When we moved into our new home, we came with no furniture. We had planned on staying here just six months so we did not move our furniture all the way to Florida. We needed something to put our feet up on when we had something to sit on! So, I set out to find a coffee table at our local thrift stores. I hit pay dirt at the Salvation Army Thrift Store when I found this solid pine table for just $35.
Chalk Paint Is Easiest Way To Transform Thrift Shop Finds
I wanted a beach motif for the decor at the new house. Pine is anything but beachy. With its kind of orange hue, I knew I needed to do some kind of paint treatment on it. Chalk paint is absolutely the easiest way to change anything into a beach-chic item.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Gives Professional Results
The easiest way to chalk paint anything is to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. These were the days before I started making my own chalk paint and was really new to the whole process. However, even a newbie can get professional results with Annie Sloan.
Just Start Painting
Basically, with chalk paint, all you need to do is start painting! Well, I do a little prep work like knocking the dust and cobwebs off of things before I paint, but that is about it.
With this table, all I needed to do was wipe it down and set it on a big piece of cardboard right in the living-room. I know, I know, you aren’t supposed to paint in the house with all the fumes. However, Annie Sloan has virtually no fumes! No Prep, No Fumes, dang why would I use any other paint? Well, price is one reason.
Dilute Annie Sloan Paint To Stretch
Annie Sloan is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. It runs about $40 for a quart, but the quart lasts a long time. The first coat goes on full strength and you should use at least two coats. The second coat can be diluted with water. Always pour a portion of paint into a smaller container to prevent spoilage. I use about a cup of paint at a time for the first coat. Then on the second coat about half that much with an equal amount of water. Chalk paint is thick so the diluted version will be more like regular paint consistency.
Do Not Follow The Grain
When painting, just slap it on with an ordinary paintbrush, no fancy brush required. Do not follow the grain. The crisscross overlapping pattern is good. Just spread it on. Short and sweet. The more brush strokes the better. The first coat will show the most brush strokes and the second coat smooths out a bit.
A Little Sanding Goes A Long Way
Let each coat of paint dry and hit the project with a bit of sandpaper. The amount of sanding will depend on the smoothness you want and the degree of distress you want to achieve. In this project, I used a course sheet of sandpaper on a sanding block. I paid particular attention to natural wear areas like the tabletop edges and legs.
Clear Wax, Dark Wax, And An Old T-Shirt Later
Once all the sanding was completed, I used Annie Sloan’s Clear Wax over the entire tabletop and legs using an old T-shirt. For the leather effect on the tabletop, I used a thick smattering of Annie Sloan’s Dark Wax rubbing it into all the nooks and crannies, again with a T-shirt, no fancy wax brush required. Every brush stroke and all the details in the tabletop show up nicely with the dark wax. Once dry, buff to a shine. Beautiful and durable. You do not even need a coaster, just saying! Easy-Breezy and a great place to put your feet up.