How to paint furniture with chalk paint?

Chalk paint is a godsend for the modern designer; it can be used to create the recently fashionable scuff marks on the surface of furniture, which look so colorful in romantic interiors in the Provence and shabby chic styles.

It has been known for many years and was previously used to paint walls and ceilings. Today, the popularity of such products has returned, however, their character and fate are completely different.

Nowadays, people increasingly want to buy chalk paints for furniture. They represent a new generation of products with a very wide range of applications. Most often they are used for furniture restoration, decorating fabrics and upholstery.

DIY redesign: how to repaint a cabinet in an hour

Have you ever experienced this itch in your hands and a strong desire to create something with that old wardrobe or chairs that you inherited and are an eyesore with their imperfections?
Or do you just understand that you want changes, but you’re not ready to invest in a complete replacement of the interior?

There is a solution: take a close look at the items you want to update, come up with a concept and go to the store.

Because it’s very easy to take and paint furniture that you’re tired of!

how to paint furniture

Repainting old and worn-out furniture can solve several problems at once:

refresh the interior (which is logical);
combine disparate objects into a single ensemble (for example, if you are a young family, and the only furniture you have is what you inherited, or else, in your dacha, individual objects from different eras often accumulate that need to be somehow made to work together);
give vent to your creative energy (the most important thing, I think).

Well, if you do everything right, then no drama will happen, even if you don’t like the result - you’ll just choose a new shade and can paint the furniture again when you have a couple of hours of free time again.

How to make a slate board for writing and drawing with chalk

Almost all young children love to draw, often using the floor, walls and pieces of furniture as a “canvas”. Taking into account the needs of their child, resourceful parents make certain adjustments to the home interior, using special paint, which is easy to apply and just as easy to remove. chalk. In this case, it is not at all necessary to paint an entire wall or cabinet.

A small chalk board, which can also be useful for adult family members, if you use it, for example, for notes and reminders about important matters, is quite capable of satisfying a child’s creativity.

Color selection

Look carefully at the item and think about where exactly you want to fit it - the choice of color depends on this.

You can choose a shade that contrasts with the main color scheme (for example, in a room with a beige-warm palette, you can put a table painted bright blue - it will enliven the interior with a color accent), or neutral (for example, you can paint an old table and chairs in white color, and place a beautiful vase with bright flowers on it).

Paint selection

Go to the largest hardware store nearby, catch the manager and explain the task - you need a universal paint that is suitable for painting wood, plastic and varnished surfaces (such exist).

You can choose the shade right on the spot if you have a rough idea of what you want. Although you can paint furniture with different colors, you will need the help of a specialist to understand what is best for you:

Latex paints (they are the easiest to find, many different shades and relatively inexpensive), the downside is that before application you will need to spend time preparing the surface (clean it properly using solvents and sandpaper), which in itself eats up a lot of time.
Chalk paints are a real hit in furniture painting; they do not require special preparation, apply well even if you are a neophyte, and mask application flaws and surface unevenness. Most of the pictures you see on Pinterest are painted with these paints, but they are harder to find (although you can buy anything online with delivery). Chalk paint adheres well and spreads out without leaving brush marks.
Acrylic paints are the oldest and most proven way to repaint something. They apply well and the brush mark spreads out as the paint dries. But at the same time, they give a slight shine and the effect of “painted wood”, while chalk paints look more organic.

In addition to paint, you'll need brushes, tape to protect areas you don't want to paint, plastic wrap to protect the surrounding interior, sandpaper to prep surfaces, and wax to polish furniture that's already been painted.

Varieties of CM

Chalk paint was first used in 1990 by a British designer. It went on sale under the Chalk Paint brand. The recipe remained secret. Therefore, specimens have been developed that contain different constituent elements. They are all water based and differ in additives. The name of chalk paint depends on them.

Natural and synthetic resins are found in resin dyes.
Silicates are mineral constituents.
If casein is added, then it is milk paint.
Flax oil is contained in the oil composition.

Painting creates a smooth or embossed layer. On the first one you can draw. The core of textured or slate CM is acrylic, silicone, latex emulsion.

In order for the slate coating to have the properties of a magnet, metal particles are introduced into the latex composition. Magnetic dye interacts with any material.

The chalkboard effect is created by emulsions of dark shades. In this case, chalk patterns are visible on the surface. Manufacturers have developed colorless formulations. The pigment of the desired color is introduced and converted into a colored slate board.

Mother-of-pearl composition is used to decorate walls and interior items. The ceiling is painted white. You can use the ready-made whitewash composition or prepare it yourself.

The base that comes into contact with fire is coated with fire-resistant paint. To secure the decor, the product is fired with fire. In both situations, chalk compounds are used that can withstand prolonged temperature exposure. They belong to heat-resistant materials. This group includes stained glass paints for painting glass and ceramics.

COLORING

If you choose tinted paint, shake the can well before opening it - sometimes the pigment settles to the bottom. Give yourself time to take your time and really get to grips with how to apply the paint.

If you have chosen a paint that requires surface preparation before application, then do not skip this step. You can clean the surface using sandpaper (take 220 grit, it is universal).

If you've never painted anything before, practice on some old stool first, or buy something cheap and practice on it before you mess up your closet. You will always have time to paint the furniture; it’s better to get your hands on it first.

