Painting Furniture

Ever since I starting my blog in 2011, I had a passion for painting furniture. At the time, we had two very young children and could really only afford to paint the pieces we were given by family.

Now I look at it more of a blessing. Old pieces of furniture have so much character and are so much better built than some of the new furniture they’re building today. Think solid wood construction, dovetail joints, and beautiful detail work.

On top of that, painting old pieces is better for the environment than buying new or throwing old pieces away.

Today, I’m excited to share an old piece I found in my friend’s barn. I’m painting it and will be reusuing it as a bedside table for our bedroom. Yes, I know… I still need to share the reveal of this room. You can see my inspiration here and a peek here.

Okay here’s a little peek at the cabinet Before & After. I’ll break down the whole process of painting in this post and also have a video for you guys:

Jump to Tutorial

What is Chalk Paint®?

I used Chalk Paint, a decorative paint invented by Annie Sloan in England in 1990. This decorative paint is thicker than the average paint and one can achieve many looks with it. I’ve used this paint on many, many makeovers over the years and also wrote a very detailed post on the colors when they started manufacturing all the paints in the UK, you can read that here.

For this cabinet I’ll be showing you how to do a two-tone distress, with Annie Sloan’s Paris Grey as the undercoat and Pure as the top color. A two-tone distress is when you have two colors and distress to see the first layer.

Annie Sloan’s White Paints

Trying to figure out just the right shade of white. Here are all Annie’s whites.

Why You’ll Love Painting Furniture

• it’s relaxing. I love going down to the basement and painting to music or podcasts
• upcycling furniture adds character to your home
• painting furniture is eco friendly
• It’s so much fun to re-LOVE an old piece

This post also contains affiliate links, if you purchase a product via the link I may receive a percentage of the sale. You can read my full disclosure policy here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting my blog in this way.

What You Need To Paint an Old Cabinet or Piece of Furniture

• An old piece of furniture (Ideally with great details or lines)
• Sandpaper for scuff sanding to prep piece
• Mineral Spirits and Denatured Alcohol to Wash down Piece before painting
• Rags and water for cleaning
• Clear shellac or Primer
• Paint (Chalk Paint or any kind of your choice)
• Paint brush – I love Purdy Brushes
• Palm Sander and Sanding Blocks
• Cheese Cloth
• Clear Wax to Seal Paint
• Waxing Brush
• Hemp Oil

How to Paint an Old Cabinet Video

I’m trying to use more and more video in my blog posts as that’s the way I learn best. I thought you might like to see a short video of the entire process.

Painting Furniture – The Steps

1. First you need to prep. Many people say this isn’t necessary but believe me it is. Skipping this step can cause so many problems from bleed -through (especially with white) or adhering problems. To prep furniture, I like to give it a good scuff sanding all over. This will give the surface “tooth” so the paint can stick to it.
2. At this point, decide what you’re doing with the top of the furniture. I love keeping wood natural to add warmth. We have dark woodwork in our home and have some warm elements in our bedroom like our rattan bed so thought leaving the top wood would be nice. If leaving the top natural, sand the existing finish off.
3. Vacuum the sanding dust off, then wash the whole piece down. Use mineral spirits and then wipe denatured alcohol to remove any grease or marks. Then wash down the whole piece with warm water. Allow to dry. Rags with these liquids can be flammable. Be sure to dispose of properly to prevent a fire. I usually fill a container with water and store the rags in there.
4. Wipe clear shellac on the entire piece with a lint free cloth. This will prevent any bleed-through. Do NOT shake the shellac can because this will add air bubbles. Alternatively you can use a primer instead.
5. Paint first layer of paint – in this case Annie Sloan’s Paris Grey for layer one. Stipple brush to get into the nooks and crannies of your furniture. Allow to dry.
6. Paint second paint color – second color was Annie Sloan’s Pure, a lovely white. Allow to dry.
7. Distress Furniture. I use sand paper wrapped around a sanding block and also a paint scraper to strategically scrape paint off. When distressing think of the place the furniture would really wear and get scratch up. You will have a much more authentic look that way.
8. Vacuum any sanding dust and then apply clear wax with a brush or cloth. Work in sections and be sure to wipe away excess. Wax should feel cool to the touch but not wet.
9. Apply hemp oil to the top with a brush, wait 15 minutes and wipe off excess. Old wood will drink up the oil and it will revive it. Repeat as necessary, in this case it took two coats.
10. Enjoy your new OLD piece of furniture!

