China Cabinet Chalk Paint Makeover

Oh, my word! This is the post that I’ve been so excited to bring to you! Can’t you just hear the excitement in my voice?!?

Drumroll please…

China Cabinet Chalk Paint Makeover

A few months ago my daughter scored this ~~antiquated~~ out-dated oak china cabinet. She found it on Craigslist, and the whole family (i.e. mom, dad, both daughters and their hubbys) went to load it onto a trailer for the move to their home. It’s a large piece, and she really needed the storage and display. It was a pretty good deal… it just wasn’t her style. We desperately wanted to find a way to update it!

If you’ve been following for a while, you know that I was fortunate to attend the Haven Conference for bloggers last month in Atlanta. It truly changed my life – on so many levels – but one workshop I was excited to participate in was the Annie Sloan chalk paint session. What fun we had playing with paint and learning new techniques! So… what better update for this china cabinet than an Annie Sloan makeover??

My daughter asked if I would do it and I jumped at the chance! {Does Tom Sawyer and the fence-painting scene ring a bell here?} We went together to select a color and purchase the supplies. We settled on French Linen, a gorgeous shade that looks just like raw linen.

Since chalk paint can be applied without sanding or removing the original finish, as soon as we wipe the piece down, we are ready to begin! Our Haven workshop guide instructed us to just ‘lay the paint on’, using random paint strokes. We’re not after a smooth coat here. I begin to brush on the paint. It goes well, but the oak grain is very porous and soaks it up some. No big deal. I just give it another random coat!

Next comes another fun part – distressing! Why is it so much fun to make something look old and beat up? I don’t know, but it sure is!! I take 220 sandpaper to the edges and some of the detail and gently sand down to the original finish. Not too much, just wherever I think it might have shown wear had it belonged to Marie Antoinette! {It IS a country French piece, n’est pas?}

When I’m satisfied that I have aged it enough, I again wipe it down. Now is the time to apply the soft wax. This is the step that will deepen and protect the finish. It’s amazing how it enhances the color immediately! I apply the wax, then go back and remove any excess. In a few minutes I will buff it to give it a smooth, though not glossy, finish!

You can definitely see the line of demarcation in the photo above: the paint on the left still looks ‘chalky’ while the paint on the right is deeper and richer.

After the wax dries a bit, I take a clean, soft cloth (T-shirt or diaper works well) and buff the entire piece to the desired shine. Since the bun feet are not our favorite trait of this piece, we decide to leave them as they are and let them blend with her floor.

OK… are you not as wowed as we were? I don’t think we could have imagined it would turn out this beautiful!! It looks great in her present home, but can truly go with her wherever she might live in the future.

And here’s a split screen, just to emphasize the dramatic transformation!!

Have you ever tried chalk paint? This was a big piece, and it did take a few hours, but I hope you’ll agree that the results were well worth it! Let me just tell you… if I can do it, anybody can!!

Y’all have a fabulous Friday!