I recently tried my hand at furniture painting for the first time, and I’m hooked!

A couple of years ago, I was gifted something very special. A set of handmade wooden drawers meant for screws, nails and other small DIY items. It’s special because it was given to me by my husband's sister and belonged to their great uncle. This makes it around 70 years old.

Up until now, it’s been in my kitchen storing dried herbs for teas and medicine, small first aid items, supplements and my sachets of mushroom coffee. It continues to hold similar items, but with a face lift.

I was nervous

I’ve been meaning to get around to this for a while, but as it was my first time, I was nervous about the outcome and didn’t want to mess up such an amazing item which had sentimental value and history. As you can see from the below image the drawers were made from scraps of wood which is so impressive.

I attended YouTube University!

As with most things, I decided to watch every video I could on YouTube about furniture painting with chalk paint. And after I felt as though I had graduated, I decided to give it a try.

If you’re keen to give this a go, here are some of my favourite videos:

How to use Annie Sloan Black Wax / Chalk Paint

How To Blend Chalk Paint

How to Dry Brush and Layer Chalk Paint

10 Don'ts with Chalk Paint

Chalk Paint and Decoupage | Dresser Makeover

Chalk Paint Basics With Annie Sloan

Getting Started

• Preparing & Sanding

  Once I had removed the labels and nails from the front of the drawers, I began by sanding as much of the unit as possible. I used a small electric handheld sander, but that old paint was tough. My Dad informed me that I didn’t need to remove all the paint, but instead create a surface that the new paint would stick to. I love Dad advice when it comes to these things! 

• Sugar Soap

  To get rid of the dust and residue, I washed the unit in sugar soap.

• Primer

  As I was unable to sand away all the dark green paint, I chose to use a primer paint to reduce the amount of coats I would need of more expensive chalk paints.

• Painting

  I started with the darkest paint first. The helpful lady in the shop where I bought the paints told me that the first coat will look horrendous, and the second may too. I’m so pleased she said this to me, otherwise I probably would have freaked out!

• Blending

  I chose a lighter colour to create a faded effect on the unit, as though it was worn. I found that the dark and light paints blended really easily, and it was fun to do.

• Detail

  I used gold acrylic paint to highlight areas of the unit, and also added some stencil patterns here and there to look like it was faded and worn.

• Waxing

  Furniture wax is used to seal and protect the paint. I used black wax to create dark areas on the unit, as though it was tarnished and aged. Then a good coat of clear wax to finish off the whole thing.

• Drawer liner

  I dived into my craft paper collection and found some papers from the Natural History Museum Archives which made suitable drawer liners.

• Labels

  And finally, my trusty label maker added the finishing touches, so I no longer have to open 21 all drawers to find what I am looking for.

Conclusion

I am absolutely over the moon with the finished item. My sister in law was quite emotional (in a good way) when she saw it. I am now keen to paint everything in my house, and poor Dave is worried that if he sits still too long, he will end up painted blue and gold.

Watch out for my next project this summer, when I can take a larger item outside for sanding!

Tell me Your Thoughts

Do you paint your own furniture or perhaps this something you would like to start doing? 

Would you like to hear more about my creative projects? 

Let me know in the comments below.