CHALK PAINT MAKEOVER: END TABLES (PART 1)

I am a sucker for cheap furniture that can be repainted. If I wasn't completely creeped out by Craigslist, I'd probably be on there looking for free furniture all the time. Plus, I'm sure my husband would love me turning our rental condo into a workshop. 😂    

In fact, this is not my first furniture makeover blog post! So for a detailed description of my entire process and the materials I like to use, check out this post about redoing Charlie's baby dresser. 

Back to the main agenda ---> This is going to be a two part blog post because it was done as two separate projects. Part one was redoing these two end tables, and part two was a coffee table (but more on that later). I started this first project in the last two weeks of packing to move to Illinois. Nothing like adding a little extra fun to the moving to-do list!

BEFORE 

Unfortunately I didn't take a completely before picture. But you can get the idea of what they looked like pictured below, even though some primer and wood putty had already been applied. The end table on the left was my grandmother's (Thanks for passing it to me, Mom!) and the one on the right was a Facebook yardsale page find for $10. Those yellow drawers were the original color of my grandma's end table to give you an idea. 

HOW TO 
There are generally 4 stages to this process that I have found to work really well.  And they are:
1) Sand 
2) Fill holes/dings with wood putty 
3) Prime 
4) Paint
And since this was a chalk paint base, there was a step 5) Seal with a wax.

The exact materials I used for sanding, filling in holes in the wood, and my favorite primer are listed in my first furniture DIY post.  

Supposedly one of the advantages of using chalk paint is that you don't need to use a primer first. That may be true. I didn't really see a reason why I wouldn't just go ahead and prime while I'm working on it anyways, and since I knew I liked this primer that I used last time I went for it. Maybe one day I'll try another chalk paint project to try without priming, but I didn't want to test that on these pieces.

Once the sanding, filling, and priming were complete, I got to painting! I used Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint in Aged Gray that I purchased from Home Depot. I chose to do a can of paint + paint brush, but it also comes in a spray paint. I found that the can of paint would go a lot farther than the spray paint would have. You can probably count on using around 3-4 cans of spray paint vs. just the one can of paint. But if you don't actually enjoy the act of painting with a brush, maybe the spray paint route would be better for you.

This shade of gray was exactly what I was looking for! It's a beautifully light and simple gray color, not too "antique", not too dark, and not too white. If you're looking for a color that gives the impression and brightness of white, but isn't white (so that you don't see EVERY dirt mark) this is the color of your dreams.

WAX
Since I used a chalk paint, I definitely needed to use a wax coating as the final step. Chalk paint naturally dries chalky and very "unfinished" looking. Because of this, chalk paint is very vulnerable to water spots and dirt, so it needs the extra layer of protection from the wax. I used Annie Sloan's Clear Soft Wax with a rag to apply the wax. Much needed final step!

I planned to change the hardware pieces on both of the drawers, but only ended up changing the hardware on the single drawer end table because that's the only one I could find a perfect fit for! I could not find ANY drawer pulls that was the right size for my grandma's end table. (And I did not have time to fill/drill new holes sooo I just kept the originals.) But as it turns out, I actually love the original hardware on my grandma's table with the new paint job. 

Hobby Lobby regularly has 50% off sales on their drawer knobs and pulls. The first time I went in to look for new ones for this project, they were not on sale, but just a few days later when I went back they were! So my advice is to wait for the sale to get the best deal, because chances are you won't have to wait that long. 

AFTER

These end tables are some of my favorite pieces now in our apartment in Wheaton. One is beside the couch and the other one is in Charlie's room. SO pleased with how they turned out!

CHALK PAINT FOREVER? 

Do I love chalk paint? Ehh. Yes, I love how QUICK it dries. I love the color options specific to chalk paint (I'm a fan of the shabby chic look, if you can't tell). I love that Home Depot carries various brands of reliable chalk paint, AKA you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on Annie Sloan. But that's about it.

As far as the overall look, it wasn't really anything more amazing than when I redid Charlie's dresser with a latex based paint. And you pretty much have to do a wax coating if it's a piece of furniture that will see a lot of traffic like finger prints, cups, babies banging toys on, etc. So that was an additional step that I didn't have to do last time.

What about y'all? Is there something amazing that I'm missing about the chalk paint hype? I am super happy with how it turned out, but I don't think I will be particular about using chalk paint exclusively in the future. Let me know your thoughts!