Expert advice from our past Lakelander Made Featured Maker on how to restore a piece of furniture

Restoring old or antique furniture is a popular hobby that has seen growing interest in recent years. DIYs are a fun, creative project that anyone can complete. When Nikki Hunt, owner of Scout & Tag, began using chalk paint to restore furniture, it was simply a hobby. She later started selling her refurbished furniture pieces at the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market. This hobby quickly grew, catapulting her business to what it is today. Now, Hunt is sharing some of her best tips for restoring a piece of furniture.

Annie Sloan Color “Aubusson Blue”

Clean your piece.

You have to make sure all the dust and old polish is off. You can use water and vinegar to get your piece clean. Not only does it make it look better, but it also gets rid of any barriers between the wood and the paint.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

This is the original chalk paint. It is latex-free, meaning you don’t have to sand down your piece of furniture, saving you more time.

Seal it with wax.

It’s like putting lotion on your hands. You rub it in if it doesn’t absorb, and you wipe it off with a cloth. You paint on the wax and wipe it off as you go. After that, buff it. It helps the wax shine.

Every piece turns out different.

Have fun with it! There are 45 shades of chalk paint and different color waxes. You can mix and match to give your piece personality.