Posted by: Kelli
A couple months ago, my husband and I were outside on a Sunday afternoon. Our neighbors were taking their trash out to the curb for the Monday morning trash pick-up. They carried out what appeared to be a perfectly fine buffet with two doors on the front. It was adorable and perfect for storing quilts. Peter and I looked at each other thinking the same thing.
I thought, ‘What have I got to lose?’ I hollered at my neighbor and asked if it was tacky to take their trash. She laughed and waved me over. That day we came home with two wooden chairs, a red buffet, and a basketball hoop for Case.
Fast forward a week or two. It was a Monday morning, and my mom had stopped over for an early visit. She saw this black dresser in their trash. She knew Kari had been wanting something for her TV in her living room.
I had noticed the dresser earlier, but since we had taken their trash a week or so prior, I decided to let this one slide. Mom had other ideas.
We looked like total goofballs. We first took the drawers. Those weren’t bad, but they were heavy. Then, you guys, you should have seen my mom and me carrying this dresser down the sidewalk. We were cracking up as we went…trying to work quickly. We had to stop half way down the sidewalk to take a break. (And remember, these are our neighbors from right next door.) This dresser is heavy and solid wood. Truthfully, it’s a nicer dresser than any dresser we have ever owned.
My mom and I lugged it into our garage. Kari stopped over that week, and she decided she didn’t want the dresser for her house.
It wasn’t a hard decision for me to keep the dresser and replace the one we currently had in our entry way.
I had never used chalk paint before, but I had heard really good things about chalk paint. And I really like a flat look to paint. I can’t remember which blog, but I ran across the BB Frosch Chalk Paint powder, and it intrigued me (found here or here.)
I liked the idea of the chalk paint powder since we already had white on hand paint to use. I have also heard a lot of good things about the Annie Sloan paint, but I have never used it.
We watched the instructional video on BB Frosch’s website, and we read the instructions that came with the chalk paint powder. We measured everything as accurately as we could for the paint versus chalk ratio. I was excited to get started.
I started painting the dresser. One coat. Two coats. Three coats. Four coats. Five coats!! Yes, ugh. After the fifth coat, we finally had full coverage. (Remind me next time I choose to paint a black dresser with white paint that it may take a lot of coats.)
I emailed BB Frosch to ask what I had done wrong. I was definitely not expecting this project to take so many coats of paint. I had heard all chalk paint lines pride themselves on the excellent coverage they offer. BB Frosch emailed back quickly and were very polite in their email. I appreciated their insight.
They mentioned that there are so many variables (surface, color of surface, technique / method used) with projects that there is no way to really know what kind of coverage you will get. They offered a bit of help with technique but said my poor coverage was likely due to poor technique on my part. They also recommended attending a hands on work shop for BB Frosch paint if there was one offered in my area.
I’m glad I gave BB Frosch a try! Next time I try using chalk paint, I will try another route where the line of paint is a bit more forgiving for amateurs like me. I love the flat look of the chalk paint on the dresser right now. Since there are a few places where the paint is chipping, I may try being adventurous and distress the edges a bit.
For now, we are extra happy with the changes in the entry way, and I had extra fun giving chalk paint a try.
For anyone curious, this is Benjamin Moore’s ‘White Diamond’ color on the dresser. It’s an almost white color with just a hint of gray.
What is your experience with chalk paint? Are there brands you have used that worked exceptionally well?
I was wondering how you would rate the BB Frosch paint transformer after time has passed. I was thinking of using it to paint my kitchen cabinets, but I don’t want to put a lot of work in them and have chipping. Just checking to see if you would do it again, or found something that you like better.
Good question. It was in 2014 that I used it…so keep that in mind, and I have young children. Their ingredients may have improved over the years too. I haven’t experimented anymore over the last couple years with chalk paint. In regards to the dresser from the post, I could have sanded it more prior to applying the chalk paint, but I did rough it up a little. In other words, I could have tried harder. While the paint, overall, has remained intact, there are plenty of spots the sizes of dimes or quarters where the paint has chipped or kind of flaked off.
I’ve never used another chalk paint so I don’t really know how it compares. This paint ended up fairly textured so I’d keep that in mind if you’re deciding whether to paint your kitchen cabinets. It was not a smooth gel like finish. But if you like an imperfect look and kind of crafty look, that’s how I’d describe it.
I hope that’s helpful.
I used Miss Mustard Seed MILK paint and used the solvent with it that has it adhere without chipping. Loved it!
Oh, good to know!! I will have to try hers next since painting old furniture is a joy for me. Glad to know you haven’t had trouble with chipping!