This was my easiest DIY project yet!! It’s so easy anybody could do it. This is actually my first post about chalk paint even though I’ve gone through countless cans of it… so you could say I’m a fan of it.
Paint:
I’ve used Annie Sloan chalk paint on my cabinets (post about that coming soon) but this was my first project to use Valspar Chalky Paint. I picked up a can from Lowe’s. The Valspar Chalky Paint is available in 40 colors! I just told them I wanted plain white so that’s what they mixed up for me. It is a bright white without a cream tint to it which is what I wanted.
Gold Paints:
There are a million different gold paints out there and they are ALL different shades of gold. It can be hard matching golds so sometimes you do just have to buy an assortment and try and them out. I really like the Rust-Oleum Metallic Brilliant Metal Finish spray paint for painting metal and hardware. However, in this case I couldn’t take the hardware off the file cabinet so I needed to paint the gold with a brush. Michael’s had a pretty big variety of gold paint but I ended up choosing ArtMinds Brushed Metallics in the color Champagne Gold. To me it was the perfect light gold tone without too much yellow or too deep of a gold bronze.
Sealer:
I used Minwax Polycrylic (Polycrylic is best over white because it won’t yellow) to protect the file cabinet. I chose Clear Matte because I didn’t want a sheen to the finish. This sealer is even water based which I think is more convenient for clean up! It didn’t take much at all so you’ll have it for future projects too.
Now for the process:
I started by taking out the drawers and cleaning the file cabinet.
Then I lightly sanded the areas that were a little ruffed up so the paint would go over more smoothly.
I did two coats of white chalk paint and then two coats of the polycrylic sealer. Apply the polycrylic in LIGHT coats. I definitely recommend doing at least two coats of the polycrylic. Chalk paint scratches easily, which makes it awesome for distressing furniture, but if you’re not going for that look then it’s important to use enough coats of protective sealer or wax.
I used a tiny brush and painted two coats of gold on the hardware.
Then voila I was finished! The longest part is just waiting for the paint to dry between coats.
If you want to check out another file cabinet diy by All Things Thrifty here’s the link. Hers is the prettiest light pink and gold!https://www.allthingsthrifty.com/chalk-painted-filing-cabinet-makeover/
