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$100 Room Makeover: Creating A Weathered Look with Paint

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I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!

Before I even start this post, I have to take a moment to scream… ’cause this challenge was on the Rachael Ray Show this week! It was the craziest whirlwind of an experience, and I will truly never forget it. Short story: Tuesday I was called by the producer. Wednesday I was on a plane to New York. And Thursday I was filming a segment with Rachael Ray. The show aired on Monday of this week. There are actually two separate segments you can watch. Here’s my segment with Rachael…

… and here’s a video montage they put together of some of my completed rooms…

Okay… now that my 15 minutes of fame has come to an end, let’s talk about the entry I’m working on this month. First, the entry now matches the living room (YAY!). No more beige entry mixed with a gray living room. I still have the navy accent wall to paint, but… progress.

I also gave the entry table a little makeover. This table started out white… Actually, it really started out as a very dark wood, then I painted it white a year ago…

Budget Friendly Entry Makeover

Problem is, it always looked dingy and dirty due to the fact that my kids would put their shoes on the table when coming in from outside (as our pup loves to use our shoes as chew toys). Not only were dirty shoes an issue, but that typewriter (which I love) is super heavy and was creating divots in the table. Because we were going with a lighter paint color on the walls, I decided to completely redo the table to make it look weathered.

I actually tried weathering a piece in our living room, and let’s just say it didn’t go so well; but in every mistake there is a lesson learned. Instead of ditching the idea, I did a little research and discovered a few things I did wrong the first time around, so this time I tried a different method, and I’m happy to report, the table turned out ah-mazing.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!

  • Sandpaper- (Semi-Optional 🙂 )
  • Coco Chalk Paint
  • Dark Wax
  • Paintbrush
  • Old rag or T-Shirt
Directions:

When using chalk paint, you don’t really need to sand anything first, however, because of the divots and general unevenness of the table top, I decided to sand it down a bit. Whether you choose to sand or not, you’ll want to clean the surface of your piece. Once clean and dry, apply your first coat of the Coco chalk paint using a paintbrush.

I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!

As you can see, there was still a lot of the white showing through after the first coat, so I applied another for an even tone under the wax. Chalk paint tends to dry quickly, but make sure it is entirely dry before applying a second coat.

I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!

The image above shows the table with its two coats of paint. Much better coverage.

This next step was where I totally messed up on the piece in our living room. I had seen wax brushes before, and thought that was what I should be using to apply the dark wax. However, I found that the wax went on rather thick and it dried so quickly that it turned out blotchy. After doing a bit of research, I found out that you could use an old rag to apply the wax instead, which gives you more control over how much you are applying. You really don’t need much at all. Take a quarter-size amount, and simply rub the wax with the grain of the wood until I no more wax will spread; then quickly wiped off any excess.

I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!

The real key is quickly wiping off any excess wax. Wax dries fast, so you can’t wait too long or you’ll end up with uneven color. It’s best to work on small sections, rather than trying to apply the wax to a larger area all at once. Here’s a close-up of the table once the wax has been applied.

I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!

Allow the wax to completely dry before moving the furniture. When the wax is “wet”, it has a tacky feel. Once you can wipe a cloth on the surface, without that sticky feeling, the wax has dried.

Here’s the end result:

I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!

Love, love, love this look! The total time spent to paint and wax this table was just a couple hours (which includes drying time), and the results are impressive.

As you may be able to see, I now have a thin piece of wood under the typewriter to help distribute the weight and avoid the divot problem. I plan to paint and wax that piece as well, so it’ll blend better.

Budget So Far…
  • Paint for the Walls- Free (Leftover paint from the office)
  • Weathered Table- Free (Used leftover chalk paint and wax from the piece I tried in the living room)

So far, I have spent $0. Good start 🙂

Remember to check out all the rooms being made over this month using the link-up below the Pinterest image!

Need to catch up or look ahead?

Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4

Want to follow along with the $100 Room Challenges? You can subscribe via email HERE and never miss a post!
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Love it? Pin it!I love the look of weathered wood, but had no idea you could create it with paint. Great tutorial!


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  1. This looks so good!! I love the rag tip!! I am totally new to chalk paint and wax (I’ve been scared to use it but i’m trying to face ALL my decor fears) so I appreciate this tutorial!! Excited to see reveals in a couple of weeks!!

    Reply

    • I am new to chalk paint and wax as well. I wish I’d know the rag trick prior to doing the piece in our living room, but you live and learn. Now, I love the technique so much I want to redo our nightstands 🙂

      Reply

  4. OH MY GOSH! First, CONGRATS on being featured on the Rachel Ray show!!! That is SO amazing and I’m so happy for you! Second, that table looks so pretty! I will have to copy this painting technique because it’s just beautiful! Cannot wait to see the finished space!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much! Going to the show was quite an experience… so fun! The table turned out better than I had hoped (especially after my first try with this technique went so poorly). I am so happy with the results, and now I keep thinking of more pieces of furniture I could update like this 🙂

      Reply

    • This was my first time using chalk paint on a piece of furniture. I have only used it two other times: once on a mason jar, and another time on a wood sign. I have discovered, however, that I LOVE it! It goes on so well and creates such a smooth finish. Will definitely keep using it!

      Reply

  7. This table turned out great! And you were awesome on the Rachael Ray show! I would have been stumbling all over my words, but you looked like a total pro. I had to laugh when you said you didn’t consider yourself creative. What a fun interview!

    Reply

    • Truly, prior to blogging, I didn’t feel creative at all. But, blogging has a way of getting one to try new things and I now LOVE figuring out how to creatively make over a space 🙂

      Reply

  10. The table looks great Erin. And as for the Rachel Ray show… You keep talking about the for as long as you want. it’s a HUGE accomplishment. And you were so calm and composed. Amazing job!!

    Reply

  11. This table is amazing! I’ve had horrible luck with wax in the past, but I think after your post, I’ve realized I’m doing too big of an area at one time and using too much! Great job and major score on the budget! And I think you need a TV show – you’re a natural!

    Reply

    • I didn’t know if I’d ever use wax after that first experience, but the table turned out so well that I now feel like I want to do this on all the furniture in my house 🙂

      Reply

    • Thanks Rachael! It was such an amazing experience. About the table… I knew I really wanted to make it weathered looking, and I wasn’t willing to give up. I knew I had to just be doing something wrong. Thankfully, others shared some great tips that I could try, and I love the way it turned out.

      Reply

  16. It’s because you were on Rachel Ray that I started following you! You’re amazingly awesome! I look forward to learning so much more from you.

    Reply

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