Converting Furniture with Chalky Finish Paint

This post was sponsored by DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint. All opinions and mistakes are my own!

Shhh…I’ve got a secret to tell you…this is my first time working with DecoArt’s Chalky Finish Paint and I’m madly in love! (Don’t tell Jim.) We found this cheap CD storage cabinet at a local thrift store a few weeks ago and as ugly as it was, I knew I could totally transform it from horrendous pressed board to farmhouse chic. Let me show you how!

start with a plan

I knew I wanted to add a door to the front with some chicken wire. Since most of the distressing was going to be done to the door, I went with some nice 1’x3′ poplar that we turned into a frame with some flat L-shaped corner brace brackets. The wire sheet is held in place with thin wood planks that have been screwed in from the back. After hanging with some pretty hinges, our cabinet door is good to go!

Layer after layer

Even thought the Chalky Finish Paint covers really well, this CD case was so black that I knew it was going to need tons of coats. The picture on the left is after one coat of Lace Chalky Finish. The picture on the right is after three. What a difference, huh?!

And since there were no nasty smells or fumes, I was able to enlist the help of this handsome little man! The family that paints together, stays together?

The fun part!

After all the coats of the white paint had dried (which was much quicker than I thought!), I added two layers of Serene to the back piece and one to the door. Since I was going to be focusing the majority of the sanding on the wood frame, I wasn’t too worried about complete coverage. I wanted it to look like a clean piece of furniture that had been gently loved for years in an old-fashioned farm house. Distressing the front and corners with some fine sandpaper totally achieved that look!

Time to add the wax!

The wax totally cleaned up the look and feel while laying down a protective layer to the cabinet. Just don’t drop half the bottle on your porch…not that I did that or anything. <insert sad face>

And there it is!

There is officially one less ugly black CD case in the world today and in it’s place… a beautiful Farmhouse Chic cabinet! Don’t you think it’s perfect for holding my mini Pyrex containers and pitchers?

Feeling inspired?

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint is available in Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, A.C. Moore and other stores. Visit the DecoArt Chalky Finish website for more chalk paint ideas and inspiration.