3 Expert Tips for Decorating with Chippy Painted Pieces
Do you love chippy painted pieces? Here are 3 expert tips for decorating with chippy painted pieces. How to seal, how to DIY, and how to decorate with chippy painted finds. Perfect Vintage rustic painted furniture style!
Do your eyes drool when you spot chippy paint on an accessory or piece of old furniture? I know my heart starts beating a little faster when I find something with a coat of many colors! If I suspect there’s several layers of old paint hiding under the chippiness, I can’t wait to get out my sander or scrub brush and reveal the vintage beauty. Today I’m sharing 3 Expert Tips for Decorating with Chippy Painted Pieces, which will hopefully inspire you to find (or DIY) your own treasures!
Today’s post is part of our Lifestyle of Love series, where a group of us share our love for everything vintage, antique, repurposed and farmhouse. Thanks to Cindy from County Road 407 for being our creative leader! If you’re popping over from Rachel at The Ponds Farmhouse, I’m sure you enjoyed her conversation on “Is painted furniture still in style?” and what’s trending currently. I’ll have the rest of the LOL inspiration at the end.
3 Expert Tips for Decorating with Chippy Painted Pieces
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Why Do I Love Chippy Painted Pieces?
There’s a time-worn charm to chippy painted pieces that you can’t mass produce. Each vintage find has it’s own individual character that it’s earned through the years. I like to say there’s nothing I like better than a bad paint job. It’s the perfect excuse to get my sander out to reveal all those years of color!
Chippy painted pieces provide a great backdrop for photo styling, whether I’m taking pictures of food or DIY crafts I’ve made. If you take a look at many magazine photos, you’ll appreciate the beauty of a chippy find in the background. Surface interest is invaluable.
Chippy painted accessories also add instant character and time worn interest to vignettes. They will make your home totally unique!
Here are my best tips for decorating with chippy painted pieces in your home decorating.
How to Seal Chippy Paint
Often chippy painted pieces are found in dirty places-garages, basements, old sheds and barns. Be sure to scrub them up and seal before you start decorating with them.
Chippy painted pieces can also be lead based paint, so you don’t want chips falling off.
When I find a chippy painted piece, I sand and/or scrub off any loose paint chips. I also sand around any rough edges so as not to get splinters. I always work outside so sawdust is blowing away from me in the wind. You could also wear a ventilation mask.
Metal pieces are scrubbed with soapy wire pads and rinsed with hot water. Let it thoroughly dry in the sun.
Once clean and dry, seal the chippy paint with poly, wax, or oil. My favorite is to brush or spray on a couple coats of polycrylic. It brings out the patina of metal and wood beautifully.
Find all my favorite Vintage Reviver’s resources HERE.
How to DIY Chippy Paint
If you don’t have chippy paint on a piece, but would like it’s character, there are many techniques to DIY it. My personal favorite is to use Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint. It’s a low VOC powdered paint that you simply mix with water. You can brush it on easily and quickly. After a couple coats dries, it cracks in different places and can easily be shabbied with sandpaper to create that beautiful chippy look.
There are many online video tutorials if you haven’t used this type of paint before. It’s a whole new experience, but I think you’ll love the vintage-looking results. I usually seal with their waxes or hemp oil.
Find Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint products HERE and use code 10OFFLB for discount.
How to Decorate with Chippy Painted Pieces
Yes, chippy painted pieces are fun to use in your decorating and throughout your home. But you need to balance them with other textures. Chippy pieces often have a lot of visual interest. Pairing them with a “quieter” partner can allow them to shine and not fight for attention.
The chippy antique door we installed on our pantry shows off it’s character because everything around it is simpler.
This chippy ceiling tin awning has amazing texture. It shows off against the solid painted wall and is quieted by the wood architectural piece.
Simple white milk glass vases are the perfect pairing with this chippy painted galvanized trough.
Yes, chippy painted pieces are beautiful. But more does not always mean merrier. Too much can look like a circus. Balance painted pieces with quieter visuals to enjoy their true beauty.
Hope you enjoyed these rustic painted furniture tips and how to give your home shabby style with character-rich pieces. Especially if you have a new house, chippy painted pieces will add time-worn charm that you just can’t get with new factory-made pieces. Old soul, collected over time style is built with chippy painted furniture and accessory finds.
Enjoy more of our Lifestyle of Love series HERE.
Get more of this month’s chippy paint inspiration from Cindy at DIY Beautify next. You’re going to love how she uses her chippy white pieces for fall!
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I cannot grasp this concept of pieces looking like junk. Sorry all.
Each to their own;) Leave anything you don’t want on the curb; I’m sure someone will gladly pick it up.
I knew you would have lots of chippy goodies to show us, and you didn’t disappoint! Really enjoyed your tips for using these pieces in your home. That chippy metal awning is amazing!
Glad you enjoyed it, Cindy! Thanks:)
Oh my goodness, so many chippy treasures! I think you’d like seeing the chippy awning over our bed. I’ll be going to the farmhouse in a couple of weeks. I’ll do a post on it and take a pic.
Thank you for sharing how to seal the chippy pieces. I’ve never thought to do that, but now I see it’s important. Thanks for sharing your fantastic style with us! pinned
Yes, love me all the chippiness!
Wonderful examples and tutorials, I love all your chippy pieces and the examples of how you use them, thanks.
So glad you enjoyed it, Marlene!
Lora,
I love a good chippy piece! You have so many great pieces, and I’m itching to go thrifting for some pieces that your post inspired. Great article.
Thanks, Rachel!
So fun!! Love how you make your own chippy paint..such pretty colors!
Yes, I love my chippy paint in every color:)
Great post! I love chippy paint too. It always makes me wonder about the history of the object.
Yes, wouldn’t it be fun if we could know the stories?