A quick look through my phone revealed I have over 100 browser windows open, alternating between news articles and home renovation ideas. I couldn’t find, though, the picture that has been stuck in my head for a few weeks now. It was just a painted chair in an entryway, simple, but that’s what I’ve had in mind when Nik and I were making the thrift store rounds on Saturday. I spied these slim chairs with good lines on a top shelf with a $20 price tag.
“For the pair?” I asked the guy.
“Each,” he said, “but the yellow tags are 50% off today.”
Sold. He wrote out a slip and whisked them up to the checkout for me before Nik even made it through the bric-a-brac.
I started to fall in love with them unpainted while taking the before pictures, but I had to go to three stores to actually find chalk paint, so they were going to get painted, if only out of principle.
We put some cardboard down on the floor, broke out the boxed wine, queued up some podcasts and had a painting-and-sip party for two. Not even going to make some crack about wild Saturday nights, cause most nights, home and my wife are my favorite ways to pass the time.
It was my first time working with chalk paint, and to be honest, I didn’t really care for it. At least not the brand I’d finally found at the craft store. It was thick and difficult to make even, but, on the other hand, we didn’t need to sand or prime, which are big points in its favor.
We did a base coat of light blue-gray the first night and finished up the next afternoon with some leaf-green accents. The afternoon light in the room is the best. I curled up on some pillows and took a nap shortly after snapping this picture.
We gave them a matte polyurethane top coat, which shined the dull finish of the chalk paint a little more than I would have liked, but we want the option to use them on the side porch. They would be outside there, but covered, so hopefully that will give them enough protection.
For $30, I’m pretty pleased with how they came out!
The Projectory 
Sorry ladies, but I would cast my vote for the before. I love the shaker look of the chairs but not covering the natural look of wood đŸ™‚ There must be a reason that so much of the wooden furniture is allowed to show its streaks.