend project! Now, this is the way to save hundreds of dollars! All of this cost a total of $72. Much better than paying hundreds for new furniture or losing out on even greater hundreds of dollars from friends who would have bought us new items off the registry!!
Thank You, God, for providing even the little things- as they really add up! And thanks to my Mama and Daddy who gave their baby girl great furniture that can be passed down and trusted to stay sturdy!
Thanks for reading! I hope this helps with any Chalk Paint projects you may get into!!
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