Rustic Chalk Paint Furniture Ideas - Chantel's Custom Creations

Master Bedroom Remodel with Chalk Paint Bed Frame

In 2014 we moved into our new house and I really wanted to update our Master Bedroom furniture as it was very dark cherry. The furniture was still in really nice shape and it would have been a shame to sell it as I wouldn’t have gotten much money for it.

I still liked the style of my furniture but out of necessity, I started painting the furniture in the bedroom. We had just bought a new home and I did not have it in the budget to buy all new furniture.

I will be showing you the makeover I did on our chalk paint bed which was a fairly large project.

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Supplies I Used:

Completing this project was very economical, in fact, you really only need a few supplies to be successful.

AFTER:

BEFORE:

Deciding on the Plan for the Chalk Paint Bed Frame

I knew that I wanted a really simple makeover for the bed. My plan was to brighten up the space.
It is very easy to brighten up a room, simply by using paint to brighten up the furniture. I decided to paint the furniture in a nice crisp white and in the end, I also decided to lightly distress it as well.
This particular piece of furniture is of course quite large, so for convenience, I opted to paint the bed frame right in our bedroom and in fact I did not dismantle it at all.
I simply removed the mattresses (as you can see from the photo). My plan was to throw away the mattresses as we needed new ones anyway, so I personally did not care to get paint on the mattresses. I am the kind of painter who likes to just get going on my projects!

Progress

First Steps

I cleaned my furniture well with a damp rag to make sure it was free of any dust.
I would also recommend that when painting furniture from shiny cherry wood to a stark white color, that you make sure you scuff up the piece lightly with a sanding sponge.
After it has been lightly sanded, you should wipe it down again with a damp rag.
I would also recommend a white primer to cut down the number of coats of paint you will need when going from such a dark color to white color when you are painting a chalk paint bed frame.

Priming and Painting

After you have applied the primer, let your piece thoroughly dry.
You can start painting your piece with chalk paint in the color of your choice.
Just be sure to have a good quality paintbrush and in particular, one that will not shed its bristles all over your project.
In my project, I was painting a very dark surface and my end result is a very stark white, and as a result, I ended up painting 3 coats of chalk paint after the primer coat was painted.

Distressing

I wanted my chalk paint bed frame to have a rustic farmhouse look to it and to achieve that look, I took a 220 grit sanding sponge and lightly distressed the natural edges of the bed frame and exposed the corners to reveal the dark furniture color underneath.
You want to be light-handed with your sanding as its easier to just keep sanding as you go rather than having to reapply a coat of paint because you sanded too much!

Top Coat

Definitely a bed frame is the type of furniture that will be having to withstand daily use and for that reason, be sure to use a chalk paint wax topcoat on your project.
I used clear wax for my project but you can also use a white wax if you prefer.
You only need one light coat and you can apply it fairly quickly and easily with a shop rag or even a paper towel. Let your piece dry according to instructions.

In conclusion, the color white brightens the room dramatically! I am so happy with the results of my chalk painted bed frame. I was able to achieve an updated look for a very limited cost. You may be interested in another blog post I did geared towards beginner chalk painters HERE!

Let me know in the comments if you have attempted a bed frame with chalk paint and I would love to see any photos you may have!

Before you Go, check out my other blog posts with Before and After transformations: