My favorite furniture makeovers and DIY chalk paint

A few years ago I first tried chalk paint while redoing some furniture from my husbands’ childhood room, to put into Nickerbean 1’s big girl room. I mixed my own, because once again, I’m a frugal kinda lady.. I browsed many recipes online and found one that made me feel most comfortable–meaning, I recognized the ingredients and knew where to buy them. (The recipe is at the bottom of this post)

The dresser turned out great and even in a kids room, has not chipped and still looks great a few years later. Because I liked the recipe and because I love to give old stuff, new life, I started selling made-over furniture as a way to make a little extra money while staying at home.
As I look back at my Instagram account, formerly @pinkpaisleyj, now @househomemade, some of the pieces I redid still make me have heart eyes. 
This bed went to the room of a sweet friend so I still get to see it when ever I want. It’s the same coral color I used for the big girl room at our house.
Chalk Painted Furniture and recipe
I loved this piece too. I just painted the outside and lined the drawers with wrapping paper for some extra cuteness.
Chalk Painted Furniture and recipe
I like doing the little pieces like this side table. They sell fast and take up less room in our garage. To get a chalkboard look, I painted it black and then used a white paint marker for the writing.
Chalk Painted Furniture and recipe
I got creative license with this commissioned piece. She brought me the bedding and I decided to mimic the scallop and paint it in a few shades of the same color.
Girls book shelf Chalk Painted
This was a commissioned dresser for a baby boys nursery. The dresser had seen better days, she gave me an inspiration photo and I was really proud with how it turned out.
Chalk Painted Dresser
These beauties were brought to me to strip and refinish. Definitely not as easy as chalk paint but they look so good stained.
Stained chairs
This was a quick and easy redo and such a great color makes a great statement.
Chalk Painted Furniture and recipe
These were given to me a loooong time ago.. I painted them once, didn’t like it, let them sit..
 Aztec blanket upholstered chairs 
Then I envisioned this after seeing an inspiring picture from hiSugarplum.

I thrifted the blanket, sprayed the bases white and now they are so fresh
looking. (again, no before pics) These days I can’t get enough of Aztec looking blankets. Yum!
 Aztec blanket upholstered chairs

Ok, now for the goods.

Chalk Paint plaster of paris recipe

Plaster of paris is found at the hardware store or probably craft store or you can find it here from your sofa. When your project is painted, use wax to seal and protect it. The wax also gives it a pretty sheen. This is the type I buy.


**this post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase from these links, I’ll receive a small percent of the purchase price. Thanks* 
***We’re gonna be so rich from the 7 pennies I’ll make if 400 people buy plaster of paris.*

Let me know if you try your hand at painting something! Did you use the recipe? If you have any questions, please ask.


I’ll be back Thursday with a dresser makeover. Make sure you subscribe by email so you don’t miss it.

Thanks for reading, friends!

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3 thoughts on “My favorite furniture makeovers and DIY chalk paint

  1. Do you sand your stuff before you paint it and what did you use on the wrapping paper in the dresser to make it stick? I'm inspired. Bubba is going to come home and find all of our furniture painted pretty colors. 😉

  2. Hi Miranda! I'm glad you're inspired. I sand when the finish is rough or uneven and I sometimes sand the top of a piece–like a table or dresser just because I know it will get lots of wear and tear.. But I don't sand much. (The miracle of chalk paint!) Send me a pic after you paint something!

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