Easy Layered Chippy Paint Finish

Are you looking for an easy layered chippy paint finish for a thrifted piece of furniture? Then you will love this technique! Let’s get started!

The following post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and then buy something, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you! Thank you for supporting my blog. full disclosure here.

how to prep for layered chippy paint finish

This sweet chair that turns into a step stool was staring at me when I walked into my local thrift store. Dark brown, not attractive to regular people, looking all lonely…..it spoke to me!

As soon as I got this step stool home, I cleaned it. The shop owner had wiped it down but I wanted to be sure it was clean. Dixie Belle White Lightning has been my go-to cleaner lately so I gave it a good scrubbing with a solution of the cleaner and hot water.

The next step in prepping for a layered chippy paint finish on a piece like this is to create a resist. Beeswax is the perfect solution for a resist in my opinion. You can see below that I applied it with a heavy hand all over the step stool.

how to mix Dixie Belle paint

My workshop shelving is full of paint but of course, I didn’t have exactly the color I was going for as far as blue is concerned.

So I decided to mix what I had on hand. Dixie Belle Blueberry and In the Navy mixed beautifully together to create a medium blue tone I was looking for.

***BTW, sorry for the blurry images in this post! I filmed the video for you but totally forgot to get still shots! These are all screenshots from the video 🤪 Be sure to watch the YouTube video below!

Of course, I am getting ahead of myself! My mouth often moves before my mind!!😊

Let’s go over the supplies I used for this project – excluding the adorable flip step stool/chair!

list of supplies:

• chunk of beeswax
• Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint – Blueberry
• Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint – In the Navy
• Dixie Belle Synthetic Brush – 2″ Mini Angle
• DB White Lightning Cleaner
• DB Best Dang Wax
• DB Wax Brush
• Sanding Sponge
• Shop-vac
• metal putty knife

I’ve gathered some links for you for this project! Thanks for supporting us by shopping through our links!😊

You can purchase Dixie Belle supplies by clicking the graphic below or in the supplies list above! Thank you!

how to apply Dixie Belle paint

This paint is sooooo easy to use!. Remember when I used it on this Wooden Tool Chest Upcycle? You will see in that post that I used three different colors of Dixie Belle to create a layered chippy paint finish.

Give it a good stir and start to paint! My current favorite brush to use is the Dixie Belle Mini Angle brush because it is easy to hold and the paint just glides on with it!

You can see in the image below how great this paint covers the dark wood. And I just painted right over the beeswaxed areas with no problems.

While the first coat of paint dried, I added more In the Navy to the container to create a darker shade of blue.

I had to wait for the first coat of paint to dry and as luck would have it, I heard the combine in the field behind our house. I grabbed my camera so I could share the corn cutting experience with you! You’ll see it in the YouTube video below. Just a little bit of country livin’ for you to enjoy!

After the exciting walk to the cornfield, I walked back to our patio and saw that the first coat of paint was dry. I added a layer of beeswax over the first coat of paint so that I would have two different colors of paint that would create the layered chippy paint finish.

how to create layered chippy paint

The next step in this process is fun and kinda weird. I grabbed my flat edge small chef’s knife and my putty knife and started scraping off the paint in the areas where I had applied the beeswax.

The paint just comes right off in those areas because the wax is a resist. You can see sections of the original dark wood finish and the first coat of light blue peeking through. That’s because we added beeswax to the dark finish and then again to the light blue paint.

Pretty cool isn’t it? And sooo easy!

I like to smooth out the whole piece with a fine sanding sponge. A worn-out sanding sponge works well too and since I always have a few of those in my workshop, they are easy to find!

Don’t skip this step in creating the layered chippy paint finish on your piece – the sanding helps to remove any marks the putty knife might have created.

shop vac the mess!

Be sure to have a shop vac handy! The flecks of paint will be all over the floor! I vacuumed the stool, the floor, the bottoms of my shoes…. every little spot where the paint flecks might have landed!

does Dixie Belle paint need wax?

Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral paint should be waxed. At least one layer of protection is best plus the wax enhances the color, especially after sanding with the sponge!

The wax leaves a soft luster – not shiny at all! The wax brush is easy to use and creates a thin layer of wax. This wax completely cures in only seven days too! But the piece can be used within an hour of waxing.

In fact, you’ll see me using the wax in the YouTube video. Also, you will see the process to create the layered chippy paint finish in action!

YouTube video

flip footstool and chair makeover

And there ya’ have it! Isn’t this flip step stool/chair perfect for my laundry room?

We gave our laundry room a refresh a few months ago and I have been looking for the cutest step stool for the space. The cabinet area above the washer and dryer is hard to reach so this step stool will be perfect! And it looks cute too 😉

You can see the process for our Laundry Room Refresh in the posts below. Just click the image and head over to see the step-by-step of this little room makeover!

layered chippy paint finish on a step stool

I didn’t grab a shot of this step stool flipped to the chair configuration but you can imagine how good it looks. For the most part, I will use this as a step stool.

It matches the rug in my laundry room perfectly too, don’t you think? In fact, here are a couple of rugs you might like:

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you found this post helpful in learning how to create a layered chippy paint finish for your project!

Hey, if you use this technique for your project, tag me on Instagram so I can see it! I would love to know how it went for you!

Pin the image below to your home decor and furniture boards! Just click the pin button at the top left corner!

---

Join the Thrift Store Decor Tour with my blogging friends!

Each month some of my blogging buddies get together and share their latest thrifted and upcycle projects. This post is included in the round-up. Be sure to check out the amazing projects my friends did on their blogs! All the links are below the image. 😊

• Maryann with Domestically Speaking Christmas Farmhouse Toolbox
• Gail with My Repurposed Life Folding Tray Table Makeover
• Kathy with Petticoat Junktion Small Hanging Christmas Display
• Christy with Our Southern Home DIY Outdoor Two-Tone Furniture Finish
• Kristin with My Uncommon Life in Suburbia Tray Makeover with Peel and Stick Tiles
• Sarah with Sadie Seasongoods Autumn Leaf Dishes for Fall
• Pam with House of Hawthornes Pressed Glassware Makeover
• Carlene with Organized Clutter Repurposed Thrifted Spice Rack
• Suzanne with Shop at Blu Repurposed Wooden Calendar
• Cindy with Reinvented Delaware (me!) Easy Layered Chippy Paint Finish

Thanks for joining our journey!

Thanks so much for joining us for this post! Join our journey so you don’t miss any fun projects, tutorials, and inspiration we share with you each week! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. We share even more inspiration on Pinterest!

Until next time…