Dress Me Up

I loved laying low on this rainy and blah Memorial Day weekend to work on these pieces. All were in great shape and well loved but the mismatched color and design was a bummer in the guest room for my friends so we planned to give them all a new look. Ya’ll what a difference some paint makes!

For this project I used B ehr Chalk Paint’s Ice Water shade. It’s a brilliant mixture of blue and green creating the perfect coastal tone. I’ve grown to love the Behr Chalk Paint line and not only for the wide array of color options (see my Behr review here). The only prep work needed for these two pieces was a good cleaning with Simple Green. That’s probably what I Iove most about chalk painting … Little to NO. PREP. WORK!! After two coats of paint I lightly distressed all three pieces and finished off with Behr Clear Wax. I’m a stickler though … I ALWAYS let the paint cure 24 hours before I distress and apply the wax. It’s this unwritten, unspoken (well, except I just spoke it) rule. I also make sure the paint has fully dried before coats. So most tutorials will say wait 15 minutes before applying the 2nd coat. Call me a stickler again, I wait at least 45. Maybe I use it as snack time or maybe I just take a break .. .but regardless, 45 minutes minimum. I really do love how these pieces turned out and can’t wait to see how they look in their guest room they have been given their second chance for!

Here’s a few tips to remember when working on your project:

Before you put any paint on your surface, thoroughly clean the piece. I use Simple Green or 50/50 mix of water and vinegar. Remove any stickers or tacky, sticky spots too with the water and vinegar mixture or Goo Gone.
Not all surfaces need to be sanded before painting, but I usually do sand down a high gloss finish. Any surface previously finished in an oil based paint will needed to be sanded and/or primed. Not sure how to tell if a surface is finished in an oil based paint? Watch this tutorial!
Work in a well ventilated room with a cool temperature. I live in Florida … painting outside is a big no-no.
Gather all your supplies beforehand. If you’re anything like me you hate having to stop in the middle of the project to make a run to the store.
Keep snacks handy for that 45 minute dry time! HA! But yes, really!!