How to achieve the perfect chalk paint furniture makeover, according to a DIY expert

Do you ever get that itch for a change in your home? Sure, you love your home, but you just want to switch it up a little bit. I know I do, and sometimes I’m tempted to go out and buy a new piece of furniture in order to give a space a new feel. But spending all that money really isn’t necessary! I’m sure you’ve seen furniture flips and rehabs on television and social media, but did you ever think that you’d be able to easily accomplish that yourself? I am here to tell you that refinishing furniture doesn’t always require hours of sanding, prep work, and staining.

a display in a room: chalk paint nightstand makeover

© Provided by Real Homes
chalk paint nightstand makeover

Enter, chalk paint. This magical paint is one of the best paints for furniture, and can take an old piece from drab to fab in no time, and with minimal effort. It’s a dream to use if you’re short on time, or just starting out in your DIY project adventures.

How to use chalk paint to upcycle furniture, fast

So now that we’re sold on chalk paint, where do we start? Below, I’ve listed out the oh-so-simple steps to executing your first chalk paint makeover.

Step 1: Find the right piece of furniture

First off, find your piece of furniture. Anything from a chair to a dresser to an old hutch will do. Look around your home for a good candidate, or search Facebook Marketplace or your local Goodwill if you don’t have an old piece on hand. If you find a piece you love but aren’t crazy about the color, or if the finish has seen better days, you’ve got a winner.

Step 2: Find some inspiration

Once you have your piece picked out, I recommend finding some inspiration of a piece that you’d like to mimic. This way, you’ll have an idea of the look you’re going for and how the final piece will turn out.

Gallery: 33 stunning bedroom ideas (Real Homes)

These inspiring bedroom ideas are the best place to start planning your dream makeover…

These bedroom ideas will prove that when it comes to bedroom decor, you only have to make a few small changes to see a big difference. Pop a new cushion here, a lick of paint there, and voilà you’ve transformed your space into something wonderful.

To bring you the best bedroom decorating ideas around right now, we simply delved into our archives, scoured the internet, asked the experts and looked into our crystal ball to determine the latest bedroom design trends. Of course, it was worth it, because now you have the ultimate gallery of gorgeous bedroom decor ideas to get you inspired.

We have covered it all, from small tweaks to big revamps, so no matter what your style or budget you will find something you love here.

REDESIGN YOUR BEDROOM WITH A NEW COLOUR SCHEME

If you want a completely new look for your bedroom, a new colour scheme is a great place to start. You might not need to change up too much either, especially if your walls are already painted quite a neutral colour.

Create a mood board or use Pinterest to come up with colours you love and even look at paint swatches to see how they will all work together. Then just start bringing all those new colours in with bedding, cushions, rugs and once you know you are really happy with the new colours you can maybe go a bit bolder with paint, wallpaper and furniture.

Uber fresh, light and airy, this sunny scheme using Crown’s Sunrise matt emulsion is a sure fire winner to lighten and brighten up a dark room and create the illusion of space.

CHOOSE A SUBTLE PATTERN TO ADD INTEREST

If you are confident in the atmosphere you want to create in your bedroom, wallpaper can be a quick and cheap way to bring in the right colours and patterns. Use the colours within your wallpaper to dictate the rest of your room – we adore how the subtle pink hues work with the gorgeous bed set up in this room.

If you are worried about overwhelming your bedroom with wallpaper, just go for one wall and make a feature of it.

WALLPAPER ALL YOUR BEDROOM WALLS FOR A COSY FEEL

Oooh how cosy is this room? Love it. And this just demonstrates how lovely the right wallpaper can look on all four walls of a bedroom. The print is nice and neutral and really subtle, plus it totally matches everything else going on in the room, which is a great way to make a small bedroom feel nice and cocooning.

OR USE PAINT TO UPDATE YOUR BEDROOM WALLS

Even easier than wallpaper, paint can totally change your room in a matter of hours, plus it’s a great way to experiment with colour because it’s not really permanent. Our choice for bedroom paint would always be soft, rosy hues that are going to be relaxing and you can add more colours in if you want a brighter look.

PICK WARM OCHRES, RUSTS FOR A BEDROOM DECOR IDEA

If earthy shades are your thing, look no further than this down to earth scheme from Annie Sloan. Her famous chalky paints are the go-to-place if you love natural shades – they have a super quality that looks fabulous on any wall. The block design Annie has used here is so on trend – you can recreate it yourself with four colours and a roll of frog tape. If you fancy using the same colours they are Old Ochre, Honfleur, Oxford Navy and Scandinavian Pink.

