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  • Writer's picture Leigh @ Sage+Hearth Home

Driftwood Knock Off Paint Finish - Quick & Easy DIY

Updated: May 5, 2019

Are you looking for new furniture? We've all been there, staring at our outdated furniture pieces wishing we had the budget for new pieces. Heck, I was their last week, strolling the furniture store isles. We loved that furniture 10 years ago but our styles have changed or maybe your not such a fan of dark wood as you used to be. Time for a change right! Well have you considered painting your pieces? As a furniture painter I tend to see the potential in outdated pieces such as these. Follow along and see how I changed these with the magic of Country Chic Paints.

Flea Market Flip Makeover

I picked up these outdated nightstands at a local flea market for $40, but you can use your own furniture to give them a makeover. Now I'm going to show you how to turn these dated cherry stained nightstands into something beautiful!


Furniture Makeover With Country Chic Paint

What you will need:

- Country Chic Paint (I used 16oz. Driftwood & 4oz. Vanilla Frosting)

- Country Chic Wax 4oz. (I used their Natural Wax)

- Paint Brush

- Rags (For Cleaning & Wax application)

- Paper Towels & Paper Plate

- New Hardware (Optional)


Here Are The Country Chic Paint Products I Used.

Now before we get started give your furniture piece a good cleaning! This is one of the most important steps, we need to remove the years worth of grease and grime. Once you've cleaned your piece, we're ready for paint!


I love Country Chic Paint products, they're paint is a All-In-One Clay Based Decor Paint. Country Chic Paints are eco-friendly, little to no odor, require no priming (in most cases), they dry fast and they have a beautiful collection of colors! I love them so much that I carry them in my store. If you're local you can pick them up at Kings Antiques And More, if not you may order them online at Country Chic Paint.


Are you ready?!?! Let's get started!


First we'll start with Country Chic "Driftwood". It is a dark tan with gray undertones. You'll apply one-two coats until you have even coverage over your furniture piece. Before applying your second coat or moving to the next step, allow your furniture to fully dry. Depending on the humidity, it should dry within 30 minutes to 2 hours.


*Make sure you have no drips, clean them up with your brush before they dry.


Country Chic Paint in Driftwood

Alright here's the next step that will completely change the look of your painted piece. For this step you'll need a clean & dry paint brush, paper plate and a paper towel. Pour about a teaspoon of Vanilla Frosting onto your plate.


Next you will apply just a touch of paint onto the ends of your paint brush. I usually stipple the paint I have on my brush onto to a napkin to remove any excess. We need our brush to be almost dry with paint.

See there's hardly any paint and that's just what we need! This technique is called dry-brushing. To much and it will not turn out as we'd like. So the next step is to brush on in even long strokes horizontally with very little pressure. Go with the wood grain!

You'll see it start to take shape and you'll get a feel for how much paint/pressure you'll need apply with your brush. Don't worry if you make a mistake you can always clean it off with a damp rag and start over. Country Chic Paint is very forgiving that way.


Once you've dry-brushed horizontally, you'll want to do cross sections vertically. This will give your piece even more dimension and depth. Keep working until you have a look your happy with. I also hit any edges and details with a little extra dry-brushing to highlight the details and make them pop even more.


Now it's time to seal your work with Country Chic's Natural Wax. Now this step is completely optional, the paint has a built in sealer. If you choose to skip waxing your piece you will still be left with a durable and beautiful piece, you will just have a matte finish. Waxing will give it a satin finish.


Apply wax in a circular motion, making sure to work it into your paint. Wax will also act as a barrier against accidental spills later on, so make sure you have full coverage. Now the next step is to buff off the excess with a clean, lint-free rag (I use old t-shirts). Keep buffing on a clean side of your rag to ensure you've removed as much excess of the wax as possible. You should be left with a satin finish.


Congratulations! You've completed your piece! Now give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it. See how easy that was and the best part is you completed this project for under $50!






Let me know if you try this technique and what you thought of your finished project! I'd love to hear how it went and if you have any feedback.


I should also mention, I decided to paint right over the existing hardware. However you may remove yours and replace with new hardware.


Thank you for following along! Stay tuned for even more DIY Projects!

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