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Painted Desk with Chalk Paint®

March 23, 2014 By Colleen 28 Comments

Chalk Paint Desk

I’ve never kept it a secret that I’m pretty bad when it comes to painting furniture. I have no idea why, I just know that after umpteen failures, I swore off painting furniture for good. That is, until the opportunity to review Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan presented itself.

I was perfectly up front and told the nice people that I’ve messed up nearly every piece I’ve ever painted. But they were pretty confident that this time, I’d have a good result using Chalk Paint®. To be honest, I’ve wanted to try it for as long as I’ve been reading blogs and seeing beautifully painted furniture all over the web.

And I had the perfect victim subject . . .

ugly-brown-desk

This awful desk that I tried to refinish a few years ago for my mother. Bless her heart, Mom tried to use it for a while, but it was as if the paint never dried. It stayed tacky . . . forever. Eventually, it made its way outside, into the shop for a couple of years, until we moved last summer and I really needed a desk in my workroom. I figured if I had to sit and look at the thing every single day, I wouldn’t be able to stand it and I’d be motivated to strip the paint off.

Um . . . no. What’s that saying about the elephant in the room?

Now, part of me really didn’t think it was fair to test Chalk Paint® on a desk that I knew had an existing bad finish. But then, if it really could be covered without sanding or priming, not to mention stripping, well, I’d be ready to sing its praises from the mountaintops.

Tra-la-la-la-la!

Oh yes, my friends. This paint is that amazing. So amazing that I couldn’t mess it up. So remarkable that it covered the icky, sticky brown goop that someone called paint which had been on there for 7 years or better. So incredible that I’ve already started painting another piece of furniture. Me! Painting furniture!

A convert has been born.

So let me show you the transformation of the ugly brown duckling to the gorgeous white swan. That’s not really a fair analogy because brown ducklings are really pretty darn cute. But you get the point. Unless it’s not an analogy but a simile. Or a metaphor. (I’m as good at English as I am at painting furniture.) ahem

When I painted the brown goop on the desk a few years back, I neglected to paint the drawer insides – thank goodness – no stickiness but they were sorely in need of either paint or shelf liners.

spraypainted-drawer-insides

I mean, how long could it take to spray paint a few drawers? Pretty much the entire day, apparently, since it took a good three coats.

(Remind me to write a post about the difference in spray paints. Believe me, there’s a huge difference!)

 Chalk Paint®-Desk

I rolled the first coat on with a foam roller. Easy peasy.

 Chalk-Painted-Desk

This is one coat of Chalk Paint® over dark brown. Amazing, right?

Chalk-Painted-Desk

Just for fun, I tried dipping a 2″ brush into the Chalk Paint®. Oh yeah, quite a difference. The foam roller is on the left, brush on the right.

Unlike all the other paints I’ve tried – latex in every sheen, enamels, oil-based – Chalk Paint®  leaves absolutely no brush strokes. None. I don’t know why and I don’t care because that was the main problem I always had, visible brush strokes no matter what brush or paint I used.

I wound up painting a total of three coats. I probably should’ve added another but I was too excited that I actually had a successful piece of painted furniture. And, really, the brown was completely covered. I was anxious to get to the decorative painting.

Oh, you didn’t think I’d have a plain white desk in my workroom, did you? Huh-uh.

chalk-paint-supplies

For the main body of the desk I used Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan in the color Pure White. They also sent me a 4 oz. sample pot in Provence, a yummy aqua/turquoise that’s just a tad ‘dusty’, which I adore and chose to add the detailing.

scroll pattern

I’ll get into how and why I chose this particular pattern later this week. Download the scroll patterns here. I drew it some time ago, then redrew it on tracing paper to a larger scale for the desk top and left side, which is the only side that’s visible with the file cabinet obscuring the right side.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

There are different ways to transfer patterns but I’ve always used graphite paper and a stylus. A ball point pen works well if you don’t have a stylus.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

Slip a piece of graphite paper between the surface to be painted and your pattern and carefully outline the pattern with your stylus. It’s helpful to tape both the pattern and graphite paper into place to prevent slippage.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

Once your pattern is transferred, just fill in with paint.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

At first I thought I’d go for a dimensional scroll so I painted a very light coat, adding layers for shading. It was pretty but  . . .  well, I wanted something different.

 

Chalk-Painted-Desk

Something fresh. Bright. Contemporary.

I spend a huge amount of time at my desk – well, either here or at my work table right behind the desk – so I wanted a design that makes me smile every time I sit down to work.

