I know what your thinking….wow that was a lot of work and I could never do that. Well STOP! It was not a lot of work. It just took a little bit of time. Trust me, you will thank yourself later. I have had this piano for years. I bought it second hand on a yard sale page. I had it tuned and then it just sat in my living room in all its brown glory for years. I wanted to paint it SOOOOO bad but I just couldn’t commit. Until one day I had enough of that brown eyesore.
I did a lot of research and decided that the best method, that would require the least effort, would be chalk paint. Chalk paint is kind of amazing. Have you heard of it by now? There is NO prep work. By that, I mean no sanding or priming. That’s rights people, just get your paint brush and start painting. How much easier can it be? I knew that I was not about to try and sanding that beast of a piano. So I was so excited to take the dive and just use chalk paint.
Chalk paint can be expensive. There are a million different brands out there. It comes in all different colors as well. A very small can ( I mean the size of a quart) can cost $40. It can last a long time though because it doesn’t take very much. When I painted my paint a few years ago, there weren’t many options to buy chalk paint that we’re affordable. Since that time, everybody and their dog have released their own version of chalk paint. You can now go down to Lowe’s or Home Depot and find a brand for $13 a quart. I have never used these but I’m sure it will be just the same. So I went to Pinterest and found a recipe for homemade chalk paint. The recipe I used called for 1/2 cup Plaster of Paris (found at Home Depot), 1/2 cup warm water, and 1-1/2 cups latex paint. Dissolve your Paster of Paris in your warm water first while mixing well. Then once that has dissolved add the 1 1/2 cups of latex paint. Mix well and get to painting. I used just a regular angled paint brush. Some people say you HAVE to buy a special chalk paint brush but that is NOT true. My regular paint brush worked great. My piano took three coats of paint. I let it dry nice and good between each coat of paint. Also, I only mixed small amounts of paint each time because it doesn’t stay good for long. The paint will dry out and harden after a while so make sure to stir frequently while you are painting too.
Now here is the thing about chalk paint, it is grainy. Just like the name; it has a chalky finish. If you want a smooth polished look then don’t use chalk paint. It also shows brush marks from the paint brush. It is definitely a more rustic / shabby chic / distressed look. That is why a lot of people also sand or distress it after they are done painting too. You can see in my pictures where I distressed the piano to have some of the brown come through. This also makes the paint indestructible. My kids can race cars and bang toys all day long on the paint and it looks just like it was meant to be. This look isn’t for everybody but considering how easy it is, who cares?
Once you have enough coats of paint to your liking, and it has cured, It is time to wax. Now wax, in the chalk paint world, is the same as sealing latex paint with a polyurethane. It is just a protectant layer to seal the chalk paint. A lot of people also recommend buying a special brush and special wax for this too. No need! I used Minwax finishing wax/ paste. It worked great. Just take a lent-free rag and wipe/buff in the wax. make sure to rub it in good until there is a small sheen to the finish.
I didn’t even paint the inside of the lid. I left it brown so I wouldn’t have to mess with spilling on the keys. I’m messy and lazy like that ;). I think it still looks great because of all the brown showing through in the distressed parts. It really was just a little time consuming to sit and paint all three coats. I didn’t have to worry priming, sanding, or any prep. Just mix or buy your chalk paint and brush it on (Just make sure to brush it all in the same direction as much as possible). It’s that simple. Anybody can do it.
