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Are you new to chalk paint and would like to learn how to distress your chalk paint? This article is chock full of advice to help you create an antique looking piece of furniture using chalk paint Home Depot.
1. Begin with a Quality Piece of Furniture
In order for your distressing to look its best, you need a quality piece of furniture. Look for furniture that is built with quality in mind. Open the drawers on the piece of furniture and look for dovetail joints. Don’t worry if the piece has some signs of wear and tear. This can be remedied by using wood filler or you can leave the piece alone to help add character to the finished piece.
2. Clean the Wood
Before beginning any painting project, you need to start with clean wood. Use a product, such as TSP. TPS stands for trisodium phosphate. This cleaner removes all traces of dirt and oil from the wood, leaving you with a squeaky clean piece of wood to paint. Another option when cleaning wood is to use mineral spirits. Both of these products will remove all traces of dirt from the wood.
3. Choosing Paint Colors
Before you begin painting your piece, you will want to determine how you want the finished product to look. For example, when you distress the furniture, do you want the wood to show through? Or, do you want a different paint color to show through? The choice is yours! most people find that on their beginning pieces they simply want the wood to show through. In this instance, you will only need one color of chalk paint Home Depot.
4. Applying the Paint
Chalk paint offers very good coverage; however, it is always best to apply multiple thin layers of paint, rather than one thick layer of paint. Begin by applying a very thin layer of paint over the entire piece. Allow this layer of paint to dry for several hours. The best way to determine if the piece is dry is to feel it. It should be smooth and dry. If it feels damp or cold, allow it to dry for a few more hours. Once the first layer is dry, apply additional layers until you are satisfied with the look. Then, allow the paint to cure overnight before distressing.
5. Distressing Your Chalk Painted Furniture
If you decide to distress your finished piece, think about where wear would naturally occur. This is often on the edges of the piece, around any knobs and any other edges that stick out. It is best to err on the side of under distressing rather than over distressing. If after you have distressed the piece, you decide you want to distress a little more, it is so easy.
Take a piece of fine grit sandpaper (320 grit) and fold it in half. Gently buff the areas you want to distress. This should only take a few gentle swipes going in the direction of the wood grain to remove the paint in the area. Another great way to distress a chalk painted piece of furniture is with steel wool. Simply tear a small piece of steel wool and gently buff along the wood grain.
Chalk paint Home Depot is an economical choice for painted furniture enthusiasts. Paint and distress your furniture using the techniques above. Then, seal the piece using soft wax. Apply a small amount of soft wax to the painted furniture with a soft, round bristle wax brush working the wax into the wood. Allow the wax to dry to a haze, and then buff using a soft cloth until the desired sheen is reached.
