Put on a fresh coat of color
Give old wood furniture a bright new look with chalk paint.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve found yourself these past few months staring at your old furniture and wishing that placing it somewhere else would make it new. Of course, without hitting the lottery, I can’t run out and buy a new living room set. And more time at home doesn’t exactly mean the time, space or skill to refinish or reupholster anything.
For people with the willingness to learn a whole new skill set, there’s furniture restoration. For the rest of us, there’s chalk paint.
“To restore furniture would be … stripping it down and refinishing it so that it appears like it was originally,” said Teresa Denning. “What we do is recycle the old wood furniture and give it a bright new look with paint.”
For the past five years at Adjectives Market in Altamonte Springs, Denning has taught workshops on using the branded decorative paints from British color expert Annie
Sloan. Denning is a fan of the chalk-based paints because of their versatility. “It adheres to anything,” she said. Which means you can use it on wood, steel, even fabrics.
Though Denning’s workshops are currently on hold due to the pandemic, the Indiana native was willing to share some of her tips for sprucing things up.
Step 1:
Pick your piece
“Most of the people who buy Annie Sloan paint is because they have grandma’s furniture, or they don’t want to go out and buy something new because theirs is real wood and a lot of the new stuff is manufactured,” said Denning.
Other times, she said, people see things they want, but they don’t care for the color or they want it to fit more in with the décor of their home.
Denning said one thing to think about is using old furniture in a new way. “A lot of people are coming in and getting these smaller china cabinets and using them in their bathrooms for towels and toiletries,” she said.
“Old fireplace mantles are popular,” said Denning. “People buy them at vintage stores.”
For the purposes of this guide, we’re going to recommend starting with something wood.
Step 2:
Pick your color
Here is another place where Denning takes the pressure off. “That’s just a personal preference,” she said.
You don’t need to know color theory or ask an art major what goes with what. Just let your tastes guide you to the changes you want to make.
“What’s in your house?” asked Denning. “Is everything in your house browns? Now maybe you want to put in white or a bright orange piece.”
Denning does have one suggestion. “If you’re going to paint a piece and it’s not going to match everything else, then you need that pop of color,” she said.
Step 3:
Clean the furniture
You’re probably getting eager to get your brushes in some paint, but there’s one more thing.
“You’ve got to make sure it’s clean,” said Denning.
She recommends using denatured alcohol and a rag to rub it down.
“That’s years of oils and
Pledge,” she said, showing the contrast in a clean spot.
One should use denatured alcohol in a wellventilated space.
“We’re just going to wipe it clean and then we’re going to paint,” said Denning.
Step 4: Paint
Again, you don’t have to have been an art student here. “The Annie Sloan approach to this is you just slap it on,” said Denning. “Just every which way, you just get it on there.”
If your piece has drawers, you can leave them in and paint over them. But Denning suggests that beginners start by taking them out and painting them individually. “For a beginner, that’s just going to be easier,” she said.
Another benefit of using chalk paints, you don’t have to take the hardware off the piece. Brass handles and metal corner pieces, all of it can be covered.
And once it is covered, cover it again. Denning recommends putting on two coats for the most complete look. The paint is dry and ready for its second coat in 15 minutes.
Chalk paint doesn’t give off any fumes, so you don’t need a big, ventilated area to paint in, though if you want to save your floors, you might want a drop cloth.
Step 5: Distress
Give the paint about 30 minutes to dry this time. Does it look a little too new now? Want the feel of an antique piece without all the aging? Distress it.
Take a square of fine-grit sandpaper and lightly rub over the corners until you’ve exposed a little of the original wood color. Also run the sandpaper over the handles and pulls but don’t try to strip them. Just let the corners, the rounded edges and the engraved details poke through.
Step 6: Experiment
Since painting with chalk paint is so easy, there’s room to play and see what you like.
Denning came up with a couple of ways to get a two-tone look for your furniture. Start by putting on the finishing coat of your main color. When it’s dry, spritz the furniture with a light mist of water, then apply a contrasting detail color and let it drip. While the detail color is wet, use a rag to wipe it off, leaving it smeared mostly into the nooks and corners of the piece.
Another way to get a second tone is to paint one color, then paint another color over it. When the second color is dry, sand it down and you’ll start to see the base color shining through.
Play with stencils. Do a little splattering. Do a lot of splattering. You only have to wait 15 minutes to start over if you don’t like it.
Step 7: Seal it
All furniture, whether it is going to be inside or outside, needs to be sealed. For indoor pieces, Denning recommends using sealing wax. You can choose a clear wax that will let the color show through or a darker wax that will add depth and aging to the creases and grooves.
As you paint the wax on, stop and rub the wax off with a rag. “The idea is that you’re going to buff it back off,” said Denning. “Whatever you paint on, you’re going to buff it back off.”
Once it’s on, give it a couple of hours before setting drinks or plates on the furniture.
And that’s it! You now have the power to change the color of your furniture as often as you like.
More info: Adjectives Market has locations in Altamonte Springs, Winter Park and Winter Garden. For more information and to learn when classes return, visit adjstyle.com.
Want to reach out? Email me at tfraser@orlandosentinel.com.