It’s been a long time since I have done a DIY – but these past few weekends I’ve had a fun one in the making. If you look at my past DIYs you will see I love the power of paint and its ability to transform. Last year I experimented with paint on a number of pieces from a pair of chairs I found in the trash, to my chandelier, and my master bathroom makeover. I love how paint makes old things new again. This time I used Annie Sloan Chalk paint to transform a special piece of furniture.

My latest victim, was an old vanity that I’ve had since the 8th grade. This vanity has a lot of sentimental value to me. It’s was the first piece of furniture I ever bought myself so I had to build up the courage to paint it. I remember being younger and always wanting a vanity like I saw in the movies. A place to sit and do my hair and makeup, a place to feel “more adult.”  My 14 year old self saved money for months to buy this piece. Its wasn’t very expensive, but when your in 8th grade and don’t have an income, saving foranything is a challenge. 🙂 If I had messed this project up I would have been legitimately upset! But still, it was time to upgrade one of my favorite pieces of furniture to better match my style.

Here was my supply list and some notes: 

• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White
• Annie Sloan’s Soft Wax in Clear 
• Old Master’s Gel Stain in American Walnut 
• Old Master’s Oil-based Polyurethane
• Rust-Oleum’s Metallic Paint in Oil Rubbed Bronze 
• Painter’s tape
• Palm Sander (best investment I’ve ever made)
• Sanding blocks
• Paint brushes
• Old shirts, sheets, socks for staining and waxing
• New drawer handle

How I Did It

The first part of this project was to stain the top of the vanity. I chose to stain the top because I didn’t want the vanity to be all white. I wanted a more mature look.  Furniture pieces with dark and light contrast are my favorite so I went back to my old friend gel stain (which I used for my chairs) to accent the top.

Because I chose to stain the top, I had to do some sanding, which I hate. But it was only the table top so the sanding went fairly easy and smooth! I used an old sock to apply the gel stain in two coats – and then finished it off with three coats of poly. This was the smelliest part of the project which I did outside on my balcony. My neighbors must think I’m nuts, but I had to escape the fumes!

I owe the success of this project  to the magic of Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint. I considered staining the entire vanity at first – but for that I would have needed to sand the entire vanity down to the grain. With its fine details around the mirror and curved legs – I knew that would be a lot of work….too much work. So I went looking for an easy way out and found Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint which doesn’t require sanding. I was sold! The only draw back to this paint is the price and it’s kinda hard to get. Its over $30 for a quart but a little goes a long way and its sold at select distributors.

I actually picked mine up over Memorial Day weekend when Ted and I took a trip to Galena . There is a small home goods shop called Isabella’s Ltd on Main Street with a very friendly owner that helped me select a color.

The paint itself is very easy to apply. I had to use two coats and did a light sanding after. There really is nothing to it! To finish and protect chalk paint its important to apply the wax which I also did with an old sock. Compared to sanding, applying wax all over my vanity was a piece of cake and I didn’t even have to break a sweat!

When I was done I noticed the gold metal fixtures that I turn to adjust the mirror did not match the new look I was going for. So took out my Rust-Oleum paint (this paint is the best for anything metal) to darken things up and make things match! That was it ! Below are some pictures of the process. And yes when you live in a condo you have to paint in odd spaces like your living room… next to your fabric sofa… One day I’m sure I will come to regret this, but for now no accidents have happened! 

Over all this project was very inexpensive. I bought the chalk paint, wax, and a new drawer handle (roughly $50 in total), but everything else I had on hand from previous DIY projects. The most difficult aspect of this project was time! I would get so excited as the transformation took place, but hated waiting for dry time.  Still, I think it was worth it in the end and I hope you like it! Tell me what you think of the final results below. If you are planning on any upcoming DIY projects let me know!