Easily Transform Cheap Furniture with Chalk Paint [VIDEO]

Chalk painting is a really popular and easy technique to give your furniture a velvety, vintage look, or more of a distressed look. Twin Cities Habitat ReStore's Jan Hagerman shows you how to transform cheap furniture with chalk paint.  

Prep Steps

Start with an old piece of furniture from home. Or, if you don't have one, come to ReStore and we can help you out. 

Clean it with warm, soapy water, or TSP.

If this is going to be a more permanent piece, you should sand it. You don't have to do all that prep, but it really does help it last.

Handling the Chalk Paint

Chalk paint dries out very quickly, so use a resealable container. And keep plastic wrap around for the brush.

If chalk paint gets too thick, add a little bit of water to thin it out.  

Paint the Furniture

Start with a light coat of chalk paint, which will dry very quickly.

In another 20 or 30 minutes, give it another coat.

And when you're done painting, give it a light sand. 180 or 200 grit sandpaper works beautifully.

You can either finish it with a paste wax or polyurethane. Either one will give it a nice, velvety smooth finish.

PRO TIP: You can save even more money by making your own chalk paint. Click here for Jan's DIY video.