Drab to Fab Piano Transformation using Chalk Paint and Gel Stain

My husband inherited his great-grandma's piano years ago and we have loved having the family heirloom. She used to play for the silent movies, so having her piano was even more neat. For years we moved the piano from home to home, dealing with the un-sightly poop color that didn't match anything in our house. It even had white paint on the front of it from who knows when.  

Well like I always do after I have a baby, I get on a creative rampage when the baby reaches 3 months old. I looked at the piano and couldn't deal with it dictating the look of our family room any longer.

I got my husband's permission to make a change, and then looked all over Pinterest to see other piano transformations. I settled on combining two different products: chalk paint and gel stain because:

• Chalk Paint does not require sanding prior to painting (no dust in piano keys, etc)
• Chalk Paint is non-toxic and thus can be used indoors (no heavy lifting to move piano)
• Gel Stain adds beauty and is very durable (great for the top of the piano and bench where there will be lots of wear and tear)

The process turned out to be fairly easy and took only 4 days to complete.  It gets soooooo many compliments and now I don't mind that it is a focal piece in our living room. Here is how you can give your piano (and living room) a major face-lift!

What you Need

These supplies are fairly pricey up front, but you only use a fraction of each of the small cans so you will have plenty of leftovers for future projects. I personally did not want to go with the knock-off, cheap, or homemade versions of each because I was dealing with a family heirloom. You need:

1. General Finishes Java Gel Stain: around $30 for a quart. The consistency is like pudding, and it is a lot of fun to use. General Finishes brand is not sold in most stores. You will have to visit their site and find a location near you, or order off of Amazon. I did a ton of research on other gel stains and none came close to the level of quality and ease of use. It does smell somewhat toxic, but you only do one coat on the lids of the piano and piano bench, so doing it at night with the windows open didn't harm any of us breathing in the fumes.
2. General Finishes Gel Topcoat (Satin): a little less money than the Gel Stain. I am guessing on these prices because I bought this a couple years ago when I re-did all of our bedroom furniture. If you want a really glossy look then don't go with the "Satin" top-coat.
3. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Old White): $38 pint. This paint is hard to find in retail stores, but if you ask around at local paint stores, you will eventually be pointed in the right direction. Fortunately I have A Simpler Time close by to me, but I think if you visit their link, it will also link you to other Annie Sloan chalk paint distributors. For the piano I did 3 coats of this, and I still have over 1/2 the pint left. I chose chalk paint because it has literally no smell, is non-toxic, doesn't require you to sand the surface you are putting it on, and because it isn't dangerous to breathe I was able to paint our piano indoors, (cause who likes moving pianos?!) Update 6/15/15: I have since made homemade versions of chalk paint and love working with it more than the Annie Sloan version (they're cheaper and require less coats to look good); however, the other versions are using latex paint which has a strong smell and isn't as ideal as Annie Sloan's chalk paint when working indoors, which you will be doing when it comes to a piano).
4. Annie Sloan Soft Wax: $32? I kind of hate working with this wax, but from what I have read, so does almost everyone else. I still think there is a major learning curve that I haven't fully gone through yet, but you need this to seal in the paint and really make the color pop/shine. You barely use any wax so this goes a really long way.
5. You will also need paint brushes for the chalk paint, (I tried some foam brushes and liked using a regular big paint brush for the big areas, and a small brush to get get in the smaller areas better), a couple old socks when dealing with the stain and gel topcoat, and cheesecloth (or Annie Sloan polishing brush) for the wax.
6. Lastly, a hideous piano.

Steps to Transformation

1. Get family members approval. So many people say how much they would love to change their piano, but their "{fill in older family member's name} would kill them". Better ask first if you will be creating bad blood by changing the heirloom. 
2. Lightly sand the lids of the piano and piano bench. Seriously, you are just barely sanding them (knicking them up) so any grit sandpaper should be fine. You only need to do this on the area you are applying the gel stain. The beauty of chalk paint is that the area does not need to be prepped in any way.
3. Take a barely wet cloth and wipe down all surfaces of the piano to remove any dust.
4. Protect the floor underneath the piano. I shoved old moving boxes under the edges of the piano and under the bench.
5. Remove hardware. I took off the area where you place your sheet music and the two little knobs on the front. I then taped the pedals and wheels (on the bottom of the piano legs). I taped the keys area, but then ended up removing that and just painted that area carefully.
6. Shake the Chalk Paint can vigorously upside down (instructions also on the paint can), and open up and get started! Start with whatever area you want and paint away. Don't get crazy and make sure there are no drips. Chalk paint dries relatively quickly so don't be sloppy. Also go right to left, rather than up and down, when painting the large portions of the piano. Make sure you also paint fronts, backs, and sides well of any legs, because it is very easy to miss sections and that is a pain when you go to apply the second or third coat and notice that you didn't get even coverage everywhere. Read the can's instructions, but allow several hours of dry time before applying subsequent coats. After the first coat your piano will look like a crazy person took primer to it. Don't be scared, this is totally normal. It looks AWFUL! Your family will look at you and think (or say) "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Tell them to have faith in you for Pete's sakes and tell them to get lost. I did 3 coats of paint because with the dark wood underneath and the light color paint, it needed those coats to look good. You might be able to get away with two. I did not sand in between coats, but if you notice any areas that look sloppy, lightly sand them down before applying the next coat. Your piano will probably now look somewhat like this... (you can tell I worked a lot at night...when no toddlers, or older boys would be tempted to touch the wet paint)
   
