Distressed Chalky Finish Entertainment Center Cabinet Makeover

Distressed Chalky Finish Entertainment Center Cabinet Makeover

“We are Americana Decor bloggers, and this is a sponsored post. All views expressed are that of our own.”

Primitive decor, artwork, and furniture are some of my very favorite ways to style my home. I love nothing more than filling my home with rustic pieces that make it feel warm, inviting, and cozy. The only thing I don’t love about having a primitive sense of interior style are the prices associated with many pieces I love!

Just last week, I found a small media cabinet at a large home store that was almost $500!! I love the distressed look of the wood, and the fact that it was small. I have been wanting to upgrade my small entertainment center for years, but the funds were never there for something in my style range.

Being a person who loves to save money, I figured I would attempt to turn my ugly reddish cabinet which houses many books, and my cable box into something that matched my home. Basically, I wanted to create a piece that would not look like such an outcast in my home; something I would not be embarrassed of.

Early this year, I discovered the American Decor Chalky Finish paints at my local Home Depot. I must have been living under a rock all these years because until I purchased my first 8 ounce jar in January, I have no idea it existed! Now, I guess you can say I am pretty much hooked! I have made so many craft projects with chalk paint and love the quality, texture, and finish of this brand.

As mentioned, for this entertainment center cabinet, I did not want a solid color. I wanted a distressed look that would show a couple of different layers. To achieve the distressed layering effect, you can visit the DecoArt site to learn their technique which involves using candle wax. I was initially going to use this until I decided to use the drybrushing technique.

For this project these are the supplies I used:

• American Decor Chalky Finish paint in Relic and Vintage
• 1 1/2 inch chip brush
• sandpaper
• newspaper
• screw drivers to remove hardware
• non-lint rag
• plain candle *optional
• Americana Decor Creme Wax for sealing

How I transformed this piece:

As mentioned, I wanted to layer this piece, and distress it. There are many ways this can be done which include painting layers of different colors, and using a wax barrier before sanding to have the color peep through. You can read more about layering colors here.

For me, purposely missing spots on my cabinet is how I achieved the layered look. I went light on the base paint color and made sure my brush left streak marks and missed spaces. I did not cover the entire thing so I could minimalize my sanding.

After the base coat was dried, I dipped my cleaned paint brush in the “distressor” color which was lighter, and made sure there was not a lot of paint on the brush. I then stroked the wood and made it look streaky and achieve the drybrushing technique. I continued this until the whole piece has varying streaks. Once it was dried, I sanded some spots to allow more red to show through, and then it was time for the creme wax.

Here are some helpful hints:

• Make sure to dust your piece off before painting, and after sanding
• Always remove all hardware and keep it in a safe place
• Sometimes plans do not work out, and that’s ok
• Keeping a damp rag on hand is a time saver
• Americana Decor Paint has little to no odor, and dries fast
• Using a cheap brush helps with achieving the distressed look

Overall, I do love the way this Distressed Chalky Finish Entertainment Center Cabinet came out. It took some time to get used to it in my living room, but I am glad I can use it in a variety of ways. This project took me me about 90 minutes and was not hard to do at all. The beauty of primitive furniture is that there is not wrong, and things do not have to be perfect!

Learn more about the Americana Decor paint brand by visiting DecoArt’s social media sites Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

 

Did you know that the folks at Americana Dechave an awesome contest going on call All About Second Chances? Check out their official site for more info on how you could win $2,000!