Rust-Oleum Chalked paint is great for secondhand finds

Grab a can of Rust-Oleum Chalked paint at your local Builders and transform secondhand bargains into pieces you love.

 

Secondhand furniture is an affordable way to add unique pieces to your home, and mismatched finds just need a little makeover. Be on the lookout for furniture that is sturdy - with great style - and will only need some TLC. Use a dark colour as a base coat and top this off with Rust-Oleum Chalked ultra matte paint to transform furniture to complement your decor style.

To prepare the furniture for painting grab a sanding block and some 150-grit sandpaper or a medium-grit sanding sponge and sand down the surface to de-gloss the finish. This will ensure that you have a good bond between the surface and the new paint finish. Wipe clean with a lint-free rag and mineral turpentine.

If your furniture doesn't already have an interesting aged personality, make a distressing tool to add dents and dings. All you need is a scrap piece of pine and screws with various head sizes and shapes.

Use a hammer or rubber mallet to add interest, but be careful not to overdo it. From time to time, stand back to gauge the finish. Sand the effect and also to create scratches and reproduce a vintage look.

Apply a base coat of matt acrylic paint over the furniture. At this stage you don't need to worry about a perfect paint job as this will be covered by the top coat and imperfections will add more interest to the finished look.

Allow the base coat to dry and then add two coats of Rust-Oleum Chalked paint. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next coat.

Use a sanding block and 320-grit sandpaper or a light-grit sanding sponge to remove some of the paint at the edges until the darker layer shows through, especially along the edges that would naturally scuff and wear.

Finish off with Chalked top layer coat, or apply Woodoc Antique Wax (or Polywax) to protect the painted finish. And there you have it.