CREATE A PANEL EFFECT WITH PAINT

This is a great bedroom design idea for any space, and it works particularly well in small bedrooms to heighten the room. All you need to do is use masking tape and a ruler to mark where you want your lower colour to end and just get painting!

WORK WITH THE ALCOVES IN YOUR SPACE

Working with your bedroom design is a must in all decorating schemes. And, if you want to be bold in your colour choices, particularly if you want to pick a dark colour for your bedroom, painting an alcove is a great way to work this in to your space. This room still looks bright and fresh but the dark wall, along with the matching bedding add a more dramatic feel.

CREATE UNIFORMITY WITH DIY PANELLING

Panelling is everywhere at the moment! And, not just in traditional homes, as wall panelling works really well in modern spaces too. Fear not if you haven’t been blessed with original panelling in your bedroom, as you can DIY the look.

CHOOSE CONTRASTING COLOURS FOR A VIBRANT SPACE

You see, wall paneling works so well in a cool and modern bedroom! We love this room, particularly because of the contrasting colours. The softness of the pink brings out bright teal and yellow so well, making it a great bedroom idea for couples and for anyone that adores vibrant spaces.

ADD SHIPLAP PANELLING FOR A RUSTIC LOOK

This is a look that’s all over Instagram at the moment. Very beachy, very relaxed, shiplap walls are the thing to have in a bedroom. Now, you can DIY the look with just cladding but we have also seen some fab wallpaper that replicates the look without the faff. Wayfair make loads, as do Etsy so check them out.

CREATE A GALLERY WALL WITH MIRRORS

We have always been fond of a gallery wall, and we are loving the latest trend of maxing out on mirrors as an alternative to prints. A gallery wall of mirrors is a fab bedroom idea because no matter what the size of your room it’s going to bring in more light, texture and interest.

ADD PATTERN WITH AN UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARD

Choosing pattern can help soften this often cumbersome-looking object! Because, particularly if yours is dated, a solid headboard can often dominate the entire space. A really easy bedroom idea is to cover it up with a playful patterned fabric.

All you need for this DIY project is the fabric of your choice– enough to cover your headboard – and a staple gun. Lay the fabric flat on the floor, then remove the headboard and lay it over the fabric. Get someone to help you stretch the fabric over the front of your headboard and then secure it with a staple gun to the back. It doesn’t matter if it looks a bit messy at the back of the head board because no one will ever see it.

OR, COMPLETELY DIY A HEADBOARD WITH CUTE CUSHIONS

If you want an even softer look, copy this lovely bedroom look. For this super easy DIY project, just pick two or three large square cushions and attach some small brass rings (curtains rings work well) to the top two corners. Then, using the size of your chosen cushions as a guide, mark out where you need to place the nails or screws that will hold up the cushions. Hammer some large brass nails (or use screws if you prefer), hang the cushions and you’re done.

PICK BEDROOM FURNITURE THAT PLAYS WITH SCALE

What does this mean exactly? Well, it can mean three things. First, and importantly, you don’t want to put a king-sized bed in a small bedroom. So, furniture kept in scale within the room is much more likely to make it feel larger.

Next: don’t over-clutter a small bedroom with too much furniture. Doing so will again take up space visually (as well as really).

Lastly, pick a tall headboard like this one. Doing so will make the room feel taller and give it great focus. Patterns and prints on the bed and headboard like this fab design from KDLoves are great for distracting the eye and for keeping the bed as the focal point too.

GO FOR A CLASSIC GREY SCHEME IN A BEDROOM

You can’t go wrong with a grey bedroom can you? It’s always going to be in style and grey is a really easy colour to work with other colours. You can change up the palette with seasons – in the autumn and winter keep things cosy by adding warmer colours and darker greys and then in summer keep all the greys pale and add plenty of crisp whites and light colours.

KEEP THINGS NEUTRAL FOR A FARMHOUSE FEEL

We always love a neutral bedroom, so soft and inviting. We like this bedroom idea of adding in lots of nice textures too, just to keep things from looking a bit flat. The rustic bedside table, upholstered headboard and thick rugs all help to create interest in a space that doesn’t have much colour.

