Are you planning to paint a piece of old furniture? Here’s why chalk paints are ideal if you don’t have much experience and want a rustic effect. How to apply them and how to seal them for longer-lasting results. The price may be somewhat higher on average compared to oil or nitro paints, but it is usually used on smaller surfaces...
Repairing old furniture can roughly be divided into two categories. The first is where someone skilled – though not necessarily a professional – devotes a lot of time to transforming a strict piece of furniture, which might have ended up next to a dumpster, into something completely different and attractive that will serve as a decoration for any space.
The second category of repair can best be defined as – let’s do something with this and see what happens… If it works out, great; if not, no worries, it was going to be thrown away anyway…
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A common result of this second approach can be more than satisfactory. If you are one of those who venture into repairing old furniture without great ambitions or the desire to achieve professional results, the ideal medium to work with is the so-called chalk paint.
This type of paint is perfect for achieving a rustic look; it is very forgiving to use, allows for beginner mistakes, and the results can be extraordinary. What’s the secret?
One of the first advantages is that no particularly demanding surface preparation is needed before applying these paints. There’s no need for sanding; generally, just cleaning and removing grease is enough for the paint to adhere to the surface.
The secret of chalk paints lies in their thickness, allowing them to cover minor imperfections, such as small scratches. These paints are, besides wood, also ideal for covering other materials like metal, ceramics, plastic, and glass…
Another “beginner-friendly” feature of chalk paints is that they are water-based, making any spills or mistakes easier to fix. With oil-based paints, especially nitro coatings, if you make a mistake or spill on the floor, cleaning is incomparably more difficult, and often nearly impossible. In the first fifteen minutes after applying chalk paint, it can be rinsed with water and cleaned.
Chalk paints can be applied with a brush, roller, and are especially practical when packaged in spray bottles. This method also yields the best results.
Chalk paints, although often white, are available in various shades, but the surface always has a matte finish, which gives it that beloved rustic look. After applying chalk paint, to ensure durability, a final coating with wax or varnish is necessary.
Wax is used for furniture pieces that will be kept indoors. It is applied with a brush, and then the excess is wiped away with a lint-free cloth. If it’s a garden furniture piece or kitchen elements, an acrylic varnish is a better solution instead of wax. A combination of varnish and wax is not possible.