Let me start off by saying if you’ve ever wanted to paint your piano, do it! It really only took 3 hours of painting and the drying time was so quick that I did 4 coats total in 2 days. 3 coats of the Succulent Chalk Paint by SHELTER because I did thin coats and 1 top Satin varnish. No tapping was done for the keys as I just bought a small paint brush and pushed the keys down and painted behind. I’ve used many chalk paints before and I LOVE this SHELTER chalk paint. I only used 2/3rds of one can for the entire piano.
BEFORE PHOTO
Now let me back up a bit and start by how I chose the color Succulent. The walls in my home are a very cool light grey (BM Paper White) and usually I would’ve done a grey or white but I was craving something out of my usual. I love color but typically want to add it with smaller items like pillows and art. But with the piano being so easy to paint I wasn’t afraid to switch it up a little. The color Juniper Berry has been on my Pinterest board for a while but the wall color already can read a little blue so I decided the Succulent was a similar tone but different enough (I was nervous in case you’re wondering).
The piano was from my childhood and for the past 8 years has been stored in my parents shop. Let’s just say it arrived with some friends (spiders), dust (layers and layers) and other things I’ll leave up to your imagination. It also came with a smell of lawn clippings which to be honest still is lingering a little. I’ve been burning that candle that you see on top of the piano a lot! The piano itself was in really good condition and is surprisingly in tune.
I started off by cleaning all the dirt, dust, spiders and other things 😉 lol off and gave it a light sanding. Sanding is not necessary when using chalk paint but to make sure I had a smoother surface to start on I gave it a light buff. Then I started painting right away and it was so easy! The paint was applied with a chalk paint brush which holds a lot of paint making it easy and quick. (Make sure you check for brush bristles being left behind on the paint as even good quality brushes can shed) Two coats would have done the trick but I wanted to make sure it was covered well. With the Shelter Paint Collection you have two types of finish varnishes you can choose, Satin or Matte. Because the piano is a more formal piece of furniture I went with satin and I couldn’t be happier.
You’ll recognize the frames and art from before but I had to raise all of it 9inches to fit above the Piano. I added a jute rug which is 2 colors framing the piano. My Mom is amazing she still has the keys to lock the piano (from my children lol) and the antique brass piano light which I still need to collect from her. I’ve been dreaming of having this piano in our home for a long time so to see this space finished has me ready to relearn how to play with my daughter taking lessons soon. (Because the one song that my fingers never forgot was Titanic “My Heart will go on” haha….my poor family and neighbours)
SHOP ITEMS IN THIS SPACE
If there is any questions about the space or how I painted it please comment below as I’m sure others will have the same questions. More photo’s below
