Do you need to seal chalk paint on furniture?

[Puddin]

Hello all

I am upcycling a set of drawers and have used chalk paint on cabinet part, do I need to seal it now its painted. Read that it should be sealed with a wax is this right or can it be left just painted. It looks fine so I am unsure.

The projects that I have seen on this site have given me the push I needed to give it a go, this is my first attempt. So thanks to all those that have inspired me.  

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Puddin. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about applying chalk paint.

It is wonderful to hear you've been inspired by the projects you've seen here.

It would be best to follow the manufacturer's directions on their product. If they're advising to seal the chalk paint with wax, it's likely for a good reason. Dulux chalk effect paint instructions recommend sealing it with their clear top coat, which provides additional protection, especially on surfaces like table tops. Due to chalk effects ultra-matt finishes, they can easily mark and are hard to clean, and the oils on fingertips will leave stains.

If you are happy with the finish, you could leave it un-sealed; you just need to be aware that you'll likely need to touch up spots in the future.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Mitchell

[Noyade]

Morning @Puddin 

We spent a small fortune on Porter's Chalk a few years ago painting furniture and sealing it with their polyurethane product. Now that time has elapsed - we would tackle things differently.

In the end it had a rather poor surface durability.

The instructions say you can apply it to pre-painted/stained/varnished surfaces without sanding prior but our experience showed these coatings did leach through the chalk paint over time.

[daniknight4]

Hi @Puddin 

It's not really advice because I'm just sort of experimenting as I go along but I recently painted a coffee table in chalk paint that I made myself. I thought I would seal it after to prevent stains from food and drink and so I looked at Bunnings products. I saw a beeswax product and one comment on that was they used it for their chalk paint workshops so I thought that should be fine. I applied about 3 coats of chalk paint and lightly sanded in between each coat, I didn't use any primer or stainblocker, and then at the end I applied the wax per instructions. 

I was just looking at the table yesterday, having a coffee:), and thinking it's such a beautiful finish, it looks so smooth and creamy. 

My husband accidentally spilt some drops of petrol on it the other day when he was mowing and I thought that it was going to leave big marks but you can only slightly slightly see them and I think that's only because I know they're there no-one else would notice. 

I have done a video on it and you can see my process and result if you're interested, but I did think the wax gave it a lovely finish:)https://youtu.be/9O0kFaJPCZ0 

[Puddin]

Thanks Mitchell 

I appreciate the quick reply and advice, will use the clear top coat. Sorta had a bit of an accident and had some paint covering that bit of instructions. 

[Puddin]

Thanks Noyade

I have used an undercoat sealer on one set of drawers that was varnished, the other set I stripped back to bare wood and painted it directly so will see how they compare over time. Your right the chalk paint is expensive so would rather not muck it up. In saying that I am a real starter amateur so am bound to make some silly mistakes. 

Great that this group are so helpful and quick with responses.

[Puddin]

Hi Daniknight 

That looks like a great project, I like the distressed look of your coffee table. I will try the wax on another project once I have a bit more confidence.

[MitchellMc]

@Puddin,

I just wanted to mention that adding the Dulux clearcoat will increase the gloss level of your project and give it a slight gloss finish. If you haven't used the Dulux products, then the other option is Matt Clear from Rust-Oleum.

Mitchell

[Noyade]

Afternoon! @Puddin 

"I stripped back to bare wood and painted it directly so will see how they compare over time."

I think that's what we should have done, but we were tired and lazy at the time. I think the results would have been better appearance wise but I still doubt the durability of the sealant we used - I think it was a Cabot's polyurethane product.

This is six years later - looks 'dirty' but that's the varnish/stain slowly leaching out. I just tell observant lookers that it's the new rustic approach to chalk paint. 😁