Chalk Painted Side Table

4 Materials
6 Hours
Easy

My Mother-in-law gave me a little side table that she no longer used. She was hoping we could fix it up and make it useable again. Then the American Paint Company came along and asked me to try out their paint, and this worn out piece was brought back to life.

First, I gathered up the materials I would be using.


•two paint brushes (one for the paint and one for the top coat)

•220 grit sand paper

•chalk paint

•top coat

•paper cup

Next, I gave the piece a good wash down. It had been sitting in my garage collecting dust and dirt. Then we removed all hardware, removed the back panel and shelves. This piece came to us without knobs, if your piece has knobs or handles, this is the time to remove them as well.

Once everything had been wiped down and loose pieces removed we unhinged the door. This makes it easier to paint and it also makes the paint job look cleaner. This is also why we remove all the hardware, so that it has a cleaner, more professional look. Yes it takes a few extra minutes and is an added step, but it is well worth it in the end.

The American Paint Company sent me a few different colors to try out, they all came in 4 oz size jars. If you are going to refinish furniture, I suggest buying the quart size can of paint. I generally use wax to seal my projects not top coat, but this is what came so I used it. I decided to try out “Nana’s cupboard” it’s a light avocado green. I have watched this color popping up in kitchens and dining rooms all over Instagram and thought I would give it a shot with this little piece.

The instructions on the jar stated you could thin the paint with a little bit of water and because I had only a small amount and I didn’t want to layer different colors, I thinned the paint with a few drops of water. It did not take much water to thin it down. I did not prime the piece as I wanted the dark to be visible when I distressed it later.

Two coats of paint and two coats of top coat a little sand distressing and this piece was ready to be reassembled. We had some antique knobs left over from a dresser we had to replace knobs on. I think they look pretty happy on this side table.


The American Paint Company also has a black glaze. If your project isn’t dark underneath the paint, you can use the glaze to achieve a similar look to the sand distressing we did on this piece.

To be completely honest I was a little nervous how it would look, and I wasn’t super happy with it until I put it all back together and... I loved it! The slightly watered down paint looks more like a wash which I think in this color is perfect and not overpowering.


I only worked on this piece for about 6 hours total. From cleaning, to painting 2 coats to applying 2 coats of top coat to distressing and putting it back together. During drying times I worked on other things. I let the project span over two days because I have 4 children at home that need my attention as well. But actual working on it time was 6 hours. It also didn’t cost me a dime since I had everything on hand.

The paint was easy to use. Washed out of my brushes easily. I have a few craft projects that I think the 4 oz size paints will be perfect for. Again in the future if I’m painting a piece of furniture, I would buy a quart size can of paint and the wax. I like their collection of colors and I’m excited to try out more of them. For now, I’m very happy with how this little lady turned out and I love where she is sitting in our hallway at the top of the stairs. We like to name our refinished pieces and have decided on Julia for this one.


Come stop by our instagram (link below) and see our other furniture and projects we work on. Leave us a comment and say hi!! @beaus_and_belles

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Joleen | The Refining Home
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  2 questions
  • Carole White Carole White on Oct 31, 2019

    This turned out beautifully! I've never heard of "sand distressing "; is that a type-o or us that a thing??

  • Brenda Gambol Brenda Gambol on Oct 31, 2019
    I’ve got a standing cabinet I’m going to try this on. How did you get the paint samples? Were they free?
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 28 comments
Next