How To Chalk Paint Bar Stools With General Finishes Chalk Paint

ByChelsea @ Making Manzanita Updated on DIY, Painting
I took these wooden bar stools out of the 90s and into a fresh farmhouse style with chalk paint! These painted bar stools turned out so good! You'll love this step-by-step tutorial on how to chalk paint bar stools.

This painted bar stools tutorial is brought to you by General Finishes. I received product samples for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Also, this post contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend anyway! Read my full disclosure here.

How many times have you seen wood furniture on sale (or even for free) at yard sales, Facebook groups, and Craigslist, and KNEW that it would look amazing with just some paint?!

That’s exactly what I thought when my mother-in-law sent me a picture of these bar stools. She knew I had been on the hunt for bar stools and they were in a home that she was selling. I couldn’t wait to give the bar stools a chalk paint makeover.

Table of Contents

shows a white bar stool in a kitchen with 3 general finishes paint sitting on it with overlay text that says chalk paint bar stools general finishes chalk style paint

Related: See how chalk paint transformed this vintage bread box and the table base on this kitchen table. Then learn the difference between chalk paint and regular paint and milk paint vs chalk paint.

But, life got busy and so they sat in our kitchen…. for about 4 months. It seemed so daunting.

Even though they were going to be painted with chalk paint (which is known for being a “no-prep” kind of paint), I knew I wanted to prep the bar stools well and prime them.

Since the bar stools will get a lot of use, I wanted to make sure they would stand the test of time…even if it was a few extra steps.

But, since I knew it would take some extra time….so I kept procrastinating on this painting project.

You know what? I even started the painting project….got them all sanded, brushed on 2 coats of primer to prep the bar stools for chalk paint….and then got too busy to continue working on them.

So they sat for even longer out in the garage.

Sometimes this good ‘ole blog is great for a good kick in the pants to get projects like this done! I knew I needed to share these bar stools with you, so I got busy and finished them up.

In this post, I’m going to show you all of the steps that I took to give these wooden bar stools a farmhouse-style makeover with chalk paint.

Chalk Painted Bar Stools: Video Tutorial

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How to Chalk Paint Bar Stools: Step-by-Step!

Supplies needed for chalk painted bar stools:

Wooden bar stools sanded down, ready to be primed for painting.

1. Lightly sand bar stools with 220 grit sandpaper.

Typically chalk paint is known for “no sanding prep”, but General Finishes recommended a light sanding…. so I followed directions. It wasn’t that big of a pain though.

2. Prime bar stools.

Prime bar stools with General Finishes Stain Blocking Primer.

Since the bar stools will get used a lot, I wanted to be sure to prime them well. I applied two coats of the stain-blocking primer.

3. Paint bar stools with chalk paint.

Paint bar stools with chalk paint. I did 2 coats.

4. Distress the painted bar stools (optional).

Distress chalk-painted bar stools….Ok so, yes…this is not done yet.

I still can’t really decide if I want them distressed or not, so I’m going to wait a couple of weeks before I decide. What do you think?

5. Seal painted bar stools.

Seal with Top Coat. After you’re done painting, you definitely want to seal the bar stools so they can withstand heavy use.

Three white chalk painted bar stools sit lined up at a breakfast bar.
A close up look at the legs of a chalk paint bar stool, painted with General Finishes white chalk paint.

Are you as shocked as I am? These wooden bar stools were straight out of the 90s when we got them with the orange color finish.

After a chalk paint makeover, they have that farmhouse style that I was really aiming for.

Three bar stools painted with white chalk paint, lined up at a kitchen breakfast bar.
How to chalk paint bar stools - these three swiveling bar chairs are painted with General Finishes chalk paint for a farmhouse style finish.

After I stopped procrastinating on this painting project, it was really a breeze!! I love how these chalk paint bar stools came out. They really lighten up our kitchen space.

If you loved this, be sure to check out these other chalk paint furniture ideas!

How to chalk paint bar stools! Learn how to give these plain bar stools a farmhouse style makeover with General Finishes chalk paint.

Have you used chalk paint to makeover thrift store furniture??

Let me know in the comments below!!

Further Reading – More Chalk Paint Articles & Projects

How To Make Chalk Painted Bar Stools

How To Make Chalk Painted Bar Stools

Active Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $125

Love farmhouse style? Here's how to take plain wooden bar stools and spruce them up with General Finishes chalk paint.

Materials

Tools

Instructions

  1. Lightly sand bar stools with 220 grit sandpaper.
  2. Prime bar stools (2 coats).
  3. Paint bar stools with chalk paint (2 coats).
  4. Distress painted bar stools (optional).
  5. Seal bar stools.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Chelsea @ Making Manzanita
Project Type: Painting / Category: DIY
Chelsea @ Making Manzanita

Chelsea is the founder of Making Manzanita - a DIY and renovation blog - where it's all about making your house a home you love one DIY at a time. Chelsea and her husband, Logan, have been renovating homes since 2015 and have seen the sweat equity pay off. They enjoy teaching readers how to renovate with confidence. As an influencer, Chelsea has collaborated with brands like The Home Depot, Etsy, Behr Paint, DAP Products, Walmart, Frog-Tape, and Kreg Tools. Making Manzanita has participated in One Room Challenge and was a finalist in the Fall 2019 Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge.

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24 Comments

    1. Thanks Angela! Yes, our floors are Harmonics brand from Costco and the color is Camden Oak. We installed them ourselves and found them on sale for $10 off a box, which saved us almost $1,000!! They go on sale every so often if you keep an eye on them at Costco.

      Reply

  11. Love how these turned out. Thanks for sharing the type of paint you used. There’s so many options and I never know what type of paint to use for different projects!

    Reply

  12. I have to make over two chairs with the same legs of yours and I’ve been procrastinating them for too long, ugh! You made a wonderful job with yours, I am jealous! Do you can to come and finish mine? I can make Spanish omelet or paella in exchange 😉

    Reply