   
7. Wipe on gel stain. Can I just say how much I love gel stain! SO much better than paint or regular stain in my book. It is just so amazing how it works and looks! (I should be a spokesperson for General Finishes Gel stain cause I am their biggest fan, and nothing else I have tried is nearly as amazing). But let's move on to how to apply it: I put a small grocery bag on my right hand and then one of my husband's old socks over that. I make sure the stitching for the toes is on the top of my fingers so that I have a smooth sock where I will be wiping on the stain. I shake up the stain a little bit, then take a small dab of stain on my sock covered fingertips and wipe it on the surface, going in the direction of the grain. Start at one end of your work area, and try to go as far as you can to the other side. When you lift up your hand to get more stain on it, try to keep the stain line going parallel with the surface (meaning you don't want curvy smear marks). Do this over the whole area of the each lid, and make sure to get the edges too. I feel like this is a very relaxing process, and do it slowly and methodically. It is like wiping pudding on something and you can fix areas that get goopy, or any areas you don't like the line you created, etc. You will be wiping off a lot as you go, it should look smooth, but be creating neat "wood-like" lines. I was going to do another coat or two, but loved how the ugly brown showed through and created a neat look. If you want a more solid espresso look then you just need to wait for the stain to dry (about 6 hours) and re-apply another coat (or two). This is what the piano bench looked like after the one (and only) coat of gel stain I used.
   
8. Apply gel top-coat. Just like with the stain, I used another grocery bag and an old, but clean sock. (Make sure you throw away whatever you use to apply either the stain or top-coat because these are now highly flammable. After one coat you will need to throw them away and get a new sock for each subsequent coat). Same application as the stain. Since piano bench seats get a lot of wear and tear, you probably should do 2 coats of the top coat to give it the added protection.
9. Apply the Annie Sloan wax over the chalk paint area. I used cheesecloth to do this, but if you are willing to spend money, you might want to buy one of these wax brushes since they seem like they do a much better job. You can find one on Etsy here or buy from another retailer. They are typically in the $30 range. 
   
   What I did was get a paper plate and a plastic spoon, scooped out some wax and put it on the plate. With my cheesecloth, I got a dab of the wax and wiped it on the chalk paint. (The plate idea makes it so you aren't contaminating the wax with cheesecloth bits or the color of your paint). Also, make sure you apply thin amounts on top of your paint!! I mean so thin that if you rubbed your finger over the wax after you have wiped it on, there is no goop that gets on your finger. One coat should be enough, but I did 2 coats of the wax in areas that I noticed weren't waxed well (oops), or would get a lot of handling (the lid of the piano above the keys, where the piano books get placed, etc). After a day or two I then buffed it with panty hose to make it smooth. Supposedly you can make it shine if you buff it a lot, but like I mentioned way earlier in this post, I'm not a huge fan of this step and feel like I am far from an expert.
10. Now you can remove any floor protection you put down, put your hardware back on, take off any tape, and stand back and admire. Oh and don't forget to call in all of those family members or friends that exclaimed (or thought) that you were a crazy person after you applied the first coat of paint. They will be in awe of your masterpiece (and abilities).
    
    
    
    Because your piano will be so amazingly different you will probably want to re-do your whole room's decor! Check out the before:
    
    
    and the After:
    
    
    
    
    
    

Do you have a family heirloom that makes you sick looking at it but you don't have the heart to give it away or throw it out? Maybe it is time that you give it a makeover!


Below are some of the many success stories I have heard about, so now there is proof that you can do it too...

Thank you Karolyn for sharing how beautiful your piano turned out!

Thank you Holly for sharing your piano's amazing transformation!

I'd love to hear about your success story too so please comment below! And if you ever need any help along the way please ask because I am here to help you succeed!

Thanks!