Chalk Paint Farm House Shutter Headboard

The shabby chic farm house look is becoming increasingly popular and I really hope it's here to stay for a long time, because I love it! If I could redo my whole house that would be the theme I would choose. This weekend my husband and I took a trip home to see my parents and luckily for me my mother was in need of a new headboard for one of the guest bedrooms. I have been wanting to try out chalk paint, so this was the perfect opportunity!

Here is what the room looked like before the headboard was added. Beautiful, but we definitely need a headboard!

For this project I used two double sliding doors that look like shutters. Not sure of the proper name, but we found them at a local antique shop and loved them!

Supplies
Shutters, 72 inches wide (large enough for a queen bed with 6in extra on each side)
One gallon flat paint (definitely did not need this much, two to three quarts would have been plenty)
Black craft paint
Plaster of Paris
Water
Paint brushes
Fine grain sandpaper
Minwax paste finishing wax
Vaseline
Stir sticks
Disposable plastic bowls
Rags

Now, you can't really tell from the pictures, but they are a different shade to begin with. They were pretty beat up and had knobs on them. Since we painted them a cream color the pictures just don't do them justice, but they turned out amazing!

After researching a few chalk paint recipes I decided to just wing it! I learned a lot doing this, mainly that Plaster of Paris REALLY thickens the longer you work with it. So, my best advice to you is feel it out as you go and make adjustments, because the consistency will change through the length of the project.

To start, sand the areas that you will be putting your distress color (the black color seen in this project). Paint on you black paint and let dry. Once fully dry, cover the spots with Vaseline. Don't be afraid to really glob it on, this will make it easier to distress. Here is what mine looked like...kind of like a cow, hehe!

Now for the chalk paint! For my paint I combined 2 tbs of Plaster of Paris with 4 tbs of water. Stir, stir, stir! Once that is well combined add in about 3 cups of paint and again, stir, stir, stir! When the mixture is all combined, begin painting your shutters. I did two coats, waiting about an hour between each coat. (This paint dries quickly!) If your paint it too think add more water and paint in equal amounts.

Allow the paint to dry overnight before distressing. Use your sandpaper to distress the areas which you painted black. What really helped me was taking a picture beforehand so that I could remember where the black paint was. The Vaseline will also make the top paint crack so the black spots will be easy to find if you use enough. When you are satisfied with your distressing, take a rag and apply a thin layer of the Minwax. Allow that to set for half an hour and then wipe off.

I just love the way these turned out! I think it finishes the room, don't you? Now I have an extra beautiful place to sleep when my husband and I got to visit my parents!