{"id":1500,"date":"2024-07-15T13:05:23","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T13:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofproductions.com\/?p=1500"},"modified":"2025-05-09T13:56:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T13:56:10","slug":"chalk-paint-furniture-101-transform-thrift-store-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.artofproductions.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/15\/chalk-paint-furniture-101-transform-thrift-store-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Chalk Paint Furniture 101: Transform Thrift Store Finds!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Find out more about chalk paint furniture below!<\/em><\/p>\n Ever wondered how to chalk paint furniture? Follow my easy tips to get started. Plus, see inspo of painted thrift store pieces from my home.<\/p>\n Thrifting is the best, and so much fun to see what kind of treasures you can find!<\/p>\n Thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, and platforms like Facebook Marketplace offer inexpensive opportunities to create a personalized and cozy space. The key is to look beyond an item’s current appearance and envision its potential. Transforming furniture with chalk paint is an easy process, and I share tips for this and showcase my favorite thrift store finds that I’ve refinished in my home.<\/p>\n I enjoy exploring thrift shops, garage sales, flea markets, and auctions, and taking advantage of designer discounts to find and refurbish secondhand furniture, including pieces rescued from bulk trash to prevent them from going to waste. I appreciate the satisfaction of breathing new life into these finds while also recognizing the superior craftsmanship often found in vintage furniture compared to newer alternatives.<\/p>\n Water-based chalk paint with furniture wax<\/a> on top is my go-to method because it’s simple to accomplish, has a matte finish, less sanding is involved and is very forgiving. If you are new to painting furniture, this is the way to go! I also love that using a separate primer coat is unnecessary when using chalk paint!<\/p>\n I’ve used pricier Annie Sloan chalk paint from local boutique stores and I have also used Rustoleum chalk paint<\/a> and I personally don’t have a preference for one over the other.<\/p>\n My teammate Sara has used the more affordable Rustoleum chalk paint<\/a> and loves the great results she gets. I have also made my own chalk paint!<\/p>\n I have made my own chalk paint to use on furniture a few times using this DIY chalk paint<\/a> from The Home Depot.<\/p>\n Mix 1\/3 cup of Plaster of Paris<\/a> with 1\/3 cup of room temperature water and about 1 cup of leftover latex paint. You can even hang onto the leftovers and continue to use it!<\/p>\n If you’re like me and have leftover house paint in the garage and have Plaster of Paris on hand, it makes for a great zero-cost chalk paint furniture makeover! The DIY chalk finish paint honestly does a great job at refinishing furniture.<\/p>\n This vintage dresser that came from my grandparents was my most recent chalk paint furniture project. It’s actually the second time I’ve refinished it with chalk paint now and I’m thrilled with how it came out!<\/p>\n I used Behr Chalk Paint<\/a> for this project, and I love that you can tint it any color. I updated the hardware with some more modern pieces from Amazon<\/a>, and we upgraded the top with a leftover marble slab from a local stone yard.<\/p>\n The finishing touches were a bit of a splurge, but since this is a family heirloom and super meaningful to me I didn’t mind investing a little more for it to last for many more years.<\/p>\n This cabinet was just under $12 after using my local Goodwill coupon; similar ones online are priced at around $130. It honestly was in good shape after a nice cleaning, and I could have left it as is but painted it white to give it a fresh look.<\/p>\n I paid just $50 dollars for this kitchen table at my local Humane Society thrift store many years ago, and it’s been the ultimate workhorse. I’ve since replaced it with a midcentury modern thrift store table, but it just goes to show how incredible an affordable find can go with some chalk paint. It saw many years of meals and craft projects!<\/p>\n I love little simple furniture makeovers that can have a big impact or become a fun focal piece! The vintage table (pictured above) was a thrift store find and was one of my favorite painted furniture projects EVER! It has a couple of coats of chalk paint followed by dark furniture wax<\/a> to highlight the scrolly features.<\/p>\n I actually had this coffee table for many years and then eventually resold it for someone else to enjoy. It was hard to part with, but was certainly a great investment!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Typically, I use chalk paint to refinish wood furniture pieces because it’s so easy to use!<\/h2>\n
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What chalk paint do I use?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Turns out that mixing up your own chalk paint at home is EASY!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Steps to apply DIY chalk paint to furniture:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Check out my latest chalk paint furniture flip!<\/h2>\n
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\nHere are more thrift store chalk paint furniture pieces I’ve refinished over the years, along with an amazing before\/after from my teammate Sara!<\/h2>\n
\n1. Stylish Wood Bar Cabinet <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n2. Oval shaped farmhouse style kitchen table<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n3. Scrolly Vintage Coffee Table<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n4. Tall White and Gold Wall Mirror<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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