Home Stories A to Z

Creating beauty out of chaos and sharing my home decor stories

Thrifty Under $50: How to Paint Wood

Learn how to make your own DIY chalk paint and watch me paint, distress, and wax two second-hand cane back dining chairs!

How to paint wood with DIY chalk paint recipe french cane back chairs painted furniture before and after

I have something very special for you all this week! I have asked 21 top home bloggers to join me in a “Thrifty Under $50” blog hop. This is a blog hop challenge that will take us all back to our roots in home blogging. Back in the day, we all fell in love with home bloggers because they taught us how to creatively obtain affordable elegance. I thought it would be fun to get back to the basics and do a blog hop that highlights bloggers’ brilliant ideas, skills, creativity, and ability to take something old and make it new. This week you will learn some insider secrets on how bloggers shop for second-hand finds and transform them on a budget of just $50! It’s going to be good!!

Thrifty Under $50 hop button

Today, I’m sharing some tips and tricks on:

  • How to score furniture on Craigslist
  • How to make your own DIY chalk paint
  • How to paint wood
  • How to get a high-end look for less
Tip: How to Score Furniture on Craigslist

Some of my most beloved pieces of furniture are Craigslist finds. My best tip for scoring amazing deals on Craigslist is to search often. The early bird does indeed get the worm on Craigslist! If you are looking for something specific, you can actually save your search and set an alert for Craigslist to email you when something matching your search term pops up. This is a fantastic way to snatch up a good deal when you find it! You can also use the CraigsHunter app on Google Chrome to set-up notifications for a larger geographic area. If you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for, then you can use general terms to hone in on treasures. Here are some of the general terms I like to use: vintage, old, french, wood, china.

I’m not a fan of low-balling people, but I will suggest an alternate price if the price isn’t reasonable. A few weeks ago, I found these cane back dining chairs listed on Craigslist for $30! No low-balling needed! They were exactly what I was looking for to go in my dining room. I’m not sure how old these chairs are but the furniture stamp is from a local furniture company that existed between 1881-1981. The velvet cushion on the right is the original chair cushion. The seller said that the chairs “came with the house” and had been sitting unused in the basement of their beautiful historic home.

chairs before

Tip: How to Make Your Own DIY Chalk Paint

I decided to paint my chairs using some Dorian Gray DIY chalk paint. I’ve tried several DIY chalk paint recipes and the jury is still out on which is my favorite. You can find my grout chalk paint recipe here. The recipe I used for my chairs calls for Plaster of Paris and calcium carbonate. I bought both on Amazon and have affiliate linked the products below to the exact items I purchased. This recipe creates a lot of paint. Feel free to halve the recipe if you are painting a smaller piece. This paint recipe covers in one coat, adheres without a primer, provides a durable finish, and is easy to work with.

DIY Chalk Paint Recipe Plaster of Paris

DIY Chalk Paint

Mix together the following:

Add mixture to 4 Cups (1 quart) of latex paint (no primer) and mix until thoroughly combined.

Tip: How to Paint Wood

Before you paint wood, you need to determine if you want a distressed look to your piece. If the answer is no, then you will need a quality bonding primer (this one is my favorite) and a quality paint. If you want a distressed look, you will be sanding some of your paint off which is most easily done with milk, chalk, or mineral paint. You do not need to prime when using these paints. Just grab a quality brush and begin! After your piece is dry, use a sanding sponge or large emery board to distress your piece. Seal your piece with furniture wax or polycrylic and admire your hard work. 🙂

how to paint dining chairsHow to Get a High-end Look for Less

french cane back chairs

I love the challenge of getting a high-end look for less! Having a beautiful home is incredibly important to me but keeping within our budget is imperative. When it comes to beautiful things, knowing what you love (like that $1500 chair on the left) will help you see the potential in those diamonds in the rough! Gather your inspiration and then be willing to hunt for something that will come close to your vision.

how to paint dining chair

The inspiration doesn’t stop here! Your next stop on the hop is Taryn from Design Dining Diapers. She is every bit as talented as she is cute! Go see her thrift store transformation here.

Taryn-Welcome-Headshot

See All of the Thrift Store Transformations
Monday

Home Stories A to Z
Design Dining Diapers
Finding Silver Pennies
Anderson + Grant

Tuesday

French Country Cottage
Refresh Restyle
Just a Girl
Finding Home Farms

Wednesday

Bless’er House
Beneath My Heart
Love Grows Wild
Ella Claire

Thursday

Southern Hospitality
Life On Virginia Street
Four Generations One Roof
Nest of Posies
City Farmhouse

Friday

In My Own Style
Sand & Sisal
Julie Blanner
Fox Cottage Hollow

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Comments

    • Beth says

      I have not tried this recipe in my sprayer, so I can’t give advice on how well it works in a sprayer.

  3. Tori Cole says

    Love the video! I have one of my relatives old chest I’m going to do this too! I was going to buy some expensive Annie Sloan Chalk paint, but I’m going to try this instead! Thanks!! (And thanks for getting me added to the Maven FB Page!

  7. Deborah Nansel says

    I have painted white cabinets in my laundry room that need repainted. Do you think chalk paint would be okay to use in an laundry room? I just don’t like seeing the brush marks and they need repainted anyway.

    • Beth says

      For cabinet doors I prefer to spray them with either a paint sprayer or cans of spray paint. You could easily remove the doors and hardware, sand the cabinets, prime them, and then use spray paint or a paint sprayer to apply your choice of paint. Chalk paint will often leave brush marks. If spraying isn’t the way you’d like to go, I recommend using a quality acrylic latex paint. Your brush marks will be minimal as this paint levels beautifully.

  8. Dixie Lee says

    They are lovely. I have one caveat, based on the 10 chairs I’ve chalk painted so far – if the wood is mahogany – prime first!!!!!! That stuff bleeds like crazy.

  9. Shannon Fox says

    This is such a gorgeous before and after, and a perfect example of how to get a high end look with the DIY method.
    Those chairs are stunning, and I prefer yours, as they are the captains chairs! Brilliant & gorgeous “after” Beth!!

  11. Danielle says

    Oh, wow, I’m IN LOVE with these chairs and your amazing video. They came out great and what a bargain for $30! Thanks for organizing such a fun hop! xx

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