Quick DIY projects: upcycle your furniture with chalk paint and a one-day makeover challenge

Transform your furniture in one day with a few coats of easy-to-use chalk paint. We took an old chest of drawers and gave it a go for ourselves.

A lick of paint is one of the quickest and easiest ways to update your home's interior.

Whether it's re-doing a room, taking the plunge with a bold new feature wall or upcycling an old piece of furniture, what better time than during one of May's two bank holidays?

But can it really be done in a weekend, or even a day, and is it as easy as it's cracked up to be?

I took an old pine chest of drawers and set a chalk paint challenge — a time limit of four hours. Here's how it went.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 x 1L Chalk paint colour

I used Annie Sloan's Scandinavian Pink, £18.95

1 X 1L Pure white chalk paint for mixing

1 X 1L Old white chalk paint for the frame

1 X 1L Annie Sloan clear wax (from £4.95)

Flat brush and wax brush

Choosing a colour
Colour expert Annie Sloan, who has her own range of paints, suggests spring colours.

“A lot of people choose to use a strong pastel colour with a white, so that the colour made in-between is a light pastel. It’s also important to choose two colours that work well when mixed," she says.

Minimal preparation
One of the major plus points is the lack of prep needed — no messy sanding or priming. It took less than 10 minutes to clean the drawers with wire wool and a damp cloth.

Mixing the paint
This was the only slightly tricky part. I put three tablespoons of Scandinavian Pink into a bowl, painted the bottom drawer and, using a different bowl for each drawer, gradually increased the amount of white paint.

This gave an accurate colour match but used a lot of paint. Another method would be to start with white and add the darker colour slowly for each ascending drawer.

There was plenty of paint for two coats and to cover the insides of the drawers too. I used three coats of Old White on the frame, but two would have been enough.

Wax finish
'Sealing' is just adding a couple of coats of protective clear wax. It's more fun than painting and dries in minutes. Coat painted surfaces twice and leave for 24 hours before buffing with a soft cloth for a glossy look, or simply leave it for a matte look.

Time
Painting the drawers and frame took four hours, but waiting for the second coat to dry before applying the wax took slightly longer. I probably didn't need two coats on all the drawers, so a four- or five-hour time limit is reasonable.

Five top tips

1. Have enough paint

The coverage is great and you don't necessarily need two coats, but leave room for error, especially when mixing colours for the first time.

2. Do you need a wax brush?

It's worth investing in one if you have a few pieces, but if you're just trying out the technique, a soft cloth will do.

3. Sealing with wax

Don't apply too much. Annie Sloan says to 'think hand cream — less is more'. Use a soft, plain cotton cloth to avoid transferring unwanted colour on to your painted surfaces.

4. Leave to 'set'

Be careful with the surfaces while the colour and wax set. "You can use your finished piece straight away, but you may need to treat it with extra care up until the wax has cured completely," says Annie Sloan. The hardening of the wax takes up to 21 days, so use coasters until then.

5. If you hate it

You can always paint over your piece, even if you've waxed it. Just leave it for at least three weeks before trying something else.

Annie Sloan is holding chalk paint demonstrations and workshops at The Country Living London spring fair, at Alexandra Palace, from April 27-30. Tickets are available at countrylivingfair.com