How to Use Chalk Paint to Create a Bohemian Inspired Piece of Furniture.

The wonderful thing about chalk paint is that you do not have to prime or sand. Yay!
There are some instances that you should prime, such as old varnish on a piece of furniture that may seep through the paint, but other than that no prep except cleaning. 

I decided to use some FolkArt Home Décor Chalk acrylic paint. They have an array of beautiful colors and is easy to find at any local craft store. 

I acquired an end table that had been at my mother's house that had recently flooded. The bottom of the piece has been covered by water for a few hours. There were obvious watermarks on it so I felt I had to paint it or toss it....so paint it, it is!

The photo is of the end table upside down. It was taken during the cleaning stage of the piece. 

I started with these Folk Art Home Decor chalk paints and wax. 

I used Vintage Victorian as a base coat. I then mixed in a little hotter pink color to the Vintage Victorian color to make a little more Bohemian. Wait 2 hours.

I then added Cascade and Nautical (blues) mixed together and randomly painted areas on the table. I also used a squirt bottle to make drips and splats of paint. This was so much fun. But be careful not to add too much water because it can pull up your base coat. I think to wait the 2 hours between the base coat and this step helped. 

This is looking so yummy!!!

I then added drips to the inside of the end table. I ended up painting the gold trim too. 

I let it dry overnight before I added the clear wax. I opted for Polyacrylic spray on the top instead of wax because it is a table and will be high traffic.  You should use a polyacrylic spray or even resin on any high traffic areas to resist scratches. 

One thing I learned is you can wax over polyacrylic but never polyacrylic over wax!

Now go craft your own way!

Tanya

Disclaimer- I was given some of the Plaid Folk Art Chalk paint at the Creativation Conference.