Sometimes a piece of furniture is absolutely fine as it is.

And sometimes even absolutely fine can be improved upon.

Case in point, this little white bench that Dean made years ago at our old house.

ENTRY BENCH WITH PILLOWS

Perfectly acceptable. Nice and neutral.

But I get bored easily. And I like to play with paint when I get bored. So now our little bench looks like this…

americana finishes chalky finish painted bench

decoart vintage stenciled bench

chalky finish paint and vintage stencil bench

Custom Color Chalky Finish Painted Entryway Bench

When I decided to paint this bench and give it a makeover, I had to work with colors already in the space.

The inside of our front door is a lovely aqua color and the outside is dark grey.

front door colors

So whatever color I chose for the bench had to coordinate and couldn’t be too dark because I love our light and bright entryway.

Custom color to the rescue!

custom_color_mixes

I also didn’t want to have to sand down the whole bench before I started painting.

Lazy, I know.

But I knew that if I used a Chalky Finish Paint I wouldn’t have to!

Supplies

  • raw wood or previously painted benches
  • Chalky Finish Paint in Yesteryear, New Life and Everlasting
  • Deep Brown Creme Wax
  • ‘Distressed Harlequin’ Stencil
  • sandpaper (optional)
  • paint brushes
  • damp rag

Instructions

1. In a bowl mix Yesteryear and New Life Chalky Finish Paint together in a ratio of about 2:1 to create a custom aqua/grey color.

mix chalky finish yesteryear and new life paint

2. Paint entire bench using custom color. Let dry and repeat if necessary.

custom chalky finish painted entryway bench

3. Using a fairly dry brush (dab off excess paint to avoid bleed-through and create a worn look) stencil top of bench with Everlasting Chalky Finish Paint and Distressed Harlequin stencil. Remove stencil and let dry.

DECOART DISTRESSED HARLEQUIN STENCIL

4. Gently sand edges and stenciled bench top if desired.

5. Using another paint brush ever so slightly dipped in the Deep Brown Creme Wax, apply wax first to edges and grooves and then over surface of bench. Work in one small area at a time. Before wax dries, wipe gently with a damp cloth to remove excess and smooth out wax. (This step is actually more like glazing than waxing due to the water-based nature of the wax and the technique.) Let dry.

americana finishes dark brown creme wax

And now we have a beautiful freshly painted, stenciled and distressed entryway bench.

FAUX SPRING FLOWERS

decoart chalky finish painted bench

More Painted Furniture Makeover Posts

More Paint Tutorials + Tips

 

This post is sponsored by Decoart. As always all opinions are all my own!

shannon photo and sig oct 2022