The scrolls needed something else. It took me a while to “see” what. Especially since I’d decided against dimensional scrolls, which is my usual design.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

So I got out some white chalk and started doodling.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

Of course, the white only worked on the Provence so a pencil was fine for doodling on the white. Both the chalk and pencil markings wipe off really easily with a damp cloth so it gives you a chance to “see” your design before you paint it out.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

A little tip about working with chalk (especially if you’ve joined the chalkboard craze like the rest of us), moisten your stick of chalk with a bit of water first, then sharpen it in a regular ol’ pencil sharpener. You’ll get a nice fine point on your chalk!

 Chalk-Painted-Desk

Once the paint has dried – and it dries really fast – wipe off your chalk marking with a damp towel so you can fully see the paint and whether you need another coat or not. The chalk can camouflage some areas that you think are painted.

Now, in case you’re thinking that you can’t paint thin, curved lines, I want to give you a little tip that I use all of the time.

'erase' paint

How to “Erase” Paint

See that little blip in the left photo? Ok, not a big deal but those little blips are sometimes big blips, huh? All you need to do is grab a clean, damp flat brush and carefully swipe along the unpainted edge of the painted line. If there’s a little more paint left, rinse your brush, blot on a towel, and repeat until it’s completely removed.

This is the best way I know of to get straight lines or nice curves. No matter how many years you’ve painted or how careful you are, mistakes happen. Just grab a clean brush and wipe ’em away!

Chalk-Painted-Desk

Here’s the top of the desk with the Provence scrolls and detailing in Pure White.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

And the side of the desk.

Oh, the little dots were made with cotton swabs dipped in Provence.

After completing the top and the side of the desk there was still something . . . missing. Or unbalanced. Or something.

Again, it took me a while to visualize it. I thought I needed something on the right side somewhere to balance the over-sized graphic on the left. Also, I had originally painted the wood drawer handles Provence for contrast. But with the overhead fluorescent lighting, the color looked off, even though it was the exact same color. So I painted the handles out with Pure White again.

Then it was much easier to “see” what was needed.

 Chalk-Painted-Desk

I just added another scroll on the drawers on the right side.

While I wasn’t particularly pleased at the extra time required to paint more detailing, I knew it was needed to balance the design.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

All that was left to do was apply the Soft Wax in Clear. Wax was new to me too but it was super easy.

I used a soft cloth to wipe it on and another to buff it out. I did a total of three coats. I was a little afraid that wouldn’t be enough to protect the top of a desk but I’ve had my computer, coffee cup and who knows what else on here for the past couple of days and it’s held up beautifully.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

I can’t tell you how much lighter and brighter my workroom is now, even with large scrolls in Provence. It’s like an entirely new room!

And the turquoise rug I slid underneath the desk. Poor thing has been needing a home ever since I bought it on sale. Even though the colors don’t exactly match, I like the complement between the Provence, the rug and the filing cabinet.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

And am I so glad I took that day to paint the inside of the drawers! Even though I thought it was a total waste of time. I would’ve been crushed to have a beautiful white desk, then open the drawers to over 50 years of wear and tear. Ugh.

Chalk-Painted-Desk

Oh, didn’t I tell you that part? This desk was built by my real father for my two brothers, before I was even born.

There are actually two desks, the other is at my brother’s house. I’ll be picking that one up later this week when I’m done packing all of his things since he died two weeks ago. It’ll go upstairs in Mom’s living room and I’ll paint it to match her decor.

Can I tell you how happy I am that Annie Sloan Unfolded allowed me to review their fabulous Chalk Paint®? Not only am I now totally confident that I actually can paint furniture, but I now have given new life to a family heirloom. And I’m all ready to paint my brother’s desk for Mom and she’ll have something that my brother sat at for the last few years of his life.

I think my dad would be happy that his desks are being used after all of these years and are loved more than ever.

If you’d like more Chalk Paint® tips, ideas, and inspiration, follow Annie Sloan Unfolded on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest.

Disclosure: I was given Chalk Paint® and Soft Wax by Annie Sloan Unfolded. I was not told what to paint or what to write. All opinions and designs are 100% my own, as always.

Colleen

about Colleen

Filed Under: Chalk Paint, Furniture, Home Decor, How To & PIY, Paint Surfaces, Paint Types, Paint Wood, patterns, Tutorials

Comments

  1. dotte says

    March 24, 2014 at 2:13 pm

    Great job!! What a difference paint makes…. was wondering if you painted the filing cabinet as well
    and if you used the chalk paint too.

