Whether one lives in the city or out in the country, it’s hard to beat the retro-aesthetic qualities of barnyard-inspired colours and materials. To help achieve this rustic-chic look, consider revamping your furniture, home décor, walls and floors with chalked-finish paint. Unlike chalkboard paint – which turns flat surfaces into an actual chalkboard-like finish – chalked paint has a classic, smooth and flat finish that brings worn-out objects back to life with a vintage touch.

From boring to brilliant

Chalked-finish furniture paint is easy to use, with no priming or sanding necessary on most surfaces, thereby saving DIYers both time and energy. Its versatility allows one to paint directly on wood, brick, stone, metal, glass and plaster surfaces. Water-based chalked paint has virtually no odour and provides exceptional coverage with only one coat. One 30-oz. can, for instance, covers up to 150 sq.ft. of surface and conveniently dries in as little as 30 minutes.

The fashionable finish

With chalked-finish paint, you can rejuvenate the old and add timeless elegance to any piece in your home. Painting dated and second-hand pieces of furniture has become one of this year’s hottest interior decorating trends. Rust-Oleum’s Chalked Ultra Matte Paint is one such product that will add a vintage feel to just about any home-based renovation project. Establishing the rustic-yet-chic distressed look can be achieved by applying two coats of paint in contrasting colours, then sanding/scouring when the paint has dried. Available in a range of six beautiful shades, Chalked Ultra Matte Paint dries to a soft, chalky, flat matte finish to inject character and personality into pieces, adding a simple, yet beautiful, statement to any room.