Oh my goodness! When I was asked to paint a dresser for a sweet new baby girl I WAS SO EXCITED! The mother texted me a beautiful photo that had a gorgeous piece of furniture with gold leafing! This is a finish that I had been wanting to try for quite some time! I have done gold leafing in the past but never on a dresser.
Something I think you all are going to like about this painted furniture tutorial is that it is painted in DIY chalk finish paint!! My client Brittany encouraged me to make my own diy chalk finish paint. She said she had painted the dresser before with her own chalk finish paint and that is what she wanted on this piece! (You never say no to a pregnant woman right!? 🙂 The paint that she used had held up great before! I was all for it! I will admit this was my first time making my own diy chalk finish paint! And it was a great experience!! It actually was better than I expected!
Are you ready to learn how to make your own diy chalk finish paint!? AND add gold leaf to your painted furniture!?
Here we go!
Supplies to DIY Chalk Finish Paint and Gold Leafing!
- Valspars Sample Pot Purple Paint
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Measuring Cups
- Paint Brush
- Gold Leaf ( I Used Jolie. Here is also link on Amazon for gold leaf sheets!)
- Modge Podge or (I Used Jolie Gold leaf adhesive)
- Clear finishing wax
Above is a photo of the color Brittany sent me. When I arrived to Brittany’s home she had everything ready! (AMAZING!) I followed this diy chalk paint finish recipe .
Steps To DIY Chalk Paint Dresser
Begin by making sure your surface is clean and free of any dust. This can be as easy as wiping down the furniture with a shop towel. Also remove any hardware and apply painters tape around mirror if necessary.
Once the surface is clean and painters tape is around the mirror you are ready to mix your diy chalk paint! I began by measureing the plaster of Paris and adding the purple latex paint to the mixing cup. Stir well. Your diy chalk paint will have a thicker consistency. Add as much or as little water as you would like!
Once your DIY chalk paint has been mixed well you are ready to paint your project! Begin with even coats of paint being sure to paint in the same direction as the grain. The DIY chalk paint I had made was thicker than the chalk finish paints I have purchased in stores. I only needed one to two coats of paint for this dresser!
After your first coat of paint has dried you are ready to add a second coat of paint! Brush on the second coat of paint starting where you first started with the first coat of paint. Add second coat of paint until you have good coverage.
Let the second coat of paint completely dry. Once the second coat of DIY chalk paint has dried you are ready to add the gold leaf! I began buy adding the gold leaf glue by Jolie Paints. You can also easily make your own with a little watered down glue and water! Create an outline of where you would like the gold leaf to adhere too.
I brushed the Mod Podge on in a pattern that I wanted the gold leafing to adhere. The gold leaf will only adhere to your furniture where you have applied the Mod Podge.
Lightly tap/brush the gold leafing where you applied the Mod Podge. The gold leafing will adhere quickly. Keep repeating this process until you have the gold leafing set in a pattern you like!
After you have applied the gold leafing you can lightly seal your furniture with wax! I used clear furniture wax to seal this project! Take a shop towel or old cotton t-shirt and dip into the wax and begin to add a smooth finish of wax.
Once your project is waxed you can sit back and admire what you have created! GREAT JOB!! YOU DID IT!
What do you think!? Have you tried gold leafing before!? How did it go for you? Leave a comment below!
If you would like to learn more on painting your furniture CLICK HERE.
