Before & After: Wardrobe Transformation Project

*Collaborative content.

I used chalk paint for the first time recently and I have to say it wasn’t at all like I thought it would be. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that it was hard work!

It was nothing to do with the product I was using (Rust-Oluem Chalky Finish Furniture Paint – which is a cheaper alternative to Annie Sloan chalk paint).

No, instead the difficulties I had was to do with my skills and experience of decorating so far, which revolves around only using regular emulsion paints. Chalk paint is in no way similar!

I have some before and after photos of my project, see below – and apologies that the before photo is a little lopsided. I struggled to get a good angle! As you can see, this is a wardrobe and I wanted to transform it for my daughter’s bedroom.

It’s a good quality oak wardrobe that I’ve had for several years but I wanted it to look like new again. I used a paint shade called “Chalk White” which is a lovely bright white colour, perfect for freshening the wardrobe up!

After seeking advice on how to use the paint, I decided to apply it with a roller as this would be the quickest method. I also used a good quality flat brush which was ok for some parts of the wardrobe like the flat edges, but I would definitely have benefited from an angled brush to get into the grooves properly around the doors.

I’ve since found that Englebert Strauss do a nice selection of smaller angled brushes in their tools and equipment range which are good for corners and hard to reach places.

My main challenge with the chalk paint though was how fast it dries! Every time I turned away to renew the paint on my brush or roller, the paint on the wardrobe would absorb. This resulted in the paintwork looking really patchy, with long roller marks that I had to try to cover up!

This wouldn’t have been a problem if I was going for the shabby chic distressed look and could rely on being able to sand the surface back afterwards. But I wanted a solid colour so I ended up trying to work really quickly on it, to avoid any really awful patches.

One positive point about chalk paint is that it does cover really well. It’s very thick and basically goes on like chalk. With that said, it still took 3 full coats to paint the wardrobe and I have to confess I still haven’t quite finished it!

You see, I tried to seal the paintwork afterwards with Rust-Oluem Finishing Wax, but it left the paint looking dirty with an awful yellow tinge. Thankfully, I only did a small patch so I was able to paint over it again.

Apparently sealing the paintwork is a second step that really should be done to protect the furniture from scratches, but I really do like the flat matt finish that I have at the minute. I may seal it with a clear lacquer at some point in the future, but for now, it’s being used in my daughter’s bedroom!

What’s your experience of using chalk paint? Do you like it or not?

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*Collaborative content. All opinions are my own. Read my site disclaimer here.