I refinished this little bench with “Chalk Paint” by Annie Sloan. The pretty teal color is Florence.

I first primed the old wood with Kilz primer then laid down a light blue I had from a previous project. The intention was to have a base so I could attain a distressed look.

I painted over the entire bench with Annie’s Florence blue, then rubbed with a cloth to distress. Once I had the desired effect, I finished the wood and sealed in the pigment with Annie Sloan’s soft wax. The finish is soft and pretty (not a hard shellac look or feel).

The fabric came from the awesome selection at Jo-Ann’s and it was a matter of cutting to size and stapling tight. This bench took me about 2 hours after I had all the supplies.

To make your own chalk paint, see this tutorial on the DYI Network blog.