"Chalk Paint is so expensive!" I have heard that SO many times lately. I know that it is well worth the money but I know some of you don't. No need to pull out your calculator, I'll show you.
Lets take this buffet for example. I got it like this. It was painted black on top and white on the bottom. My client wanted it a teal color and keep the black on top but it needed to be refreshed.
Old Fashion Refinishing
Supplies you'll need:
Package of Sandpaper - $14.97
Citristrip (use to be my favorite stripper) - $11.98
Kilz Primer Quart - $16.98
Behr Paint Quart (teal) - $14.96
Sample Size Paint (black) - $2.98
Total - $61.87 + tax
$61.87 isn't bad to turn this buffet into the perfect color to fit your decor! Oh, wait! Lets start with the labor. First you have to apply the stripper. The orange stuff actually smells good. Lucky for you. Spread that orange gel all over and make sure you get it in all the curves and indentation's in the wood. Wait a couple of hours or so and then start scraping the paint off. Make sure you get as much off as possible or you will have to sand off what you don't strip off.
Your next step is to wipe off all of the stripper residue. You really have to clean it off so nothing is left on your piece. Now get the sandpaper out. If your lucky to have a power sander your going to save some time on this bad boy. You'll still need to sand some of it by hand though.
Now that you've lost 10 pounds in water weight from breaking a good sweat out in your garage you get to move onto the easier parts. Start painting with your primer. Set your clock for an hour and wait for the primer to dry. Cross your fingers the humidity is low so you don't have to wait longer.
YEA!! You made it to the painting stage! Grab your paint and start having some fun. Watch your brush strokes. You want it to look nice and smooth. Do you have your first coat done? Good, now wait an hour. Second coat, wait another hour. Hopefully this third coat will do it and then you have to......wait another hour.
I hope you don't have a job, kids, animals or anything that requires attention or food if you want to get this project done in one day. 8 1/2 hours later you're all painted and looking good.
This isn't even a guaranteed process. Not all pieces can handle this process. There is no way you could complete the old fashion process on laminate. You could try to sand it but not to much or you will damage it. That's if it is good quality laminate. Someone in a craft group, I belong to, posted this picture today. She primed and then painted per the hardware employees advice. Fail! Not on her part. It is just not the right process or materials. The paint peeled right off.
Chalk Paint Refinishing
Ahhhhhh, I don't feel so much anxiety talking about my saving grace -CHALK PAINT-
I'd love to know the excitement people had when sliced bread was invented. I think I was even more excited then that when I discovered my beloved chalk paint.
Remember this buffet from earlier? Yep, I chalk painted it.
Supplies needed:
1 - 16 oz bottle of custom teal color Madame Butterfly Chalky Paint $24.95
1 - 8 oz bottle of black Madame Butterfly Chalky Paint $19.95
Total - $44.90
Thats a savings of $16.97
Lets start on the chalk paint process. You're going to want to wipe your piece down just to get rid of any dust or dirt. A damp cloth will do fine. Grab your brush and chalk paint and apply your first coat. Don't worry about your brush strokes because they will easily blend. Wait......Oh, yeah! No waiting! It's dry in 10 minutes. Go ahead and start your second coat. That should do it. 2 coats covered this piece perfectly. There will be times when you need a third coat. I didn't even use all of my 16 oz bottle.
Refresh the top with your black paint. Don't sand before. Just paint. Wait 10 minutes and put on another coat.
Wait! What? You're done? Already? Spending maybe an hour chalk painting. The only bad part is that you didn't lose any weight from sweating your tukus off. I did this in the comfort of my front room. AC and all!
I am not trying to convince you (yeah I am). There was more to the process in completing this buffet but for time sake I only went over the painting portion. Can you imagine adding more time on top of the approx 8 1/2 hours you already spent on the old fashion way?
Cheap chalk paint......that is a whole.other.blog post. You get what you pay for but I'll save that for a different post.
www.mbchalkypaint.com
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Labels: buffet, chalk paint, chalk paint process, cost, diy, furniture refinishing, how to, no priming, no sanding, primer, stripper