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      March 24, 2014 at 2:16 pm

      Yes . . . and no. I used Rustoleum Satin Aqua on the file cabinet. It’s more blue than aqua so I wish I’d used Provence chalk paint. But there are a lot of turquoise blues in the room now. It’s nice having them all ‘blend’ and not be so matchy-matchy. Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Mary Law says

    March 24, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    Did you have to sand anything? And, if so, how much?

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      March 24, 2014 at 2:32 pm

      Not a thing. That’s the beauty of chalk paint, no sanding or priming. It’s fantastic!

      Reply
  3. edyB says

    March 24, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    Beautiful! Love the scrolls,too!

    Reply
  4. Mel Swope says

    March 24, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    Wow Colleen great job and gorgeous. I have been using Annie Sloan for quite a while and love it also. I actually redid an entire kitchen so I know how wonderful it is on a large scale! You do such beautiful work!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      March 24, 2014 at 6:37 pm

      Thanks, Mel! btw, I owe you an email about the whole gate fiasco. In case you thought I just bailed on you, quite the contrary. it’s been so long now . . . I’d have to dig up the emails I received from the mgmt company. Suffice it to say that I was put on notice, told I could “put in a bid, if I wanted” but they were going with someone else.

      I meant to call you, then write, then Life somehow took over. I apologize for even addressing it here but it’s been a rough few months. I promise I’ll write soon. Just know I never ever would’ve left you in the lurch like that. Ever.

      Reply
  5. Sarah Wright says

    March 24, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    Gorgeous desk! The detailing and color contrast are wonderful. Added bonus that its a family heirloom that will look beautiful for a long time to come.

    Reply
  6. Kris says

    March 24, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    Wow! Your desk turned out beautifully! I have 2 small thrift store bookcases with terrible paint jobs I was not looking forward to doing the prep work on. I’m not a furniture painter, but this looks like it would work perfectly! I’m definitely going to try the Chalk paint. Thanks, Colleen!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      March 24, 2014 at 6:39 pm

      Yes, try it, Kris! Seriously, I ruined more furniture than I helped and vowed never to paint a piece again. But now, I’m ready to repaint it all, haha.

      Reply
  7. Kath says

    March 24, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Very nice! I have an ugly dresser in the guest room that I have dreaded painting. I may just give it a whirl.

    Reply
  8. Glo. says

    March 24, 2014 at 8:00 pm

    The desk looks absolutely awesome. And when you mentioned that it was an old family piece, what could be better? I am anxious to try the homemade version of chalk paint soon.

    Reply
  9. Condo Blues says

    March 24, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    Colleen I love, love, love your desk! It gives me hope for my sewing desk that needs a lot of love. Don’t give up on painting furniture. You have a great talent for it.

    Reply
  10. Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says

    March 25, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    That is a work of art!! Love the scrolls and what you ended up doing with them! Perfect!

    Nancy

    Reply
  11. Linda says

    November 12, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    Your not going to believe this, I can hardly believe my luck! I have several pieces of furniture that I am going to paint for my sons girlfriend as a Christmas present. I have been searching endlessly for a scroll pattern with no luck. I couldn’t believe it when I found your blog not only did you have exactly what I was looking for but your desk is exactly what I already envisioned for my project even the colors are an exact match. I’m pretty sure I’d have better odds at winning the lottery or getting struck by lightening! I can’t wait to get started with my project I’ll send you some pictures when its finished. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am ecstatic!!!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      November 13, 2014 at 7:15 am

      How fantastic, Linda! I’m excited for you! I love scrolls. It borders on obsession really. But I’m really, really trying to work on simplifying designs lately. (wish me luck).

      Yes, PLEASE send me pics. I have a Reader Submission page now where I do an entire post so please take before and after pics, if you don’t mind. Yay! Have fun!

      xo – C.

      Reply
  12. Do it yourself says

    November 16, 2014 at 12:28 am

    This is a great design or painting for furniture. I like that table you painted over there. You said this is only a demo so you can better than this one and I will be happy if you share the design more to encourage me like this.

    Reply
  13. anne m eppler says

    February 14, 2020 at 6:13 pm

    love, this ,beautiful desk ,thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      February 15, 2020 at 12:19 pm

      Thank you Anne!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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    About Me

    Hi there! I'm Colleen, a self-taught artist, writer and blogger, among other things. You don't get to be old enough to order off the Denny's senior menu without accomplishing a few things in life. Read More…

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