Long before I hung up my brush from professionally painting homes, we had received a piano from my mother-in-law.
It was something that I had wanted to tackle since day one, but it actually scared the crap out of me, to be blunt.
I have always leaned towards spraying furniture. It’s fast and I dig a super smooth finish.
And I can’t exactly drag the piano into the garage to spray it down.
Fast forward a decade, several moves and painted furniture pieces and homes later, the piano is missing pulls, dinged up in spots, discolored and a bit sad.
I met up with Decoart at a convention and tested Chalk Paint for the first time last year.
Gasp. A blogger who hasn’t used chalk paint?
Yes, we do exist.
I liked what I saw and thought about the piano……no priming, no sanding, no fumes, dries fast, durable, water based…. you get the drift. A Chalk Painted Piano. I could definitely get used to that.
But I put it off until this past week.
My oldest was trying out for her Varsity Dance Team and I tend to not sit still very well. I paced all that I could and finally pulled out the little jar and went to work while we waited for the results.
Super amazed by how well it went on, stuck and how quickly it dried.
Before:
Materials:
2 jars of Americana in Yesteryear.
1 jar of Americana Creme Wax
Good Quality Paint Brush
Directions:
Paint a thin first coat on your furniture piece, not too heavy.
Let dry completly and paint second coat.
For most pieces of furniture, one to two coats can provide adequate coverage. I could still see some spots after two and it felt a tad rough in spots.
In bewteen my second and third coats of chalk paint, I decided to sand. This is totally optional. It made my piano have a smoother finish to it.
Piano Tip: When painting around the keys, you can use tape. Or, if you are like myself and never use tape, press the keys down as you cut in. This paint is super thin and dries fast. If you mess up a bit, just wipe it off of the keys. It’s water and chalk, comes off easily.
Apply the third coat and let dry.
After paint is dry, I applied the Creme Wax with a brush, then went back and buffed it with a cloth after it had fully dried.
After the wax was fully dried, I switched out the pulls to a new set that are absolutely gorgeous.
I have to say, I really dig it.
Crazy easy, super fast drying time and literally no odor.
Kids and parents were in and out all weekend and everyone was amazed at how it had no smell.
Visit the DecoArt Chalky Finish website for more chalk paint ideas and inspiration.