How to Use Up Leftover Chalk Paint
A creative idea that shows you how to use up leftover chalk paint or any paint in your paint supply stash so it does not go to waste.
A few weeks ago I showed you a few items I bought at my local thrift store and told you as I transformed each one I would post about it. You can read what I did with the cheeseboard, here. Today I have the second thrift store find finished.
I really enjoy taking on small projects like this that allow me to take something with good bones, but not my style and transform it into my vision. It makes me feel like a designer except I do it one piece of merchandise at a time and not in a mass market kind of way.
I also like to use up my project supplies leftover from previous projects. For this latest transformation, a small bottle of chalk paint with a small amount of paint still in it. I didn’t want it to go to waste and came up with a plan on how to use all of it to paint this…
…this stained wood box. I had already started taping the glass off before snapping this “before” photo. I think the box was originally from The Bombay Company. Do you remember that store? It is a box with a hinged lid to organize and store teabags.
I didn’t make this over for myself as I store my teabags in a basket in one of my kitchen drawers.
I made over this box to give to my youngest daughter for her birthday. When Ed and I last visited her, I noticed she kept her teabags in a cardboard box that was not very pretty.
Now she has a pretty place to organize and store them in.
How to Paint a Small Object with Leftover Chalk Paint
supplies needed:
- Wood box, chair, table whatever you want to paint
- Two grades of sandpaper – 100 grit and 220 grit
- Inexpensive Chalk Paint – Waverly Inspirations from Walmart in the color Plaster
- Antique gold metal label holders – Hobby Lobby
- Paint brush
- Optional to attach label to box – drill and tin drill bit or glue
- Go over the entire surface of the box or object you are painting with 100 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface a little. A few minutes is all that is needed. You DO NOT have to sand to the bare wood ever. A quick sanding before chalk paint is a good thing, most brands of chalk paint say you don’t need to sand, but I always do as it will only help the paint adhere.
2. Set up the object to be painted on foam blocks. (I save this foam from packaging) I used toothpicks to hold up the box’s dividers so they could easily be painted. I started using the leftover chalk paint I had in the color White, but after it was dry I realized I wanted the box to be a softer white.
So I went back to my craft store purchased chalk paint stash and applied the second coat using more leftover chalk paint in the color, Plaster. Both paints are from Waverly Inspirations and sold at Walmart.
The paint in this bottle was getting dried out and clumpy so I had to cut the bottle in half to get the paint out. The paint had become thick, but that doesn’t matter especially if you are creating something to look aged or vintage. I just used a stiff brush to brush it onto the surface of the box and the dividers.
NOTE: When painting something that will go inside the box like the dividers this box had, remember to use light coats since these will have to fit back into the box, a thick layer of paint may make that hard. If needed, sandpaper will help smooth out the paint to get it to fit.
How to Distress a Chalk Paint Finish With Sandpaper
Once the chalk paint is dry. I let the box dry overnight. Use 100 grit sandpaper to distress the edges. This is where many newbies to aging furniture get nervous, but if you are after a distressed finish, you can really sand as little or as much as you want.
I think more always looks better when you are going after an aged look. I have also use chalk paint to paint furniture and have not done any distressing to create a more modern look. It is all personal taste and style.
For the areas that you don’t want distressed, I still go over them with 220 sandpaper to smooth out any brush strokes in the painted finish. If you look closely you can see all the paint that comes off.
Doing this leaves the surface super smooth. I went over the entire box and the dividers. I did have to use 100 grit sandpaper on the edges of the dividers to get them to fit back into the box. I also use a mallet to help coax them back in.
I distressed the edges of the box quite a bit.
Once I distressed the paint, I added a thin layer of Annie Sloan’s clear wax. I have used many waxes, but this is the best. It goes on like butter and shines up quickly.
Johnson’s Paste wax is much cheaper and will shine up fast, but the smell is intense until it dries. Annie Sloan’s wax only has a slight smell.
I use old t-shirts to apply and then a clean one to buff the wax to a sheen. You’ll know when you have buffed the wax enough, the rag will slide right over the surface. If you don’t have an old-shirt, any soft cloth or Workshop style paper towels work well, too.
How to Attach Metal Label Holder to the Box
To find the center of the box, I used a ruler and tape. Apply the tape by the center and mark the center on the tape. If you mark the surface of the box, you run the risk of not being able to get the mark off the painted finish.
I bought the metal label holder at Hobby Lobby in the scrapbook aisle of the store. It comes with paper fasteners not nails to attach it which was a nice option since the thickness of the box is only 1/4″ and I would have needed very short nails.
I then used my Dremel drill and tiny drill bit to make two small holes to place the fasteners in to attach the label holder. I could have glued it on, but since I had the tools I needed, I took the extra step. The splayed ends of the fasteners are inside the box.
I made the label using Photoshop Elements, but you can simply type the word you want, size it and print it out using a word processor like Word. I cut the word out to fit inside the label holder.
To protect the paper label, I cut a piece from a clear plastic (acetate) sheets. I save the clear plastic from box tops that note cards, candy and more come in. I marked a piece, then cut it to size and slid it in front of the paper label.
If you have leftover bottles of paint in your craft stash, look around your house to see if you have any small objects around that could use a makeover. If not, there is always your local thrift store where you may find something just right for your needs and personal decorating style for a few dollars.
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