FAQ – Answering Your Painting Questions

I love how this cabinet came out. This cabinet is actually a wash stand from the 1800s and will offer so much storage as a bedside table! I love using them because it’s great hidden storage. I can’t wait to hear what you guys think of it!

More Resources

• How to Use Milk Paint
• How to Distress Furniture
• 10 Ways to Paint a Dresser
• Lots and lots of before and afters

My eBook on Painting Furniture

If you enjoyed this post you might really like my eBook all about painting furniture. Learn more about it here.

Be sure to pin this for later!

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5 from 1 vote

How to Paint an Old Cabinet

Vintage washstands make a great project to update with paint. They make wonderful bedside tables. In this tutorial I'm sharing how to create a two-tone distressed finish and highlighting the beauty of the top wood by sanding and reviving with hemp oil.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Active Time3 hours hrs

Keyword: chalk paint, hemp oil, painting furniture,

Yield: 1 cabinet

Equipment

• 2 Paint Brushes
• 1 Waxing Brush
• 1 Palm Sander
• 8 Rags and cloths lint free cloths and cheesecloth

Materials

• 1 container mineral spirits
• 1 container denatured alcohol
• 5 pieces sandpaper 120 grit (for top), 220 grit (for base)
• 1 can clear shellac
• 1 can Chalk Paint Paris Grey
• 1 can Chalk Paint Pure
• 1 can Furniture Wax Clear
• 1 bottle Hemp Oil for top

Instructions

• First you need to prep. Many people say this isn't necessary but believe me it is. Skipping this step can cause so many problems from bleed -through (especially with white) or adhering problems. To prep furniture, I like to give it a good scuff sanding all over. This will give the surface "tooth" so the paint can stick to it.
• At this point, decide what you're doing with the top of the furniture. I love keeping wood natural to add warmth. We have dark woodwork in our home and have some warm elements in our bedroom like our rattan bed so thought leaving the top wood would be nice. If leaving the top natural, I sand the existing finish off.
• Clean the sanding dust off. Then wash the whole piece down. Start with mineral spirits and then wipe denatured alcohol to remove any grease or marks. Then wash down the whole piece with warm water. Allow to dry. Rags with these liquids can be flammable. Be sure to dispose of properly to prevent a fire. I usually fill a container with water and store the rags in there.
• Wipe clear shellac on the entire piece with a lint free cloth. This will prevent any bleed-through. Do NOT shake the shellac can because this will add air bubbles. Alternatively you can use a primer instead.
• Paint first layer of paint – in this case with Annie Sloan's Paris Grey for layer one. Stipple brush to get into the nooks and crannies of your furniture. Allow to dry.
• Paint second paint color – second layer is Annie Sloan's Pure, a lovely white. Allow to dry.
• Distress Furniture. I use sand paper wrapped around a sanding block and also a paint scraper to strategically scrape paint off. When distressing think of the place the furniture would really wear and get scratch up. You will have a much more authentic look that way.
• Vacuum any sanding dust and then apply clear wax with a brush or cloth. Work in sections and be sure to wipe away excess. Wax should feel cool to the touch but not wet.
• Apply hemp oil to the top with a brush, wait 15 minutes and wipe off excess. Old wood will drink up the oil and revive it. Repeat as necessary. I did two coats on this cabinet.
• Time to enjoy your newly painted cabinet!

Video

Notes

Wax should feel cool to the touch if it still feels wet it means you’ve applied too much. You want to think about waxing like applying moisturizer into your hands.

If you experience any bleed-through issues with white paint, you can use spray shellac tinted white or use stain blocking primer.

I used Paris Grey and Pure for this piece but you can use any colors you’d like for a two tone distress. I also really like Graphite or Black under French Linen.

I’ve used Chalk Paint for this tutorial but you can use any paint you have on hand.

Did you make this tutorial? If so, let me know! Excited to share how it looks in our bedroom soon.

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