A few weeks ago Ted and I were dropping some clothes off at Goodwill and someone was throwing out, what I thought, was a perfectly good end table. I asked the man dropping off the table if I could take it and he nodded without a second thought. Score!

I have a small nook that this end table would fit perfectly into and was happy to snag this piece for $0. Ted rolled his eyes because he fails to see the potential in trash that I do, but I knew that I could clean this baby up with some leftover Annie Sloan Chalk paint. Last year, I experimented with chalk paint while updating my vanity and the results to this day are still perfect. So on a Sunday afternoon I put on my painting clothes and updated this tiny piece.

Supplies

• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White
• Annie Sloan’s Soft Wax in Clear 
• Sanding block
• Paint brush
• Old shirts or sheets for waxing

How I Did It

First I wiped off dust and any residue from the end table with warm water. The great thing about chalk paint is you don’t have to sand and make a dusty mess everywhere. After the initial wipe down you can start painting right away.

The key with chalk paint is to apply thin layers of paint. The first layer will always seem a little see through so don’t panic if things look streaky because at a minimum you need to have two coats.

Wait an hour or two after you paint your first coat and then come back and do a very light sanding. You want to sand so lightly and just run the sand block over the wood like you were wiping off the table with a dusty cloth. That’s it. Any harder and you’ll take off your first layer of paint.

When that’s finished wipe off the residual paint dust with a wet wash cloth and wait for it to air dry again. From there you can start your second coat of paint.

The picture on the left below is the first coat (see how streaky it is). The one to the right is after the second coat (much better)!

Once your second coat of paint is on I usually wait a day or so to apply the wax. This lets the paint  adhere to the wood and accounts for any humidity in your house that might slow down dry time.

During this time be sure that you don’t put anything on top of the table or else you’ll ruin your paint finish. The wax is the protective coat that protects the paint from any chips. Once you apply it you’re good to go!

To apply the wax use a clean sheet or old t-shirt. Don’t use socks, they’re linty and leave behind little tufts of fabric.  I learned this the hard way once. Buff the wax into the wood until its absorbed. A little wax goes a long way, but I do like to apply extra wax on the top and corners since these are the high traffic areas.

The Final Product

This was so easy and really anyone can make over a piece of furniture with chalk paint. Here’s the finished results – its super cute and now fits in with my decor!