Chalk paint works well on most bedroom furniture, including dressers, nightstands and wardrobes, and it needs less preparation than many paints. Most of the effort goes into cleaning, spot priming any bleeding wood, and sealing the surfaces people touch. Plan the job around the drawers and hardware, and the rest is straightforward.
Do you need to sand chalk paint?
Many chalk paints are sold as “no sanding”. That is often true on a clean, matt surface, but a light scuff helps on glossy finishes such as lacquer, high-gloss polyurethane or laminate-style surfaces. Test first: paint a small area, let it dry for 24 hours, press tape on it and pull. If the paint lifts, scuff-sand with 180 to 220 grit and try again. Laminate needs a bonding primer even with chalk paint.
Remove drawers and hardware
Take out the drawers, doors and hardware. Label each drawer and its position, and take a photo before you start, so they go back in the same place. Bag the screws by drawer. If you are changing the pulls, fill the old holes with wood filler and sand them flush. Common pull spacings are 3 inches (76 mm), 96 mm and 128 mm centre to centre.
Clean thoroughly
Clean with sugar soap, a TSP substitute or a mild degreaser, then rinse. Bedroom furniture picks up hand oil, lotion and furniture polish. Silicone-based polish in particular causes fisheyes, where the paint pulls away in small craters. Clean the piece twice if you can see any residue, and let it dry fully.
Spot-prime knots and tannin woods
Mahogany, oak and cherry bleed tannins, which show as pink or brown stains through paint. Knots in pine do the same. Seal these areas with clear shellac or a shellac-based primer before you paint. Water-based topcoats can reactivate tannins later, so test or prime first. For the full picture on pine, see can you paint straight over pine.
Paint drawer fronts, not runners
Paint the drawer fronts and the face frame, but leave the drawer sides and runners bare. Paint on the runners makes the drawers stick. Two coats is usual. Whites and light colours over dark wood may need three. Chalk paint dries to the touch in roughly 30 to 60 minutes, and you can usually recoat after one to two hours, though this varies with temperature, humidity and brand.
Smooth and seal
Once the paint is dry, smooth it with 320 to 400 grit sandpaper or a brown paper bag. Vacuum the dust off before you seal.
- Decorative pieces: clear wax is enough.
- Dresser and nightstand tops: use two to three coats of water-based lacquer or polycrylic. Tops take the most wear. Chalk paint durability and the best topcoat compares the options.
Apply wax thinly and buff it after about 15 to 30 minutes. It cures over roughly two to four weeks. Wax is not waterproof, so water rings and perfume can mark it. Do not paint over wax without removing it first. Latex or polyurethane will not bond to it.
Wax the drawer runners
Rub candle or paraffin wax along the drawer runners and the edges where the drawer meets the frame. It helps the drawers slide smoothly, and it is a cheap fix for drawers that stick after painting. For other causes, see how to fix a sticking wooden drawer.
Cure, reassemble and anchor
Leave the drawers out, or slightly open, for several days after painting. Fresh latex-style paint can stick (“block”) when the drawers are closed too soon. Most water-based paints take two to four weeks to cure fully, so use the piece gently in that time. When you reassemble, anchor tall dressers to the wall with an anti-tip kit.
Upholstered parts
Upholstered headboards, bench seats and padded drawers are not wood, and this guide does not cover them.
Safety
- Test older painted pieces for lead before sanding. In the US, paint applied before 1978 may contain lead.
- Wear a dust mask when you sand.
- Anchor tall dressers to the wall; they can tip over.