To chalk paint or not to chalk paint

I have been painting furniture now for a very long time. About eighteen years. I have painted everything, end tables, shelves, desks, cabinets…you name it. My go to paint has always been latex wall paint in a satin finish. I like it, it is easy to use, doesn’t chip, and it lasts a long time. If I am painting cabinets, my go to paint is Sherwin Williams cabinet paint. Those are really my staples. So when I found this sewing desk and began thinking about re finishing it, I wanted to try something new.

The finish on this desk was in pretty bad shape, but it was a solid wood desk, could be used with a sewing machine, or it was just a cool piece to use for a desk in a bedroom. I sanded the finish off the top of the desk to prep it for stain.

I wanted the top to remain wood, and the bottom of the piece to be painted. I stained the top with a light brown stain. The stain went on well, leaving some dark spots here and there, giving the top a vintage feel.

I bought some rustoleum chalk paint at Home Depot, grabbed a regular brush, and went to work on the bottom. I just brushed the whole piece. The paint is a little thicker than latex paint, so the brush worked well.

The paint went on well, and I just needed to use two coats to cover the original finish. I sanded the edges to give it an old vintage feel, and sealed it with a matte polycrylic finish. I used a water based poly since the chalk paint is water base. I was afraid of ruining or yellowing the finish with a regular polyurethane.

I attached the original pulls, and the piece was finished.

I am excited about how this piece turned out. Working with chalk paint was great. The paint went on well, and the finish was easy to distress to make it look vintage. I still love painting with latex paint, but I would definitely add chalk paint into my painting rotation. I originally bought this piece for my daughter’s room. We were going to take the sewing machine out, and just use it as a cool desk. She found her other desk she wanted, so I am selling this piece. I am excited to see how it goes.