Not your ordinary Queen Annes……Someone asked me after I posted about painting those Queen Anne chairs black in the redesign I recently helped with, to give some instructions on how to do that, so I thought I would. I’ve been painting furniture black for about 6 years now, starting with my kitchen table and chairs way back then. Now, Pottery Barn is onto the trend (along with some other fun colors!) that I think was started by Ballard Designs in their very inspiring catalogs several years ago. I have always loved browsing through the latest Ballards catalog, even though I don’t buy all that much from them, the inspiration is wonderful.
So, in a very humbling moment, here are my table and chairs in their before state from my kitchen in Georgia. You can see I was caught up in the early 90’s decor of dark Hunter green and burgandy. That ivy wallpaper was really very stylish for the time….yes, it really was, LOL. You’ve probably been right there too. When I look back at these pics, I can breathe a sigh of relief that I have learned a lot about decorating after all.So, let’s get started with painting those chairs black…..
I purchased those chairs completely unfinished and stained and polyed them myself . They stayed that way until I decided to paint them black. So, the first step I did was to wipe over them with Liquid Sandpaper. I don’t know how it works, but it does. It deglosses the finish and gets it ready for paint. Just get some of this and I wouldn’t even recommend priming. I didn’t.I used Satin spray paint from Walmart, but you can use any good quality Satin spray paint. Lowes has a line from Valspar that is very good, as is Rustoleum and Krylon. You’ll need about 1 can per chair (if that) . Take them outside in a well-ventilated area with a drop cloth and after reading the Liquid Sandpaper directions and they are ready, begin to spray a light coat of black all over. Try not to let any of it run or if you see that, take a paper towel and blot the drips. Spray a coat, let dry and then go back and touch up as needed.
This is oil-based paint so the finish will dry very nice and smooth. After they were completely dry, I went back with a small hand-held electric sander and sanded off some of the paint in strategic wear spots, which you can see below.
Then I took some wood stain that I had around the house (something like Provencial or Walnut) and rubbed over the bare areas with the stain. This just gives it a nice depth to the distressed areas. You don’t have to distress, but I chose to on mine.
Worn spots that mimic real wear.
Base of the table was painted black also.
Worn spots that mimic real wear.
Base of the table was painted black also.
I went back later and added these appliques with creamy paint added for more of an aged look.
Just adds a little bit of personality to the chairs.
And there you have it…the whole kitchen table and chairs all painted. I’ve enjoyed them like this for 6 years now and can’t imagine changing them back to stained wood (or another color) anytime soon. I really think black painted furniture is a classic now. When I was working for Ethan Allen back in 2003 and ’04, they came out with several pieces of black painted furniture and the trend continues throughout the furniture industry. You can find it everywhere now. So why not take something old and give it an updated look yourself without buying new? Old solid wood furniture are good candidates for this paint treatment. It can totally change the look instantly of a dated piece.
This is our upstairs guestbath and as soon as we moved in, I painted it a dark brown/black called Turret Stairs by Ralph Lauren. Really gave it a nice new look too. This was just plain white laminate, so I did have to prime it well and then gave it 2 coats of paint. There is also now a primer just for laminate, which I’d highly recommend if you are painting a lot of the stuff. It’s pretty slick and can chip if not primed correctly. I used a roller on this piece, as a small foam roller gives a lot of control.
You’ll also probably remember the project (click for details on painting) I did last fall when I bought this cute nightstand for my guestroom and painted it black. I used a foam roller on this too.
It’s very hard to get decent pics of black painted furniture, by the way.
It now looks great with the black painted sleighbed that’s in this room, one that came from a yardsale and I painted black too.
Down in the den is another yardsale find, a solid wood vanity by Henredon that I decided was a good candidate for painting black. 
I sanded down the edges again.
And, it has some nice details on the leg which I highlighted with a little gold Rub N Buff.
And last, this is a chest I picked up for $5.00 at a yardsale, definitely not a nice piece, it’s mostly particle board, but I painted it black and we are using it in the master bedroom until I find just the right antique chest to go in here. I replaced the pulls which cost a lot more than the piece did. In fact, I spotted a very pretty mahogany chest on chest at an antiques store yesterday, which I think I’m gonna go put on layaway. It will fit perfect on this wall and give us so much more storage. Very good price too!One tip I have learned is that spray paint works great on smaller things, like chairs, but if you have a large surface, like a headboard or chest, it’s hard not to get overlap marks with the spray paint, so in those cases, it’s probably best to buy a quart of Satin paint and roll or use a paintbrush. Just something I’ve learned along the way!So, take a look around your house and see if you have some old dated pieces of wood furniture or something else that could use a facelift. It might be that all you need is a few cans of black Satin spray paint to give them a whole new look…for pennies! And if you’re a cottage girl, then you can also consider antique white. I know that’s a really popular look too. In fact, all of those Pottery Barn colors in the above pic are really fun!
