chalk paint + my FREE headboard from the side of the road

A few weeks ago I was walking the kids to school and saw this headboard on the side of the road.

I looked over my shoulder because surely someone must've seen it before me and I was going to have to fight them for it.

Because it was SO beautiful and cried out to me...

"Paint me grey! Paint me grey!"

No really, it did.

I texted a photo to Ben telling him of my excitement and got a return message that went something like,

"Please no. Please. Please not another project. We already have so many."

Because ahem...I kind of do this a lot.

I'm secretly a hoarder.

And therefore have TONS of half finished projects and furniture pieces around the house.

But I kept thinking about her all day.

So in the cloak of darkness, I drove back and loaded her into the back of my car.

How was she still there? Did no one hear her pleas to become grey and gorgeous?!

So the next day I ran out to Lowe's because I'd heard they carried a new line of chalk paint by Valspar.

Valspar's literature on their product (both online and in store) was HORRIBLE and I had no idea if this color was grey or brown (and neither did the folks at Lowe's. In fact, they didn't even know they carried it. Whaaa??).

But I lucked out and ended up choosing the perfect color, Opera Gown.

(which randomly is nearly identical in color to Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams, which I've used all around our home already)

Have you used chalk paint before? If not, the big pull for me is...

You DON'T prep!!!

Literally all you need is take a damp cloth to the piece of furniture to remove dust...and then start painting!

Using the round brush (shown a few photos above), I painted thin layers of the paint.

Since there were quite a few areas where that larger brush wouldn't fit well, I grabbed a tiny brush from my Painting Box to get into the beautiful detail.

I didn't buy Valspar's wax for this project, simply because I still had Annie Sloan's from previous projects. But I'm sure Valspar's is great, as well.

Make sure you do use a sealing wax because it not only gives the piece a slight sheen (chalk paint is very flat), but it's also needed so the paint doesn't chip and scratch.

Simply use a cheese cloth to administer a thin coat of the wax and buff it in.

(here are some tips for any chalk paint newbie!)