Painting rush seats with Chalk Paint

There was a time when rush seated chairs and stools we’re all the rage, but as tastes have moved on, in their original state they look tired and dated. That is until you transform them with Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint!

This is one of the quickest Chalk Paint transformations you will see on this site.

Sherry had this small stool which was in fairly good condition, and although the cat liked it it wasn’t in keeping with Sherry’s ‘style’, so she decided to transform it using Annie Sloan’s Country Grey Chalk Paint.

To prepare for the project Sherry simply dusted off the stool, and then watered down the Chalk Paint to a milky consistency. If your tin is half full you could do this in the tin itself, otherwise poor some of the Chalk Paint into a jar, margarine tub etc. and simply add cold water and stir until you have the thin liquid.

Brush this thin paint straight onto the rush seat, starting by painting the underneath first. Don’t soak the rush, but use your brush to get into the layers.

To paint the frame of the stool Sherry used a slightly thicker Chalk Paint / water mixture and painted it straight onto the dark frame, and then used a damp cloth to remove some of the paint. This has given the frame a semi transparent look.

Wax wasn’t applied, and the stool has a chalky flat finish.

People fear that the Chalk Paint will come off on your clothes when you sit on a stool like this, but from experience it doesn’t!