Steff and I have painted dozens of furniture pieces-dressers, tables, nightstands, chairs and more with very little hesitation. There is something about a piano though that had me hesitating a bit. They are big, expensive, not easily replaced, and have to maintain full function. After painting my kitchen cabinets last year though (also an intimidating project-see my kitchen HERE) and after painting multiple pieces of furniture with our DIY Chalk Paint, and some convincing from Steffany- I was able let my hesitation go. (Steff was not hesitant at all, she couldn’t wait to bust out the paint!) I did not like the piano as it was so what’s the worst that could happen? We’d have to start over….that’s it. That’s not very worst at all. It’s a piece of wood furniture that can totally be painted like any other and chalk paint was the way to go! No sanding, and quick drying….SOLD! We have loved everything we’ve painted with our chalk paint recipe and my piano is no different. Let’s get to it!
My beautiful blue piano!
What we started with: 
First-remove all the hardware.
Clean the piano with a good de-greasing cleaner.
Cover and tape the pedals and the keys. 
Mix up the DIY chalk paint recipe:
- 1 cup Plaster of Paris
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups paint
Whisk together the water and Plaster of Paris really well. Then add the paint and mix together. See a video tutorial for chalk paint HERE, and a full picture tutorial HERE.
Start painting!
This is after one coat. Our blue looks pretty white with one thin coat. Also don’t be scared when the first coat of homemade chalk paint looks like CRAP- this is normal! It starts looking better and better with each coat. 🙂
This is after 4 coats, which is no big deal because chalk paint dries super fast! We painted this whole piano in one afternoon!
Notice the bead board on the bottom, I seem to have not taken any pictures of that process. It is actually bead board wallpaper! What?! For REALS! This is our favorite painting trick. We have a tutorial for bead board wallpaper HERE and a wallpaper video tutorial HERE. We love using bead board wallpaper on furniture! You would never know it’s not actual bead board, but it’s so cheap and easy. We painted the bead board white.
For a shabby look, use a sanding block along all the edges.
Seal it with Minwax paste finishing wax as shown HERE. It seals over chalk paint like a dream! We use it every time we use chalk paint.
Re-attach the hardware and it’s done! Ahhhh-mazing!
Remember the piano BEFORE?
And AFTER!
I also re-finished the bench and can’t wait to share that tutorial……coming soon! Hopefully painting a piano is not as intimidating as it was before. Nearly everyone who has stepped in my house has commented on my blue piano. I always wonder if people think it’s nuts to have painted such a big expensive piece of furniture blue; but so far, no has told me they think I’m crazy….at least not to my face.;) It makes for a great conversation piece, and I seriously LOVE it! So happy I got over my hesitation and finally went for it!
Linking up to some of these parties:
Hi Jeanie, Thank you! Yes we used Sonata as is. 🙂
Hi Melanie! You guys did such a great job!!! Did you end up using Behr Sonata as is, or did you have them darken the Behr Sonata by one shade? Thanks so much!
Hi Suzanne! Because we didn’t sand the piano, it wasn’t harmed at all from painting. We also hand painted it rather than spraying. If you were to sand it first, the dust could definitely damage the piano function. Paint overspray could also harm the piano. We certainly aren’t professionals, so I recommend doing plenty of research, but I hope our experience helps! 🙂
Hi – I want to paint my old piano. I am getting it tuned also. The piano tuner had a fit and cautioned me to not paint it because it would affect the piano function. Can you tell me how you avoided harming the piano interior? Thank you!
Thanks for your comment Tara! We always use a good whisk to stir the paint and we stir it very thoroughly. (We dedicated a kitchen whisk and measuring cups to the chalk paint stash. 😉 Chalk paint does have a more textured feel when it dries, but with a light sanding it smooths out really well. As far as your table goes, if the color and coverage is good, try lightly sanding it to see if it smooths out the clumps. If you’re willing to give it another try I just suggest double checking the measurements and stirring really well with a whisk. Here’s another tutorial we did that may help a little more. http://finditmakeitloveit.com/2014/06/diy-money-saving-chalk-paint.html 🙂
I tried doing this on a table and the paint turned out so very thick and clumpy we almost couldn’t even paint without splashing little clumps everywhere and the clumps are drying in the paint. Any suggestions in what if anything we’re doing wrong? This is a trial run with diy chalk paint before moving on to bigger things like our piano and I’m not really happy with the turnout…more of a frustration.
Hi Karla! Thank you for your comment. 🙂 If chalk paint is sealed with a good sealer, it will not scratch off. We use Minwax Finishing Paste and have not had any problems. Here’s another chalk paint tutorial we did showing the Minwax Finishing Paste: http://finditmakeitloveit.com/2014/06/diy-money-saving-chalk-paint.html. As far as your black piano, it really just depends on the finish of it. If it is a high gloss, shiny finish, the chalk paint will likely not adhere well. If it is a more dull black finish, chalk paint will be great! If you are unable to use chalk paint on the piano, we recommend using Zinsser Primer before painting-it’s amazing stuff!
Hope that helps! Best of luck with your piano! 🙂
I have a piano that is black. I’d like to paint it cream/off white, if I use chalk paint do I need to sand that black off first? Also I painted a dresser using chalk paint and my little one has used her fingernail to scratch the paint off, I don’t want this to happen to the piano so did I do something wrong with the dresser or is chalk paint prone to scratching off?
Thanks!
Thank you Tania! We use a foam brush for that exact reason! No brush strokes! 🙂
What type of brush do you use for your chalk paint projects? I’ve read online to use a bristle brush, but I always feel that it leaves brush strokes on my projects. I noticed a different type of brush on your picture and piano the piano turned out amazing!
