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.
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…
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.
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!
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.
2. Paint entire bench using custom color. Let dry and repeat if necessary.
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.
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.
And now we have a beautiful freshly painted, stenciled and distressed entryway bench.
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This post is sponsored by Decoart. As always all opinions are all my own!
