How to Upcycle Old Furniture with Chalk Paint

Last week, I completed an easy DIY project for a teen bedroom crafting space.

Here was the situation: art supplies overflowed the crafting desk to the point of obscuring the desk surface. The secondary pile of crafting items beside the desk added visual clutter to the otherwise beautiful room. My job? Come up with a solution to the chronic, ever-expanding mess in the teen bedroom.

Challenges, and overcoming roadblocks

With limited wall space, a bookshelf didn’t seem practical in the bedroom. After brainstorming potential solutions, I located an old wooden storage trunk being stored in the attic. However, the rustic trunk, which was black with a dark wood lid, clashed with the soft pastel colors of the modern farmhouse-style teen bedroom.

The solution? Two quarts of Rustoleum chalk paint, and a few hours of work.

The wonders of chalk paint

Chalk paint is a low-luster paint product that provides excellent surface coverage for most surfaces. The Rustoleum brand paint that I selected for the project is available in a number of soft colors. I chose Linen White for the body of the storage trunk, and Country Gray for the trunk lid. Since the walls were a very light gray, I wanted to keep the furnishings consistent with the color tone of the room.

Prepping the surface

The wood trunk had a painted surface that was in good repair. After removing the trunk lid hardware, I used a sanding block on the wood, which allows the paint to adhere more effectively. Chalk paint can be used without primer, so I skipped that step. (When life provides me an Easy Button, I take it!)

I then applied the first coat of paint using a brush and a small roller. Because the trunk was a dark color, the project required two coats of chalk paint for good coverage. I allowed the surfaces a full day to cure before re-attaching the hardware to the trunk lid, to avoid nicking the paint surfaces. Keep in mind that humidity can affect drying times—it is summer as I write this, and the humidity is relatively high, requiring more time for complete drying.

The great teen bedroom storage trunk reveal

The crafting space now has a trunk for storing art supplies, and the trunk provides a versatile additional seating area for the teen room. It turned out beautifully, and it completes the farmhouse-styled room. The teen was enthusiastic about having a storage space for her supplies, although less than enthusiastic about the prospect of cleaning up!

Upcycling is a sustainable practice

I am a huge fan of re-purposing and upcycling home furnishings whenever possible. Not only was the project budget-friendly, it was a sustainable way of re-using a sturdy piece of furniture that would have otherwise been discarded. I have used chalk paint to refinish wood furnishings as well as candle holders and vases—the paint sticks amazingly well to even glossy ceramic surfaces. 

For any of you who are feeling adventurous, I would challenge you to see for yourself how easy it is to reinvent home furnishings with easy-to-use chalk paint. It may take two coats to achieve the results that you want, but it is worth the effort!

Hillary McAlhany is the owner of Gate City Design. She is a certified professional home stager/redesigner, E-designer & color expert. Although she is based in North Carolina, she offers remote design services outside of the central North Carolina region.