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French Inspired Chest Makeover

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**This is sponsored post through DecoArt  featuring their Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint line. All opinions and work produced is that of Our Southern Home!! I absolutely love this product**

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

I adore French Inspired Painted Projects with beautiful fonts! I knew that when I came across this chest it was calling for a French look with topography!

This project started out with a thrift store find.

It was one of those finds that you grab and walk around the store with….not sure if you are really going to purchase, but know you'd better keep it in your hands.

It had this stone spray paint finish. Really hard and thick.

Wasn't sure what it may look like underneath that paint??? How hard was it going to be to get that gunk off???

I bought it…of course!

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

It's a great chest. Here is the before in all its stone finish glory.

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

Surprisingly, it was coming off better than I hoped! It was work, but so thankful that I didn't have to use a paint stripper. I removed it with a course grit paper. Then I went over it with a fine grit paper to really get a smooth finish.

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

No priming was necessary. I painted 2 coats of Americana Decor Chalky Finish in the color Timeless. I had originally planned to paint it all white, but really loved the warmth of this color. Let it dry thoroughly in between coats.

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

Next came the Distressed Harlequin stencil also from Americana Decor. I stenciled with Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Everlasting

In this case, you want to stencil the entire center first. The stencil did not cover the entire center of the top. Once painted, I removed the stencil and let the paint dry completely on the top. Then I used the “X” marks on the stencil to match up the pattern to apply the next set to complete the center. You can adhere the stencil with a stencil spray or stencil tape. 

Also on OSH!  Country Christmas Breakfast Room

I then had to follow the same procedure for both sides. 

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

 

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

Ever so slightly dip your stencil brush in the paint to load it. Then have a paper towel handy to blot off the excess. Too much paint and it may seep under the stencil. Do not brush with a stencil. You want to pounce with it.

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

I used a portion of the Cafe Paris stencil from American Decor on the front panel. I stenciled it in the same paint with the color Enchanted…a nice olive green color.

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

Here it is all painted. I love it! It was a little too new looking for me. I distressed it on the top Harlequin pattern and across the font with fine grit paper. When sanding over stenciled areas, it's best to sand in one direction instead of back and forth. 

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

After I lightly distressed, I used my vacuum cleaner attachment to remove all of the dust. 

I applied a coat of clear creme wax from Americana Decor and let it dry. Then I applied a coat of dark wax in Deep Brown by American Decor.

You can see my tip on applying this creme wax HERE. It is different from a paste wax. I prefer this creme wax. So simple to use!

Once it is dry……buff to desired shine. 

 French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

Here's an outside shot for natural lighting.

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

I spray painted the shiny brass hardware with a brown hammered finish.

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

 

French Inspired Chest Makeover with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints via Our Southern Home

Other projects that I've completed with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints:

Vanity Stool Makeover

Chalkboard Menu Board from a coffee table top

To view all the locations available to purchase Americana Decor Chalky Finish paints visit HERE.

Also on OSH!  Simple and Beautiful DIY Projects to Create

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint is available in Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, A.C. Moore and other stores.

Visit the DecoArt Chalky Finish website for more chalk paint ideas and inspiration.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Painting!

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35 Comments

  1. I need some assistance. I ordered all of my paint online. American Decor Chalky paint and well…tthey left it on the truck overnight for 2 nights while a Blizzard was happening then a deep freeze. I got the product and it was ALL frozen. Paint worked ok I guess for it being my first time using it BUT, the cream clear wax is so thick unlike the brown wax. Can I add water to the wax to make it creamier and easier to Apply? Also, it started to take off the 2 layers of paint when I tried using it as it. Why is this happening? Help please

    1. Oh, no! I’d call customer support and get them to resend the shipment. It shouldn’t be doing that. What kind of surface did you start with? If it had any kind of shine to it, I’d lightly sand to remove the shine. That gives the paint tooth to stick.

  2. Christy, WOW this is amazing!! What a transformation. I have always wanted to paint w stencils and you made it look super easy!! Beautiful!! Lisa

  3. Great job on making this chest look awesome! I just purchased two containers of this paint to use on a project I’m working on right now. So far I love it.

  4. I just love your cute trunk! Thanks for sharing the tutorial on the stenciling too…it looks much faster than transfering the image and definately less complicated too:)

  5. Christy your chest turned out amazing! It’s a million times better than the before. The colors and stencils you chose are perfect. I need to check out their stencils!

  6. Beautiful new look, Christy. I have never tried American brand chalk paint. Now I can with confidence. What a beautiful makeover, too I love all the details.
    Pinned 🙂

  7. Christy, this looks amazing! I LOVE how you did this little chest and it is so perfect for your home! I definitely need to try this paint, and I want to know about your sander, too. I have a kitchen table that needs to be stripped, painted and stained, so I’m happy to learn about this chalky paint!

    1. Thanks, Julie! You will love the paint!!! The sander is Dewalt and has great power! Hubby gave it to me for my birthday one year. Yes, it’s what I asked for! Lol!!

  8. OH how glad I am to see a blog post using the Americana brand chalk paint. I was so excited during the summer to find a less expensive version of chalk paint!! I even emailed a few bloggers a while back asking if they’d heard of it? used it? had any comments of comparison between Americana & ASCP? It seemed that no one I contacted had used it. So I bought some and used it & was very pleased. I started off with a thrift-store tv stand for my daughter’s college apartment–the stand was only $3 so I figured nothing lost if I didn’t have good results with the paint, but it painted out great.

    I just got finished painting two French nightstands with Americana Chalky Paint. They are good-quality furniture, made by Stanley, but the top of the night stand has a laminate coating, and the paint adhered just great. I have been buying the paint at Michael’s with a 40 or 50% off coupon, which makes the final cost a fraction of the ASCP. I am SOLD!! I am trying to decide what to do for a protective top coat on the nightstands. I’ve always been afraid of wax, but maybe I will look at your tips and give it a try.

    So glad to see you blogging about the Americana Chalky Paint 🙂

    1. I love the paint! I’m sold as well!! You have some great treasures! They make a varnish you could use instead of the wax for the top!!!!! It’s my favorite paint! Great price, too!

      1. Thanks for your reply! I just took your advice & purchased the varnish (a whopping $6 with my 50% off coupon at Michaels). From the directions on the container, it sounds like I just put it on with brush or sponge and let it dry. So no wiping it down or buffing it like you do with the wax??? And is it a flat finish or satin? i definitely don’t want a shiney finish b/c I glazed the crevices a little darker so I am going for more of an antiqued or rustic finish. If you have time, I would love your feed back before I start w/the varnish. Oh and do you like to apply it with a sponge brush or a regular paint brush? I honestly have toyed w/the idea of just spraying it with a flat-finish can of poly, but I haven’t gotten the nerve to do that either!

          1. Our Michael’s only has one type of Americana Varnish which is the Soft Touch. After reading the description, I might have preferred the Light Satin or the Ultra Matte. I will give this one a whirl to see how it looks and will let you know. Thank you again for the info 🙂

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