I thought I would share a little peek at the process of painting this gray desk using Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint available at Michales and Home Depot.
This is what we started with. A nice mid century desk set with all the original hardware. SCORE!
The Chalky Finish Paint does not require sanding or prep work. You can just start painting and It will stick to just about any surface like a dream. But I still like to sand my pieces before I paint. I feel like it just gives a more smooth and professional finish. After I sand, I may or may not have blown all of the dust off with my leaf blower. Don't judge, it is really effective and your neighbors think you are crazy.
I decided to use the color RELIC because you know how I love a good gray. I added a little water to the paint in a bowl and stirred well. This is not really required or necessary, but I really like my paint to be thinner. I feel like it helps the paint go on more even and smooth. Just a personal preference. The first coat covered really well and I only had to go back and touch up some little areas I missed with a second coat.
The Chalky Finish Paint dries very quickly, which means you can transform your furniture in no time. Once it was dry, I lightly sanded the entire piece with an extra fine sanding sponge, adding a little distressing on the edges as I went along.
After I was done sanding, I was loving how everything looked and especially liked the distressed matte look it had taken on. The problem was I needed a top coat, but did not want to change the appearance of the paint. So many times waxes or top coats can deepen, darken or add a sheen to a piece, which is good in some cases, but I wanted this piece to stay just as it was...
Enter my new favorite top coat - ULTRA MATTE VARNISH! I love this stuff. It provided a top coat finish to the paint, but did not change the look or feel. There was absolutely no sheen or darkening of the original paint color after I applied it, which is EXACTLY what I wanted. I simply applied 2 thin coats with a bristle brush.
Here is a close up of that beautiful Matte finish.
And if you end up trying Deco Art Chalky Finish Paint for yourself, be sure to submit pictures of your second chance piece for the contest with some pretty awesome prizes - DETAILS HERE