Happy Painting!
I am so excited to be meeting another blog friend. Judy from Gracious Southern Living lives in Montgomery and is coming to Birmingham for the day and we are going out on a shopping/junking spree. I can’t wait to meet Judy, since we’ve been talking for a year now. She has a son who lives very near me, so I hope we can meet up more often. Fun, fun!
Lastly, go on over to Pampering Beki’s website for a jewelry giveaway! You have until June 11th to get your name in the hat….who doesn’t love new jewelry? Sign me up!
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Am I first???? I have always loved your “Ballardized” projects, Rho, as well as shopping the Ballard’s Outlet here in ATL! I am sure this post will have many itching to find something to paint!
Love the black painted furniture! I have a bathroom cabinet in a half bath that would probably look better black! Your pics are motivating for sure.
I am so envious of your shopping trip….I bet you know all the cool places to shop in B’ham!
Diane
Rhoda, this was great of you. I love all of your pieces.
I had the vanity in one of our bathrooms painted black, and I love it.
Black is definitely high impact and elegant.
Excellent tips thanks Rhoda, wow another blogger you sure do get around LOL, I don’t really know her, I will have to check her out !!
Have fun,
Kathy 🙂
Rhoda, Glad that your little goodie made it home. I LOVE your black style. I too go nuts when finding a piece that I can paint and bring new life to. Thank you for the idea of liquid sandpaper. To think I was doing it the old fashion way, ick…. Hope you have a peaceful weekend. Im off to find some treasure. Who know’s maybe I can paint again! Susie H
Oh I love this!! I think I could do this in my main bathroom. I have been wanting to do something different and this could be just the thing. 🙂
I’ve always loved those chairs, Rhoda.
We have several pieces of black furniture. I love it! I have a table, here in the “lodge”, I’m planning to “Ballardize” soon!
Great post!
Have a wonderful time, today and say hi to Judy, for me!
Pat
This is FABULOUS!!!! I just decided to paint our bedroom furniture black and was wondering about the best way to do it! This was perfect! I’ll post pictures when our project is finished. Thanks so much for the great advice!
Love the use of black paint, gives some older pieces a lot of character and when it goes out of style, there is always another color waiting its turn to be stylish.
Janet
Oh Rhoda, you are such a “natural” decorating talent!! Beautiful transformations on the furniture pieces!!
Blessings,
Sher
You’re so talented. I love your ideas. I’ve “discovered” using black in decorating and I just love the look. But I wasn’t sure how to paint some of these things. Thanks for the tips. I think I will go out and buy some black spray paint and see what I came come up with.
Another GREAT blog from you today! The liquid sandpaper is a wonderful tip…I’m now anxious to try my hand at painting something black… 🙂 Brown-Eyes
I haven’t tried that liquid sandpaper but I think I will on my next project! Your painted things look beautiful!
There is a spray version of liquid sander, now, which is straight from heaven. I used it to strip the varnish on my kitchen table and it’s safe to use inside. It stinks, but it’s safe. 🙂
Your black furniture looks great. I’m a cottage girl myself, but I am really beginning to like having a few black pieces around.
Rhoda love love love the pieces you have redone! Thanks so much for sharing all of your creativity, you make it look so simple. I may try it this summer too. Thanks for the info. on liquid sander never knew about that one. I so love to visit here and see all the talent you have, whether pics, decorating, cooking, you always have great post!
I hope you have fun on your shopping trip with you blogfriend.
Have a beautiful day.
Smile 🙂
Sheila
What an awesome post! Great suggestions! I recerntly painted my kitchen cabinets black and I love them so much better. It looks so streamlined in there now. You can see a before and after on my blog if you search.
Ok, a think I am about ready to have you over. I will hang my head in shame at you seeing the sad state of my home, but I need HELP!
Have a great visit!
So wonderful! Thank you for the tutorial.
i have heard about liquid sandpaper but didn’t know you just wipe it on–genius!
everything looks fabulous–of course!
I love the black furniture – Thanks so very much for the tutorial – I am very much a visual person. You can tell me all day long, but I really need to see it done!!
Thanks again – love your table and chairs…
Thanks for sharing! I’ve been looking for wooden chairs to replace our current ones. Today a friend called asking if we wanted six wooden chairs for free. We’re blessed! I love how your chairs turned out and I’m going to do the same treatment to our *new* chairs. I posted on my blog and linked to yours. Thanks again!