If you do not have experience, then you should not start with painting shelves - it is difficult, because you need to paint all surfaces (and the corners - this is the most unpleasant) evenly. Leave them for last, when you have a repainted chest of drawers and a couple of chairs behind you.

Never start painting an item from the main surface, always start painting from the back wall or lower surfaces to give yourself the opportunity to “shoot in” and stop if you absolutely don’t like the shade.

Use flat, wide brushes rather than rollers - on uneven surfaces with texture (wood), a brush works better, as it paints all the depressions and cracks.

Most paints require reapplication - after the first coat has dried, apply a second one, so brush marks will become invisible and the color will be more even. Chalk paints are quite dense, and sometimes one layer is enough, look at the result.

When you paint one side of an object, periodically check to see if drops of paint have fallen on other sides. For example, you are painting the side of a cabinet, and droplets of paint may fly away and settle on the already painted doors. Your goal is to prevent them from drying out, so just periodically inspect other surfaces. If you see telltale drops, just brush over them; when the paint dries, there will be no traces left.

And don’t forget about the final stage – polishing with special waxes for furniture. Wax will not only give things a new glossy look, but also protect surfaces from stains and scratches.

Painting a dressing room cabinet with chalk paint Paint

There was an old wardrobe bought by the Minister of Culture in 197, then transferred to a friend, from a friend (my uncle), to my aunt, and then this wardrobe came to me almost forty years later)))

The label has been preserved. You can understand from it that this utility cabinet was purchased for 27 rubles in 197.

He came to me little old and shabby. The old handles were torn down, although new ones have not yet been purchased, but this is a matter of time. They washed and sanded, although without trying, because... We decided to paint it with chalk paint. I made the paint according to the recipe of the wonderful craftswoman of our site Oksana Panina: 1 part acrylic paint, 1/3 part chalk, 1/3 part water. And be sure to strain the paint.

We tried to paint with a brush (we couldn’t find a bristle brush, as Oksana P. advised). Stains remain, even if the paint was diluted thinner. So the rest was painted using a roller. Judging by the photo, even after the first layer of paint, all this unsightly beauty was hidden, because... The hiding power of this paint is strong.

Method 1: Painting the kitchen with chalk paint

Do you want to update your kitchen set beyond recognition with your own hands? The best way to do this is to repaint the facades with chalk (mineral) paint. Why chalk?

The fact is that this type of paint has a thicker consistency and increased adhesive properties, due to which it fits perfectly on any surface - even on laminated chipboard/MDF. Moreover, chalk paints eliminate the need for tedious sanding and sometimes even without primer.

Chalk paints are also good because they give the painted surface a texture similar to that obtained when painting a wooden surface. Therefore, even the most ordinary kitchen with film facades will look much more noble after such an “update”.

In Russia and the CIS countries, you can buy chalk paints from designer Daria Geiler, foreign manufacturer Annie Sloan, Kazakh Vernenskaya Manufactory, etc. You can also make chalk paints yourself using recipes that are easy to find on the Internet.

Here are some photo examples of kitchens before and after restoration.

Photo of a kitchen with film facades before and after painting with Daria Geiler paint. Here the author of the alteration restored the peeling film on the facade near the stove, and then painted the furniture without removing or sanding the film

What is MDF

First, it’s worth understanding what MDF is. Translated from English, the abbreviation “MDF” translates as “medium density fiberboard.” This material is made from wood fibers.

MDF production includes the following stages:

Sawdust is crushed to a powder state. To do this, the raw materials are brought to 100 degrees temperature and 80 percent humidity. And then it is ground in a defibrator.
Then urea-formaldehyde resins and paraffin are added to the powder. The mass is thoroughly mixed and dried at a temperature of 200 degrees. By the way, the mixture dries within a few seconds.
The resulting mass is transferred to a hopper and compacted, and then rolled out with a roller along a conveyor. This creates a slab.
It is fed to the press, and under a pressure of 350 MPa and when heated to 230 degrees, the pressing stage goes through. After this, the pressure decreases three times and the process of adjusting the thickness of the plate takes place without high temperatures.
The cooled slab is sanded and cut into pieces of the required size.

If you cannot find special paint for MDF, you can use painting compounds for windows and doors, or for wood.
Fiberboard is one of the most commonly used materials in the furniture industry. And this is no coincidence. MDF has enough advantages:

Moisture resistance;
Strength;
Availability;
Long service life;
Possibility of creating various reliefs and decor;
Resistance to temperature changes;
Wide range of applications.

You can paint the furniture yourself.

Often, happy owners of MDF furniture believe that it is impossible to repaint such interior items with their own hands. But in vain. Everything is much simpler than it might seem at first glance. The main thing is to choose the right paints, namely:

Primer compositions;
Paints with high hiding power and wear resistance;
Varnishes or polishing kits.

With a wide range of colors to choose from, you are sure to find something that suits you.

By painting MDF surfaces, you will refresh the interior, extend the service life of products and significantly improve performance. The latter is especially true if you decide to update the furniture in the bathroom or kitchen.

Choose quality paint manufacturers.

However, there are also disadvantages to coloring. Firstly, it will cost you much more than covering the facades with decorative film. And, secondly, painted surfaces fade over time.