To get a more glossy look, choose a semi gloss or gloss sealer instead of the finishing wax. Good luck on you piano!! That’s so exciting!
Hi Iam wanting to paint my piano black any suggestions on how to do and can I do a more glossary look wit this chalk paint
Hi Rebecca! We used two batches of the recipe to do all the coats on the piano. 🙂
Hi there, just wondering, is the recipe for diy chalk paint above enough to do all of the coats to cover the piano?
Awesome Mindy! Yes- it’s called Sonata. 🙂
I love this tutorial and color! Can you remember what Behr color did you use for the paint? I would love to do the exact!
Hi Yoryana! Thanks so much! Yes, the chalk paint would stick just fine even on a darker color. We love painting darker furniture for distressing-the dark wood looks beautiful peeking through where you distress. Best of luck with your piano- we’d love to see a picture of the finished product!:)
I love how your piano turned out. I have an old piano I would love to paint. My piano is a darker wood color, do you think the color would stick without sanding it since is a darker color? Thank you.
That is an excellent question Maggie! Yes, we did actually end up making a Home Depot run to go one shade darker on the piano. The Plaster of Paris does lighten the paint maybe 1/2 – a full shade.
For the chalk paint do you need to go a shade or 2 darker than you want it? Does the plaster of Paris lighten the paint?
Hi Erika! Sorry for such a delayed response. No this chalk paint is not actually for writing on, it is called chalk paint just because it has a matte, kind of chalky finish. Chalkboard paint is for writing on…..kind of confusing, but totally different paints. We love it because is dries fast, and doesn’t require a ton of prep work on most wood surfaces, like sanding. Hope that helps!
So just curious. With using chalk paint to you actually write on your piano? Like do you teach piano lessons and write music theory etc on it? I’m wanting to do this but wanted to know if you used the chalk paint for any other reason other than it dries fast?
Thanks for your comment CeeGee. In our research prior to painting the piano, we learned about carefully preserving the playing parts and took that into account with the project. Because we didn’t spray it, we had a lot of control where we got paint and we completed the project without damaging the tuner or any playing parts. Thank you for sharing, we didn’t mention anything about being especially careful regarding the playing parts in our post and appreciate you making sure it’s mentioned. 🙂
Painting a piano is great….as long as you don’t get any paint into/onto the playing parts inside that you cannot see. We’ve painted 6 or 7 pianos (one grand piano as well) and love the end result. However, they have been taken apart and each piece painted individually. Why? Because you’ll give the piano tuner a HUGE headache if you get paint on parts that are crucial to its playing. I know because I’m married to a Registered Piano Technician who tunes, repairs and rebuilds pianos.
So yup, go on ahead and paint them. Just be SUPER duper careful not to get paint on anything that’ll affect its playing. And be careful with any hinges too 😉
Inspirational! I have a baby grand whose cabinet has seen better days, and the thought of refinishing it is overwhelming. I think I just may go for this! Thanks 🙂
This is SO cool!! I love it so much!
KaRa-I typically just use a dry duster for regular dusting, and a damp rag for any kid smudges. It is holding up perfectly!
Can you clean it with normal cleaners? I’m worried about the paint coming off or getting scratched when dusting
Hey Chrisann,
We are so glad that you like the piano. Unfortunately we don’t use Annie Sloan paint so we are unsure on how far it will go. In making our own DIY chalk paint we only needed to use a quart. It did take about 4 hours to complete the project, however, there are two of us and it makes tackling projects twice as fast. We would love to see the finished product! Good luck!
Hi Stacey! We usually go with latex Satin finish paint. The paint may lighten up a bit, since the Plaster of Paris and water mixture is white. We ended up going one shade darker on the piano than we originally chose. To be safe, we recommend mixing up a small batch then paint a test area before diving in. Good luck with your project! We would love to see a picture!
Thanks so much Ivette! The piano is a matte finish. We are loving it still! Good luck on your-we would love to see a picture!
The piano looks AMAZING! I can’t tell from the pics but is the finish slightly glossy or entirely matte? I’m getting a senior piano tomorrow and can’t wait to doll it up with this technique!!
Should I use a certain kind of paint? Latex, semi gloss, flat, etc? Also, I am wanting to use a dark purple. When I add the paint to the mixture, will it stay true to the color I add or lighten up? Thanks so much!!
Hi, Melanie! Great work on the piano! I just got a request to quote painting a piano (and bench) that looks similar to the one you’ve done here. Your process here takes the intimidation factor away, so thank you for that! I have no idea how to quote a fair price for the job as I’m not sure of the time and amount of materials involved. Customer wants to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint & wax, so I know I need to allow for the extra cost of materials. I’m wondering if a quart of paint would be enough, or should I plan on using two? You said you completed your piano in one day…how many hours should I allow? If possible, can you tell me what you would charge to paint a piano for a customer? I appreciate any help you can offer!!!
Thanks so much!
Chrisann
Beautiful work! The painted bench is such a fun addition!
I love how it turned out! I’m a huge fan of beadboard wallpaper as well, but I’ve never seen it used on a piano. Genius!
Thanks Debbie! So happy you found this tutorial helpful! Yes I love my funky gold star burst. I found it at a local swap meet for $12 and couldn’t pass it up!
Thanks Heidi! Go for it, it made such a difference in my front room.:)
Oh, my goodness! Your piano looks amazing! My piano is at least twice as old as I am, and I am so tempted to paint it. I never would have thought of it until I saw yours. I absolutely love it!!!!
I really love how the piano turned out! Your tutorial really helps to give me the confidence to do some big projects that I have been putting off because I’m dreading the prep work.
I also Love LOVE L-O-V-E your swan star burst! Where did you ever find it?