chalk paint diy...

just thought i'd share with you this little makeover
actually,
not~so~little makeover for me!
my right arm should be 'ripped' & sculpted right now from all the sanding & buffing i did, but alas, it's only sore :(

before:

this set {coffee tables & tv armoire}was bought when we got married 23 yrs ago.
it's solid & is distressed ~from us and the factory :)
we live large in this space.
since getting new furniture was COMPLETELY out of our budget, a makeover was in order!

pinterest has loads of diy chalk paint tutorials~but,here's how i did it....
do what works for you cuz i'm sure there are many other ways :)

when i did the tables, i wanted the tops to show a dark stain under the black paint.
since the tables were a light colour i completely removed the original finish {on top only} & then stained it with a dark stain i had on hand.
i painted with a black (Benjamin Moore colour)chalk paint that i made...you can find the recipe i used here.
i'm sure i could have gotten the same look with less work had i just used a dark wax to finish.
buuuut, since i enjoy hard work am only using what i have on hand without having to buy paint or wax, then this was my course of action!

the nice thing about using chalk paint is that you don't need to sand your project before you paint and you only need one coat of paint!
once you've painted then you can distress to your hearts desire.
once i was done with the distressing, i applied a wax finish~just rub on with a soft rag & then buff with another rag(i like to use old t~shirts...they work great!)
the wax keeps the paint from chipping and provides a durable finish.

for the tv armoire, i did things a little bit backwards than the black table tops.
i didn't want to sand, stain, paint, distress & wax in that order.....toooo much work!
so, i painted the whole thing, then distresses, THEN stained, and finished with the wax.
i'm pleased with the result.

after:

i had done the tables already....the table's drawer is missing it's pull~i know can't remember where i put 'em!
someday i would like to get new door/drawer pulls from hobby lobby, but for now, i need to find them :)!

it was high time for changing up the look of our living room....walls got a fresh coat of paint too(light grey)~yay!
i'm so done with the all the brown that was going on in here.
still need to get different table lamps(need to be on sale tho!), wall sconces they sooo need to go  & blinds for the window.
aside from a few pillows i'm in the process of making, this room has gotten the much needed makeover without breaking my bank account!