Chalk Paint... hmmmmm.

Have you heard of chalk paint?

It is a paint product that is raved about in the furniture refinishing community.  I was so excited to try this new invincible product... here is what I found.

Paint is Paint

After everything I have read and heard about chalk paint I thought I would slap it on and voila... something ugly turned beautiful.  But chalk paint is not the magic potion I thought it would be, it has it's positives and negatives.

POSITIVES:

1. Chalky finish. By far, my favorite thing about this product is the dull, matte, deep finish, that gives the painted piece and an automatic sense of character and antiqued quality.  The chalky finish is one I can only compare to milk paint which does not provide the same fantastic coverage as chalk paint.

2. No prep is required. Unfortunately most of the pieces I buy are all sorts of messed up with dings and what not.  So I am usually using some type of filler and sanding any which way.  But if you have a piece of furniture that is in good condition and just needs a little shoe shine, you are good to go. Be aware you will need 2 coats of chalk paint.  So if you want to use a primer and conserve a bit of chalk paint that might be a good option.  But you still might end up using two coats if you don't want the primer to show through.

3. Quantity.  One quart of chalk paint will cost you about $43 big ones.  I have read that others have been able to paint several pieces of furniture with one can of paint.  But considering the size of my hutch I was impressed that I was able to paint the entire piece with just one quart of paint, this was excluding the inside backing.  I used two coats of paint and was running low at the end so I added some water to my can to make the paint go a little farther.

Sorta NEGATIVES:

1. Time Management. Although you are not sanding the piece before applying the chalk paint, hand painting furniture does take some time too.  I am used to painting being the quick and easy part via the all magical paint spray gun.  But chalk paint really puts the focus of the finished product on the art of painting furniture.  Chalk paint individualizes the piece by showcasing every brush stroke.  I will probably only use chalk paint in the future with intricate pieces that are too annoying to sand.  Otherwise the sanding portion provides critical prep time that really matters if you are going for a flawless finish.  Honestly chalk paint is not for modern makeovers it is for old world / vintage finds or flawed treasures.

2. Price.  I do not really make money from refinishing furniture.  I do it because I like it.  Although in some instances using chalk paint might save me time,  I would rather save my money. 

*Chalk paint is special but not a necessity for creating a vintage, antiqued feel. 

*Because this hutch was set to be featured outside at a boutique, I could not apply the wax finish suggested by the manufacturer.  If I had the finish would have melted right off in the 90 degree weather.  I had to use a polycrylic clear coat to protect my chalk paint.  This took away some of the character of the chalk paint, giving it more of a smooth, glass finish, instead of an old, deep finish.  So sad.

I dry brushed "Old White" over the entire piece.  I will have to take another crack at this "dry brush technique", I haven't quite got it down to a science yet.  Here is a great video by Shaunna at Perfectly Imperfect if you are interested in this technique.

 After the man installed this FANTASTIC backing cut from wood pallets, I had a really hard time painting this RAW wood.  I was enchanted by the rustic finish but something didn't feel quite right.  So I thought a white wash would be a happy medium, lightening the wood and providing a better balance between the rustic wood and sharp, cool blue finish.  White wash is one more technique I have yet to master.  I did a test run on a few uninstalled boards.  It worked out perfectly. When I tried to duplicate the technique onto the vertically, installed boards, the wash didn't distributed evenly and several of the boards yellowed on me.  So I was forced to prime and paint all the boards.  Which turned out fine.  White wash and I will have our day in the sun.

The rest is history.

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