How Much Does It Cost to Chalk Paint Furniture? [2025 Data]
Painting furniture with chalk paint usually costs between $150 and $600, but prices can be much lower or higher depending on the size of the furniture piece and if you DIY the work.
Chalking furniture is the process of using chalk paint to refresh a piece of furniture.
This specialty painting technique creates a matte, vintage, or shabby-chic aesthetic.
Applying chalk paint requires minimal prep work, but it must be sealed with wax or another topcoat for protection.
You can hire a local furniture painter to do this work for you.
You can update an outdated or ugly piece of furniture in your home by repainting it with chalk paint. The average cost of repainting a piece of furniture with chalk paint is between $150 and $600, but costs can go all the way up to $800. The main factors affecting the cost of this project are the size of the piece and whether you apply the paint job yourself.
Chalk Paint Furniture Cost Factors
No two types of furniture are exactly alike, and neither is the cost to paint them.
Furniture Type
| Furniture | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Side table | $80–$200 |
| Coffee table | $100–$240 |
| Dresser | $200–$750 |
| Dining room table | $200–$650 |
| Dining chair | $120–$300 |
| Bookcase or armoire | $300–$850 |
A side table or chair doesn’t require much time or paint unless it has intricate designs.
Additionally, painting a coffee table is often a straightforward, inexpensive project. These smaller pieces often have flat surfaces and aren’t overly large.
As you might suspect, the total cost scales with size and features. A dining room with clean lines is easier to paint than one with curves and ornate designs. Because they’re larger furniture pieces, a bookcase or armoire takes extra time to paint, especially if it has several drawers or doors. Any feature—knob, curve, drawers, etc—will increase the time and cost of the project.
Beyond the paint and a few supplies, the cost of painting furniture is mostly labor when you hire a local furniture painter or interior painter near you.
Paint Quality
Chalk paint costs an average of $23 per quart but can reach $40 or more. A quart covers approximately 100 square feet, giving you enough paint for two coats on most pieces of furniture. But if you’re tackling a big project, like painting a large dresser or dining table, you might need more than one quart.
You can also buy a 12-ounce can of chalk spray paint, which costs $8.50 on average but can go up to $15 or more. A 12-ounce can covers about 20 square feet. You might need four to five cans of spray paint to adequately cover a large dresser, but only one or two cans for a small end table.
Labor
Most furniture painting experts charge between $40 and $100 per hour depending on their experience and how custom the paint job is. They usually set a minimum price to take on a project, though, such as $100.
Repair
If your furniture needs repairing prior to painting, you may have to pay extra for labor and supplies. If your piece is broken or chipped, plan on increasing your budget.
Dipping and Stripping
If you want to remove old paint before repainting a piece, you may consider using a chemical solvent to remove the finish. Before stripping furniture, be sure it won’t damage the piece. Talk with a pro to determine if stripping is right for your project.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro to Chalk Paint Furniture
Painting furniture yourself costs between $50 and $300 for the paint, materials, and tools, but requires time and experience. You should also factor in the time you need to wait between coats of paint. Detail and patience pay off when painting furniture, so be sure to give yourself ample time to finish the piece correctly.
While it’s true you can save anywhere from $50 to $400 painting a piece of furniture yourself, sometimes time and workspace requirements become too much of an investment. Find a local furniture refinisher to take on the project and ensure your end result is stunning and durable. Remember that the nicer the final product, the higher resale price it’ll command.
How to Save Money While Painting Furniture With Chalk Paint
DIYing this job is more about the experience than the savings, as the time you spend may be worth money as well. Even if you follow all the points below, you wouldn’t be able to save much more than $50 to $100 on materials.
If you are ok with that knowledge, you can save money on your painted furniture project if you:
Sand and paint the piece yourself.
Buy smaller amounts of paint to avoid waste.
Use an all-in-one primer and paint.
Paint older or thrifted furniture pieces.
Consider only painting visible areas.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Homeowners may choose chalk paint over regular paint if they want to hide all of the wood’s grain, don’t want to apply a large number of coats, and like the extreme matte appearance. Chalk paint is easier to work with than regular paint and adds a unique texture to furniture that regular paint just can’t match.
The short answer is yes, it’s more expensive. This is because chalk paint is a more complicated blend of materials and is harder and more costly to produce. The average cost per quart is around $35 to $50. Comparing that with regular paint, which runs between $9 and $25 per quart, you can see how chalk paint costs add up. The good news is that you will apply fewer coats.
This largely depends on your environment and how well the paint was sealed. Properly sealed chalk paint furniture that isn’t regularly dinged by toys or steel boots can last 5 years or—often significantly—longer. However, if it isn’t sealed correctly or is subject to regular wear and tear, you can expect the coat to last 3 years or less.
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