How to Flip Furniture - 7-Step Chalk Paint Guide for Beginners

Chalk paint bonds to bare wood, painted wood, laminate, and metal without sanding or priming first. But it bonds to dirt and grime too - so the only prep step is a thorough clean. Wipe every surface of the piece with warm soapy water, or use TSP (trisodium phosphate) cleaner for greasier surfaces like a kitchen cabinet or a piece that's lived in a smoky room.

Pay attention to corners, crevices, and the underside of the top. Let everything dry completely before you open the paint - even a thin film of moisture or residue will keep the paint from adhering properly.

Pour a small amount of chalk paint into a separate dish or paint tray. Don't dip your brush into the tin - it contaminates the paint with bits of dust and bristles, and the tin won't seal as well for next time. Use an oval natural bristle brush (the Annie Sloan oval brush is the gold standard, but any oval or round brush works).

Load the brush and apply with broad strokes going in every direction. Don't overthink it - chalk paint is intended to be a handcrafted process, and you actually want the brush marks to show because that texture gives the final piece character. Use a smaller flat brush for corners, mouldings, and tight spaces.

The first coat is dry to the touch in about 30 minutes. Test by touching an inconspicuous spot - if your finger comes away clean and the paint doesn't feel cold, you're ready for coat two. Pour out a little more paint and apply the second coat the same way you applied the first.

The second coat fills in the spots where the original wood color showed through and gives you a solid, even finish. Most chalk paint projects need exactly two coats - more than that and you start to lose the chalky matte character that's the whole point of using the product.

The second coat will be dry to the touch in 30 minutes but you need to wait a few hours before applying the wax. Wax application involves a lot of rubbing on the surface - if the paint isn't dry all the way through, that rubbing will wear through the paint and expose the wood underneath.

If you want a deliberately distressed look, you can actually skip this drying time and let the wax wear through in spots. But for a clean solid finish, give it 2-4 hours minimum. While you wait, clean your paint brush with hot water and dish soap - chalk paint comes out of brushes easily as long as you wash before it dries.

Pour or scoop a small amount of chalk paint wax into a dish or directly onto a wax brush. The wax goes on milky white but rubs in clear (or with a slight color shift toward warmer or cooler depending on the wax type). Work one section at a time - one drawer face, one tabletop, one leg - so the wax doesn't start to set before you can wipe it.

Use a round or oval wax brush rather than a flat brush - the rounder bristles push the wax into the brush strokes and details of the paint. Keep your wax brush separate from your paint brushes so you don't contaminate either with the wrong product.

The moment a section is coated with wax, set the brush down and grab a clean lint-free cloth to wipe away the excess. Don't let the wax sit too long before wiping - once it starts to set, wiping just smears it around instead of removing it.

Move to the next section and repeat: brush on, wipe off, brush on, wipe off. As your cloth picks up wax it becomes less effective - swap to a fresh cloth when the first one starts smearing rather than wiping clean.

On surfaces that will see heavy use - a tabletop, the seat of a chair, the top of a dresser - do a second pass with the wax to catch any spots you missed the first time. Look for areas that appear lighter, duller, or more matte than the rest of the piece. Those are the unwaxed spots.

The wax is dry to the touch right away but takes 2-4 weeks to fully cure to its hardest strength. During the curing window, just dust with a dry rag and wipe up any spills immediately. After curing, the piece is durable enough for daily use. To touch up dings or scratches later, just spot-rewax that area - chalk paint wax bonds to itself indefinitely.