Chalk Paint Revamp

Over the summer, I decided to revamp a few dark wood pieces in our home.  I painted a dresser, a chest of drawers, and this hallway table in about 2 weeks time.  Painting has never been my favorite thing, but I was surprised at how easy and quick I turned these around.

I should have gotten better pictures of how dark it looked in this hallway downstairs right before I painted it. I stole this shot from the house tour tab that I desperately need to update.  

Here's where my project began.  (The dresser in the background also got a revamp, but I'm still working on styling the bonus room and making some changes and mounting the tv, so more to come on that).  I didn't take pictures of step by step progress, but there are plenty of tutorials on Pinterest and a quick google search will help you if you're new to the chalk paint process.

I started off by removing the handle hardware and giving it a good sanding and wiping off all the dust from sanding before I started my first coat.

The color that I used was "Garden Trowel" by Magnolia Home from Target   I used a chalk paint brush from Amazon to apply the paint.  If you've never used chalk paint before, the first thing you'll notice is that it dries super fast.  I applied long, consistent brush strokes to obtain a more matte, clean finish.  (There are plenty of blogs and info online about this, so you may want to let the experts explain better than I can).  I let that coat dry overnight and repeated the process the next day with a second coat.  

*Note: With all three of these projects I had a few spots where the paint looked like it hadn't dried and was darker.  I just resanded the area and touched up the paint and you couldn't tell.  

After the second coat dried overnight, I applied a thin layer of Rustoleum Matte Clear Topcoat.  This evens out the color and protects the finish, and I read a few different reviews that stated this was easier to apply than the traditional wax finish for chalk paint.  

I finished it off with the same modern brushed gold pulls I used for the downstairs dresser (especially since I had 4 leftover from the dresser project and it meant not having to look for new pulls since these fit.

I like this table so much better upstairs and the lighter shade is a better contrast with the dark hardwoods.

My next project is painting my granny's corner cabinet in my dining room, but I'm having a hard time deciding on a color.  Once the holidays are over, my plan is to work on whipping the dining room into shape since I'm happier with it now that the furniture has been rearranged! 

Happy Wednesday!