Small Pew Bench Makeover with Chalky Finish Paint

Disclosure: This post sponsored by Americana Décor, but the dream of an old pew bench, the yard sale finds, and opinions expressed are all mine!

Once upon a time there was this girl who lived in a very traditional house who dreamed of living in a very non-traditional, fixer-upper, craftsmen, farmhouse-style house graced with dark wood floors, natural wood beams, lots of white trim and white furniture with a bit of of a beach and rustic style.  And in that craftsmen/farmhouse style home she dreamed of a long old pew bench gracing the entryway… And she even pinned an example on her entryway Pinterest board… 3 years ago!  (original pin here)

So one day while this girl was doing her normal Saturday yard sale shopping she saw this little bench and all she could envision was that it was like a mini version of the old/antique church pew she had wanted for her entryway for a very long time…

 

And the man said it was $10 but he would take a lower offer… so she offered $8 (when she probably should have said $5 but she REALLY wanted it) and couldn’t load it in her car fast enough.

So that’s how this little bench came to live at my house.  But it was in a definite need of a makeover and I couldn’t wait to try out some of the Americana Décor Chalky Finish paint on it.    I used Chalky Finish paint in Everlasting and finished it in dark and clear crème wax.

I had a hard time deciding on doing the entire bench in all white or doing a 2 toned look.  And since I knew I could always paint over the stained seat if I decided on an all white look I went ahead with the 2 toned white/stained look for now and I just love it.

I sanded down just the seat portion and got all the old stain and gunk off and did a coat of dark walnut stain.

Then I taped it off and did 2 coats of white Chalky Finish paint.    No sanding or prep or primer needed – just started painting!

I got some bleed through of the wood/stain through the paint after my first coat.  This has nothing to do with the paint, but with the tannins and stain in the wood.  I had same problem with the mahogany dresser I painted white using latex paint with primer.  And adding more coats will not help – it will bleed through no matter what paint you use or how many coats you do. 

Don’t worry though because it is an easy fix.  I just did one coat of Shellac which is a natural sealer/finisher right over the first coat of paint.  It seals all the wood stain/tannins in and not led it bleed through light colored paint.  I actually realized that DecoArt sells their own sealer/stain blocker and just got some of that so will try that on the next piece I do.

Loved how it turned out!

But the beauty in painting real wood furniture and using chalky finish paint is the ability to create a beautiful distressed look!  The paint distresses very easily and quickly using some fine sandpaper.  Just lightly sand in areas you want to distress – edges, surfaces, along any trim pieces…

I then mixed just a tiny bit of dark wax with a good bit of clear wax and waxed the entire piece.  When the wax dried I buffed it with a clean cloth (an old t-shirt works great!)  It creates a matte finish and protect the paint and the bit of dark wax helps to add more of the rustic/antiqued look.

Now all the curves and the detail on the legs just pops with the white paint and distressing!

It will primarily be used inside but when we hosted a large cookout last week it helped create extra seating on our deck.

And here it is in our entryway along with my $20 painted white dresser and my light turquoise candlesticks also painted with DecoArt chalky finish paint.

It’s a great place to sit to put on shoes or to set my purse on when I come home.  I just love my mini church pew bench!

I just love when you find something you have wanted to have for a long time at a yard sale and a fun makeover makes it fit in your home perfectly.  I truly do treasure my secondhand finds that I have poured love into.

So how would YOU like to win some cash and some American Décor products including Chalky Finish paint to find and transform some of your secondhand finds?  Americana Decor is having a HUGE contest with some amazing prizes (like $2000 cash and $500 in products!?)  I could find some amazing things with that much moola and I am sure you could too!)

Get full details and instructions on how to submit your entry here.  And you can also find more project ideas for using Chalky Finish paint by visiting Americana Décor’s website or by following them on Facebook,Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.