DIY Chippy Paint Look Without Sanding

Do you love the look of chippy paint?

Do you despise the sanding it usually takes to get that look?

Well friends today you are in for a treat… pick up your paint brushes and put down your sanding blocks and electric sanders. I’m going to show you how to get a chippy paint look in four easy steps, and get this, you won’t need a single piece of sandpaper!

Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

For your convenience this post contains affiliate links to products or tools I used to complete this project. Click here to visit my site policies.

Do you guys remember last week when I shared the plan for the Antiqued Wooden Patio Planters? I envisioned them with a chippy paint look and they turned out with more of a dirty paint look. I wouldn’t say it was a fail, because I do like the way they turned out, it’s just not what I wanted. I had an extra container, the runt of the patio planter litter… the perfect canvas to create the look I wanted!

Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

I did a chippy paint finish on this project, but that was a while ago, and at the time, I didn’t document how I did it. That’s just another thing I like about blogging, now I document everything. So when I want to know how I did something, I can just look back at the blog! Anyway, I put on my memory cap. Ya know, my memory cap is like my thinking cap, but it’s for remembering memories 😉 It took a little time for my memory cap to engage, but it worked because I finally remembered how I got that look. And this time I’ll document it!

Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

The thing I hate about many chippy paint finishes is they require sanding. Even though I have some sanding secrets to make the process easier, I still HATE it! I know it’s not politically correct to say “hate”, especially in these crazy times, but I think it’s OK to hate sanding… it’s the worst!!! With this technique you’ll only apply paint where you want it, so there is no sanding and I LOVE when I don’t have to sand! C’mon guys, let me show you how to do it.

diy chippy paint 8

DIY Chippy Paint Look Without Sanding

Supplies
Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain Early American
FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paint – the color I used was Sheepskin
Chip Brush
Petroleum Jelly
Rag

Step 1. Stain your project with Rust-Oleum Early American stain according to the directions on the can.

Step 2. Using your finger, apply petroleum jelly to where your piece would normally wear with age. I applied petroleum jelly to the corners, raised edges and randomly on the flat surfaces where I wanted some chipping paint.

Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

Step 3. The secret to getting a chippy paint look is to use a chip brush. These cheap brushes don’t apply paint very well and that’s exactly what we want… paint that looks like it was poorly applied and is beginning to chip off. Dip the brush in the FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paint and drag the brush against the rim of the container to remove most of the paint. We don’t want to load the brush with as much paint as if we were going to paint a solid finish.

Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

Then just lightly apply the paint where you want it. Apply more paint in the center or flat surfaces and less on the corners and raised edges. We don’t want a solid look, our goal is a streaky, aged, chippy look.

Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

Step 4. Allow the paint to dry. I let mine dry for about 30-45 minutes, then with a clean rag gently wipe off the petroleum jelly to reveal the wood.

Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

That’s it! That’s all there is to it. NO. SANDING. It’s easy and wonderfully chippy! If you want, you could apply a coat of furniture wax, but I left mine as is. I hope you enjoyed this super easy chippy paint technique. What is your favorite chippy paint technique? Please share in the comments 🙂


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Love chippy paint tutorials and especially love this NO SANDING technique! Definitely using this on my next DIY project!

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11 Comments

  1. I used to use a candle to slide down parts of corners etc, to keep the paint from sticking there but now I will try this instead thanks!

    1. Thank you for stopping by Eleanor! We’ve both learned something… I’ve never tried the candle trick, so I’m going to have to try it!

  2. For lanterns I make from rough pallet wood, I waterbase base stain, when dry apply an under coat color, when dry rub with bees wax where I want paint to come off on edges and rough flat areas, Sometimes I spot paint on some Elmer’s white glue to cause some crackling too. you can look up making milk and chalk paint crackle with white glue. I apply an overcoat. When dry I use a cabinet scraper to scrape off edges and places where I want undercoat or stain to show through. The rough pallet wood makes it look worn as well. The scraper removes the top coat on rough flat places. To dirty it up I use a glaze that gets applied and wiped off with a wet sponge. Then topcoat with General Finishes Flat out Flat clear acrylic.

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