Curbside Stool Turned Plant Stand

From Trash to Plant Stand: The Magic of Valspar Chalk Paint

I'm not sure about any of you, but when I see pieces of furniture on the curb for trash, I can't help but let my mind wander to the potential that piece can hold with a little bit of creativity. While driving into work one morning I saw a stool standing upright among a pile of garbage bags at the end of a driveway. As I drove past the house I thought to myself that I could probably turn this stool into a quick and easy DIY project. I quickly turned around, pulled up to the house, and put the stool in my car. I drove off hoping that they weren't watching me from their windows scoop up their garbage, but hey... one person's trash is another person's treasure right?

The Before

After work, I brought the stool home and wiped it down. Once the cobwebs and dirt were removed I was ready to get started on turning this old stool into a beautiful, functional plant stand.

I decided to use my white Valspar Chalk Paint for this project. I debated back and forth between sanding down the top of the stool and staining it or painting the top and adding grain sack stripes to it. I ultimately decided on the stripes and used painters tape to achieve the design.

I was able to cover the entire stool in two coats of paint. I love using chalk paint because there is no sanding or prep work beforehand, you're able to just clean your project and get straight to work. (I prefer the Valspar brand as I used it on my kitchen cabinets over 4 years ago and it has held up SO well to all the daily wear and tear of life.)









Once the paint was slightly tacky on the top of stool, I put down the painters tape. I purposely did not let it fully dry because I wanted the tape to pull up some pieces of paint when I removed it to add a distressed look. (If you do not want a distressed, peeled paint look, wait for your piece to fully dry before placing the painters tape on your piece of furniture)

I didn't measure for the center of the stool, rather just eyeballed where I thought the tape should be put down. I used a stippling brush and some black paint and filled in the areas between the tape. Once I had fully covered those areas, I immediately pulled the tape up. The tape did exactly what I wanted it to, kept my lines clean and crisp while pulling up some of the white paint.










 The Outcome

I am so happy with the way this stool turned out. It was my first time attempting painting grain sack stripes on a piece, and I really like the way the black stripes contrast against the white chalk paint. I decided not to seal the paint because it is not a high traffic piece. If were going to be used for seating, I would use the clear wax in the Valspar Chalky Paint line to coat the top and legs. 
















I hope this post inspires you to turn something from "trash" to treasure. If you find a piece and decide to make it over with chalk paint and/or grain sack stripes, I would love to see it.

Thanks for stopping by!