Using Chalk Paint to Transform dated pine into stylish bedroom furniture

In last week’s post, I gave you a sneaky peek of the new bedroom furniture.

When I say new…

I mean upcycled.

What once was orange pine has been transformed into stylish, beautiful black.

With a quirky twist.

Well of course!

After falling in love with dark interiors and taking the plunge in the dining room, I recently took the OneandSeventy boudoir on its own journey into the dark side. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m almost there and I promise to bring you the finished bedroom soon. In the meantime, I’m so proud of my new chalk-painted furniture, I just couldn’t wait to share it with you.

So… Here’s what we started with. The real, live, warts-and-all, hideous before shots – before even the bedroom’s first makeover in 2014. It’s handy keeping those before photos; you can really see how much progress you’ve made.

You just have to remember to take them!

And post 2014 makeover, when it looked marginally better and I had grand plans to paint it all white.

Oh how things change!

Everyone who was anyone had pine furniture back in the day. It was both functional and (at the time) stylish. I can’t complain; this Argos furniture is well over a decade old and still in remarkable condition. It was just… well… orange!

Be gone dated pine!

I gave each piece of furniture two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite and finished it with wax. I particularly wanted black furniture, but Annie Sloan Graphite is exactly what it says on the tin – a dark grey, much like a graphite pencil. To make it black, you need tinted wax.

In the absence of a shop-bought version, I knocked up my own DIY tinted wax using Annie Sloan clear wax and a few drops of black emulsion. I discovered I could do this when making over the dining room dresser and apothecary cabinet and it works like a charm.

Half way through the bedroom furniture paint job, I discovered Annie makes her own black wax, so I used that on the chest of drawers and dressing table. I think you’ll agree, there is zero difference between Annie’s and my own but I must concede, Annie’s black wax is a tad easier to work with.

Not much mind!

I will say this though. I did NOT follow Annie’s instructions, which call for both clear and black wax. I confess I didn’t even read that before diving right in. Oops!

I used both my DIY version and Annie’s wax in exactly the same way – by applying it straight over the Graphite and going with the grain. This gives me an almost wood-like effect, which I prefer.

I use a lot of black (“no, Sue… really? You do surprise me!”), so it was worth the additional pennies but if you don’t want the expense of another wax, then go ahead and tint your own! If you need instructions on how to do this, there’s a great cheat sheet in my subscriber-only resource Library.

Oh wait. You’re not a subscriber? Oh dear!

Sssshhh… Don’t tell anyone, but if you click here, you’ll get instant access to the library AND that cheat sheet.

Right off the bat, the transformation from pine to black was bloody brilliant but I wanted more. So I took to the Cricut, where I designed and cut some skull-themed decals in vinyl.

I deliberately didn’t go “in your face” with the decoration. I just wanted something subtle to give the furniture a little more depth and personality, so I used a black damask Fablon from Hobbycraft that provides just a hint of pattern.

To finish off the furniture, I glued on some ornate wooden corners from The Works, that I spray painted in gold and I also made my own skull knobs. I mean, who doesn’t want gold skulls on their knobs?

Ooooh errrr!

Check back soon for the tutorial on those. They were SO easy!

Never one to leave a project alone, I haven’t quite decided whether to add some more gold here and there. I bought some gold Annie Sloan Gilding Wax that I’m itching to try!

To see if I do or not, hit the follow button on Facebook or Instagram, where I share sneaky peeks and projects that don’t always make it to the blog. In the meantime, what do you think to the Annie Sloan bedroom furniture? As always, I’d love to hear from you, so drop a comment below to let me know.

A hui hou,