Behr Chalk Paint Review

Is Behr chalk paint and Behr chalk paint wax any good?! We tested them out on this mini buffet makeover. So here’s our Behr Chalk Paint Review and details on how we used the Behr chalk paint and wax on a furniture makeover.

Get more tips, tricks and furniture makeover ideas here.

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This week I tried Behr Chalk Paint and wax for the first time, and here is my quick little review on if Behr Chalk paint is any good.

I tried it out on this mini buffet that I started on in last week’s YouTube video on how to remove stain from detailed wood.

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Painted Buffet Makeover with Behr Chalk Paint Review

Supplies Used:

• Truly Olive Behr Chalk Paint
• Behr Decorative Wax
• Wax Brush
• Krud Kutter
• Shellac
• Tack Cloth
• Wood Filler
• Lint Free Rags
• Shop-Vac
• Paint Sprayer
• Paint Filters
• 3×4 Vacuum Compatible SurfPrep Sander Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order

How to Use Behr Chalk Paint on Furniture

1. Prep and Repair Furniture for Paint
2. Paint with Behr Chalk Paint
3. Distress
4. Seal with Wax

Step One: Prep and Repair Furniture for Paint

Before I could start painting though, I had to make a few repairs with the veneer and prep the buffet for paint.

I started by cleaning the whole buffet with my favorite cleaner, Krud Kutter. Cleaning before painting not only makes it easier for the paint to stick, but it also gives me a chance to look over the piece really well.

Learn more about how to properly clean furniture before painting here!

And that’s when I saw how bad the veneer really was on one side.

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So I removed the veneer on the one side, and the veneer on the backside of the door as well.

Some of it came off really easily with just my scraper, but for the really stuck-on parts, I called in reinforcements to get it off.

Check out our post on the easiest way to remove veneer if you’re having the same issues!

Then I wood filled, scuff sanded the whole buffet, vacuumed off the dust, and wiped it all down with a tack cloth to remove any remaining dust.

Prime to Prevent Bleedthrough

One last thing before I could start painting with Behr chalk paint, I primed the buffet with my favorite clear primer (clear shellac) that blocks the wood and stain from bleeding through the paint.

This is one thing that I definitely never skip on!

But especially after removing the veneer from the side and the door, I knew there was a big potential that I could have bleed-through issues. (See below!)

So we took the buffet out to the garage and sprayed 2 coats of clear shellac all over the piece, but especially over the door and side of the buffet.

Then I let the shellac dry overnight.

Repairing and prepping this piece for paint was a beast!! But it’s finally time to paint!!

Step Two: Paint with Behr Chalk Paint

I decided to try spraying the Behr chalk paint, so I mixed up the paint and then dumped it through a paint filter and into my paint sprayer container.

Read through this post to learn more about painting furniture with a sprayer.

The color I used is this gorgeous olive green called Truly Olive.

Then I poured a little bit of water into the paint and mixed the water and paint really well.

I ended up using about half of the quart of paint on this buffet.

I sprayed a few even, thin coats of the Behr chalk paint all over and inside the buffet, and then I let it dry for about an hour or two in between coats.

When I checked on the paint after the first coat, the back of the door where I had removed the veneer had some bleed-through issues still, so I took the door back out to the garage and sprayed it with another 2 coats of shellac to block the stains from coming through the paint.

Click here to learn more about bleedthrough and other ways to prevent it from ruining your paint job!

After the shellac was dry, I brought the door back in to finish spraying everything with a couple of coats.

Step Three: Distress

After everything had a chance to dry for a couple of hours, I brought it out of my spray booth to sand and distress it.

I used my favorite sander, the Surfprep sander, with their foam pads that make it possible to use a power sander on curves.

The goal was to distress the edges a little bit so I could see the wood on the details, but I also wanted to sand everything down just a little bit to make it even more smooth.

I used the ½” foam pads in fine grit to distress and sand everything down.

Or if sanding isn’t your thing, read this post about 6 different ways to distress furniture!

Then I vacuumed off all of the dust and used a tack cloth to finish getting off any remaining dust.

Step Four: Seal with Wax

To really test out the Behr chalk paint, I decided to test out the Behr wax to seal the chalk paint.

I used a wax brush that I had on hand to brush a small amount of wax all over the chalk paint.

After I brushed the wax onto a smaller area, I brushed the wax in the same direction to help avoid weird streaks when it dried.

By the time I was done staining the legs, the wax on the rest of the buffet was dry and ready to “buff”.

I just used a lint-free rag to rub over the wax a couple of times.

You can feel the wax go from being a little bit sticky to being nice and smooth.

I also tried to rub the wax in the same direction to help avoid streaks again.

Read more about waxing furniture and other topcoat options in this post!

Staining the Raw Wood Legs

To stain the legs, I used some Annie Sloan dark wax and another wax brush that I had on hand.

I love using dark wax to stain raw wood, especially legs like this!

Then I added a new bronze knob to the door, and removed the wheels from the bottom of the legs.

Here’s how the buffet looks now!

I love the contrast of the stained legs with the olive green chalk paint!

Behr Chalk Paint Review

The paint sprayed on beautifully and leveled out nicely! I didn’t have any issues with how it sprayed at all.

It also dried pretty quickly like you would expect a chalk paint to do, and it had good coverage as well!

I love how it feels when it’s all dry. It feels softer and less gritty than most chalk paint.

When I sanded it down, I didn’t have any durability issues with it scratching off, so it looks like it will be a really durable finish!

Honestly, I can’t wait to use Behr chalk paint again!

**Update: I used Behr chalk paint again on a dresser makeover. I brushed it, and I honestly didn’t care for it. It left a lot of brush marks behind and it took more coats.

It’s a great option, especially when you can save 10-15 bucks per quart compared to some of my favorite chalk paint brands.

Behr Chalk Paint Wax Review

The Behr Decorative Wax brushed on easily and really added some depth to the chalk paint.

It is a little harder than some of my favorite soft waxes, but it definitely isn’t too hard by any means.

But my favorite thing about it is that it doesn’t have a strong smell like some other brands of wax!

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Related Makeovers

• Behr Chalk Painted Dresser Makeover
• Olive Green Painted Buffet
• Black Painted Antique Buffet
• Dark Green Buffet Makeover

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