How to Create Chippy Paint Look Using Chalk Paint

Cait Geddes
by Cait Geddes
4 Materials
$55
1 Day
Easy

I am fortunate enough to have a bright, large area in my home right when you walk in the front door and I have always longed for an antique church pew to fill up the space. There's something about the look of a church pew in an entry way that feels so comfy and warm and I absolutely love having a piece of furniture right when you walk in that looks as though it has lived many lives, and has stories to tell!!


Having a bench in my front entry is functional as well. It’s a great place to sit and put on your shoes, and provides lots of room for storage baskets below. Not to mention, it's a great piece for seasonal decorations!


Luckily, in my area, it’s not that difficult to find church pews online through sites like Craigslist and Kijiji. However, I find they are usually 8′-10′ long (way to long for my space) and are not often finished on both sides. They tend to get chopped in half when disassembled from the church, so you can find yourself having a hefty DIY project. I also find that a lot of pews are curved… not so good if you plan of having one up against a wall like in my space.


I've had an alert set on my Kijiji for a long time, and lucky for me one day I came across this gem on Kijiji for just $50 bucks. Happy dance! I snagged it right away and brought it home. Unfortunately, this one is definitely not that old…. Retro, yes. Antique, no! It’s most likely from the 70s or 80s and has certainly been well used!! The seat is in rough shape. But I love it anyway and am glad to give it a new home.



$50 Kijiji Find Church Pew



Well Loved, but Tons of Character



I decided to paint mine using House&Canvas Furniture Paint in Angora white and use my favourite “chippy” technique.


The chippy paint technique is used to give pieces a natural aged look, by layering paint and chipping it away to reveal it’s natural finish. It’s a more authentic, faux-aging process compared to using sand paper to distress. The goal of the chippy paint technique is to mimic the natural wear and tear of a painted piece of furniture abandoned and exposed to natural elements as seen below.


There are two key tricks to easily achieving the chippy look.

  1. Use the right tool
  2. Don't let your paint fully dry



To get started on my bench, I gave it a good wipe down to be sure I got rid of any grease, grime or dust. I decided not to sand and smooth out any of the rough edges, as I thought it would add to the overall naturally weathered look.


Once it was all clean, I painted the whole bench with one coat of House&Canvas Furniture Paint in Angora. I waited half an hour, and applied a second coat.


Timing is key with the chippy paint look. If you wait too long, the paint will cure to the suraface and be too difficult to chip off. You have to do all of your coats of paint back to back.


After about half an hour, the second coat was dry to the touch and I was ready to start chipping away.


The best tool for this job is a heavy duty putty knife that has a fairly sharp, thin edge all the way around. Be sure the blade is stainless steel (not plastic) so it is durable enough.


I found that a 1.5" knife is the perfect size. The larger sizes tend to be too big and you loose control over how much paint you take off. It also allows you to get in hard to reach places!


It also helps to have a soft grip handle so your hand doesn't get to fatigued.



To begin, I always art with the back of the piece. Every piece is different and will chip different, so start on the back so you can hide any accidents and get used to how you like to hold and use your putty knife.


I like to use the long sides of the putty knife to start chipping. You don't have to apply too much pressure since the paint is not fully cured. You'll be surprised at how easily it chips off.


I also use the corner of the putty knife to sort of "tap" the paint to get some chips started. It's fun to just play around with how you like to use the putty knife and what sort of chips you like.


You can chip away as much or as little as you like. It's all personal preference. I recommend starting on the edges where you would see natural wear and tear, and then go from there! Chip away, take a step back and see if you want more or less! It's your piece ;)


You can see in the next video that once I chip away the paint a bit, I follow over it with some sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges. I use a fine 220 grit sandpaper so it won't take off any paint.


Once I was satisfied with the amount of distressing, I gently ran over the piece with my hand to be sure I there were no rough edges. When using a putty knife, you do run the risk of slightly chipping away at the wood which could lead to splinters!! Ouch! Just use your sand paper to smooth everything out!


I left the piece to fully dry and cure overnight, and applied a coat of House&Canvas Furniture Wax in clear to add durability and protect the paint. The wax dries ultra matte finish which is a great look for the chippy technique.


I'm so pleased with how the bench turned out.






Side by Side Before & After







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 2 comments
  • Aimee Aimee on Feb 27, 2020

    Love this look!

  • Phyllis Phyllis on Mar 09, 2020

    I love this. Wish I had seen it before I painted my bathroom chest. Oh well. I have much more painting and chipping to go. Thanks!

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