GO FOR A BEACHY LOOK WITH AN ALL WHITE BEDROOM

And of course an all-white bedroom is a classic look. You can also do so much with a blank canvas and change it up easily as styles and seasons change. During the summer months, a relaxed beachy look is definitely one to go for and this works so well with an all-white scheme. Add in some greenery, a few cream or grey accents to soften the look. While in cooler months, you’ll want to embrace Hygge a little more with some Scandi-style bedroom additions to your space.

ADD SOFTNESS TO A BEDROOM WITH BLUSH HUES

Can you tell we love neutral bedroom decor? This room has just a hint of colour with all those lovely peachy, blush hues. Again so easy to style differently too – add darker colours for a more moody, wintery feel, add golds to go more glam or even add subtle prints for a cute boho feel.

CREATE ATMOSPHERE WITH A MOODY FEATURE WALL

Ah finally some darker colours! Feature walls can add so much to a bedroom, and come in so many different forms too. What we love about this bedroom is the dark feature wall. The herringbone tiling effect adds interest and textured, which works wonderfully with those blue walls. Plus, it would be so easy to change the look up too. Paint the walls white and voilà, a completely different space.

MIX AND MATCH FOR A MODERN TAKE ON A BOHO BEDROOM

While old furniture in a bedroom can look lovely, it’s sometimes not the most practical. Drawers that don’t open properly, bedside tables with uneven legs, wardrobes with doors falling off their hinges? Yes, it’s a familiar set up. But why not keep that vintage bedroom, boho look with smaller infrequently used pieces of furniture and accessories, but pick modern pieces for the more heavily used items. The overall result is actually really cool.

MAKE BEDROOM STORAGE STYLISH AND DISCREET

Storage is a must-have in a bedroom, but trying to squeeze in a place to keep all your clothes, bedding, shoes and more, can be tricky. And for this reason we say keep your storage as discreet and possible so your room isn’t just overwhelmed by furniture. Make use of alcoves so wardrobes and drawers can be tucked away and pick small pieces of storage furniture that are going to add some style to the room as well as being practical – case in point this wooden blanket box.

OR, USE AN OPEN STORAGE SYSTEM FOR DECORATION

Of course, bedroom storage doesn’t always have to be practical, you can use it to add some personality to your bedroom too. Pick storage that has both open and closed options so you can hide clutter behind doors and keep your prettiest things on show.

WAP OUT BULKY BEDSIDE TABLES FOR BUILT-IN SHELVES

If bedside tables are compromising your space, you can swap them out for shelving, painted to match the wall behind. The lower they are, the bigger the bedroom will feel, too.

PICK STATEMENT LIGHTS FOR BEDSIDE TABLES

‘Think about what feel you’re after in the bedroom, is it calming and pared back, warm and cosy or something with a more opulent flavour, then create your lighting scheme around that,’ says Rohan Blacker, Founder, Pooky. ‘In general, keep bulbs shaded with material as opposed to glass, unless you want to use the light source for reading. If you’re a book lover, directional wall or desk lights are far more effective than lamps with lampshades, but they are less equipped to create warm, ambient light.’

ADD CHARACTER WITH ANTIQUE EFFECT TASK LIGHTING

Looking for bedroom lighting ideas? Well a bedside light is obviously an essential. We love the seamless look that comes with a wall mounted bedside light, no wires and perfect if you want to keep the space on your table totally clear. They are also great in smaller bedrooms if you cant fit in a bedside table.

EXPOSE BARE FLOORBOARDS FOR A PRACTICAL AND SOPHISTICATED FLOORING CHOICE

Floorboards are a really practical choice in a bedroom, they are easy to keep clean, work with any style and of course look lovely. If you are concerned about keeping the room warm, then rugs are the answer. Invest in a larger rug to keep the heat in and stop it being too noisy under foot, and then add smaller rugs over the top.

OR KEEP THING COSY WITH A CARPET

Carpet is another obvious choice for a bedroom. They are great for adding warmth and cosiness. Go for something relatively neutral on your bedroom floor so it’s not the focus of your room and can cope with whatever style you add to your space.

ADD PLENTY OF HOUSE PLANTS FOR AN EASY BEDROOM UPDATE

House plants are such a great way to add some colour into a bedroom. Mix up the size of plants you choose and have them all at different levels to create a proper jungle feel.

INCORPORATE A SMALL STYLISH WORKSPACE

We are all working from home a lot more at the moment, and for some of us it might become a full-time thing. If you are squeezed for space in the rest of your house, or rent a room and need to create a home office, the bedroom is the place to do it. You want a home office to fit seamlessly into your bedroom, so pick furniture and accessories that match the room’s style. Let’s be honest you don’t want a massive ergonomic office chair and huge cumbersome desk, so go for slimline, stylish office furniture that could even double up as a dressing table.

