Makeover of a TV Unit With Chalk Paint

by Jane Mangion

It's been quite some time since I finished this makeover. I felt as if I needed to make peace with this little TV unit before I could share it. All I wanted was a quick and simple makeover of my entertainment unit with a chalk paint wash. Sound easy, right? Well ... this was one of those times when nothing seemed to go right ... but boy did I learn a lot!

makeover of a tv unit with chalk paint, chalk paint, painted furniture

Here is the before photo. I wanted a unit that sat low, would hide the DVD player (and DVDs), and wasn't too "heavy-looking". This piece had a good coat of polyethylene which I needed to remove as I wanted to finish the unit with a light chalk paint wash.

After applying the paint stripper to the unit and allowing it to cure, I scraped off the varnish. I then use steelwool and water to wash the piece down ... Big Mistake!

I ran off to pick up my daughter from school. Which allowed plenty of time for the water to react to the steelwool particles left sitting on the top.

I nearly cried when I got home and saw this .... WHAT HAPPENED?

After a bit of research it seemed an oxalic acid solution, which is often used as a wood bleach, would remove the black stains caused by water penetration.

However I tried sanding to remove the marks first. Oxalic acid is pretty heavy duty, and I only wanted to use it as a last resort. But those marks were here to stay and I really didn't want to paint the piece black.

If you're thinking of using this method please remember to nuturise the bleach with vinegar. Make sure this method will work on the type of wood your piece is made from, as well as the type of stain. This really was a last resort for me but it worked wonders!

(details of the method I used can be found on my blog: http://honeyandroses.com/2015/07/08/makeover-of-a-tv-unit-with-chalk-paint/)

I allowed the unit to dry for several days and finished with a light sand using fine sandpaper (about 210 grade). I then started on the chalk paint wash, using Annie Sloan Old White and a damp rag. I applied the chalk paint with a paint brush and then wiped off the excess with a damp cloth.

You would have thought that after all of this there would be nothing left of the original finish. Not so! Some of the polyethylene had remained, which meant the paint wiped straight off. I thought perhaps I could get away with this but it left little strange shapped bald patches.

I left the paint to dry and then sanded the bald patches with medium 120 grit sandpaper. Using sandpaper to remove the polyeuthene was probably what I should have done in the first place ... live and learn.

On the upside, I loved what was happening when I left the paint to dry for a minute or two and then wiped it off. Thicker in some places ... ohhh, not at all what I had in mind but I love it! So I ran with it, swapping between a damp and dry rag, and experimenting with how long to leave the paint to dry before wiping off.