Piano Make Over--Using Homemade Chalk Paint

This project was a learning experience and definitely one I'm going to repeat!
My mom came down and helped me chalk paint my piano--we had so much fun and are now looking for other pianos to paint, including hers! Here's what we did and what we used!

But first, a before picture: 

We got this piano for free! It wasn't in the best condition--it had quite a few scratches and a water mark on the lid, so I didn't feel bad painting over the wood.

I used a recipe for homemade chalk paint that I got from Natalie at My Vintage Porch. There are only three ingredients: paint, water, and calcium carbonate. I ordered mine from Amazon. This bag will last me forever! Finally, I used Valspar paint in the color "Black Heron."

I mixed up the paint, let it sit for a few minutes, then put two coats on the piano. 

Because we used chalk paint, we didn't have to sand it down! I just wiped it off and made sure all of the dust was gone.

After the two coats of chalk paint, I roughed up all of the edges of the piano to give it that rustic, primitive look. Then came the wax! I used an antique wax first which I got from Walmart. The antique wax was the game changer in this project. The Black Heron color definitely went on more gray than I thought it would. Adding the wax warmed up the color and made it appear muted. I'm so happy with it!

Applying the wax took a little trial and error. We ended up brushing on the wax and then wiping it/rubbing it in with a damp rag--not too damp though, or you'll just wipe off all your wax! 

We finished it off with two coats of Valspar clear wax, again brushing it on and wiping it off. This time with a dry rag. We let it dry and cure for about 24 hours before putting anything on it. 

And here's the finished product! The color is a soft charcoal black. It adds SO much to this piano. I just love it!

So there you have it! I'll be chalk painting everything from now on! It was so fun and so easy!

Let me know if you have any questions about the process or the products I used. AND let me know if you try chalk painting something! 

grace and peace

Mairin