CREATE CALM WITH A LIGHT COLOUR PALETTE

For a truly chilled out ambiance, be sure to keep your decor – window dressings and the like – light in colour. You can still add some dark hues like in this room with the headboard, but otherwise choose light and breezy tones for the defining features of the space.

GET A COOL SCANDI LOOK WITH WOOD PANELLING

More about simple and Scandi than dark and moody? You’ll love this oak wall covering, then. Behind the wall, there’s actually bespoke wardrobes made from MDF carcasses, but the covering is engineered oak flooring (there’s that topsy turvy floor-to-wall trend again!), which looks amazing contrasted with the plain white walls. This also shows that a feature wall doesn’t have to be behind your bed, either – use bespoke joinery like this to highlight interesting shapes or dramatic ceiling heights to amazing effect.

ADD ENERGY WITH CANARY-COLOURED SHUTTERS

After colourful bedroom ideas but not sure where to start? Shutters always look lovely in a rainbow of colours, plus they are perfect if you just want a pop of brightness as when they are open they won’t look as dramatic. This sunny yellow is so cool, and works well with other hints of yellow dotted throughout the rest of the room.

CLASH PATTERNS AND USE LAYERING FOR DRAMA

Prefer a maximalist look? Use curtains to add pattern and start to build from there. Choose prints and colours for the rest of the room that will both complement and contrast the existing patterns. We adore the clear colour palette of this bedroom idea, and it’s the contrast of patterns that adds that eclectic touch.

34/34 SLIDES

Then, start shopping for paint. These days, you can find chalk paint everywhere from Target, to the Home Depot, to Amazon.

Chalk paint has come a long way, and you can even get chalk paint that you can tint to any color you’d like now, which opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Once you’ve decided on color, it’s time to get painting.

Step 3: Start painting

What’s that you say? You think I missed the part about prepping the furniture? You think I forgot to mention that you need to sand your furniture down first? I’m happy to report that I did not in fact forget to mention that step. No sanding necessary!

By far, the most difficult part of refinishing furniture the old-fashioned way is the sanding. Sanding isn’t my favorite activity. It takes a really long time, and can also be a bit of a workout. My favorite thing about chalk paint, however, is that there is no sanding required.

Chalk paint adheres to almost any finish without sanding, and even better- it dries incredibly quickly. It is a lot thicker than your everyday latex paint, and so a lot of times, you may even be able to get away with one coat. So, paint away, and if you do need more than one coat, you just have to wait until the paint appears dry and has a chalky finish in order to apply another. I love to roll chalk paint on for a smooth finish but using a paint brush with a light sand between coats to avoid brush strokes works too.

Note, that while you may not have to sand, if your piece looks dirty, dusty, or generally gunky, give it a good scrub before you paint to ensure a more even finish.

Step 4: Finish the piece

Once your piece is painted, you will notice that the finish of the chalk paint is, well, chalky. It may appear dull, and if that doesn’t bother you, you are welcome to leave it that way. However, I do recommend applying a protective finish of some kind.

My personal preference when using chalk paint is a finishing wax/finishing paste. This is made specifically for chalk paint, and applying it is incredibly easy. All that is required is an old rag or a paper towel. You will also find brushes specifically for applying the wax, but I have had good luck with just applying it with a piece of an old t-shirt.

If your color choice was light, there are tinted waxes that can give an antiqued look to your piece, but you can also opt for a clear wax. Apply the wax and give it some dry time, and I promise that you will love the finished product. The wax gives a beautifully smooth finish, while protecting your piece at the same time.

If you want something glossier, or are using the furniture piece in a high-traffic or high-touch area, you can also finish it with a traditional polyurethane.

And there you have it- a brand new piece of furniture for your home! I can’t even tell you the number of things in my home that I have chalk painted. There are chairs, dressers, hutches, picture frames… the opportunities are honestly endless. And the best part is that all it cost me was a few dollars for a can of paint, and an hour or two of my time.

I’d definitely chalk that one up as a win.

About our expert

Liz Hartmann is a mom, lover of all things DIY, and creative thinker who chronicles her home renovation adventures on her blog, Miss Liz Did It. She’s DIYed everything from faux marble countertops and shiplap walls, to woven headboards and bunk beds. Follow her on Instagram at @MissLizDidIt.