Paint With Character

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ChalkPaintFeaturePhoto

My husband and I were looking for a new foyer table for the house in Tampa. We found one we loved that didn’t fit. Too much table. Too much money. That’s a close-up photo of the handcrafted price tag. I shouldn’t walk in stores that have cool price tags.

When I shop for things I never worry about color. Being an artist, I just paint everything. Perfectly good, perfectly new furnture, frames, whatever. I paint it all. My father-in-law (who lives in the house) said he’s afraid to sit still for fear I’ll paint him. It’s a thought. But he’s already got plenty patina.

The table we found on sale at a furniture store (they used very ordinary price tags) came in a buttery yellow, the same color as the walls. But I was going to give it a more worn-out beachy look. I have been working with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint lately. It’s currently my personal all-time favorite paint for furniture.

I painted the entire piece in 1 coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Country Gray, follow by 1 coat of Old Ochre, and 1 coat of Old White. I even swiped random strokes of Arles (a deep gold) here and there to be revealed when I sanded.

Next, I created the sea glass color on the doors and drawers by mixing 2 parts Duck Egg Blue, 2 parts Versailles (a dirty greenish color) and 1 part Old White. Then I sanded it with a mouse sander to reveal bits of the layers beneath. I used a high quality water color brush and thinned the paint with water to create a thin line detail on the top. That hand painted line detail takes a bit of practice, so skip it if it’s intimidating.

Then I brushed on a coat of clear Annie Sloan paste wax and blended dark wax in as I went along. I like to work with the wax in small areas at a time so it’s easy to wipe off. After the wax sets up in a few minutes, I put the buffing pad on the mouse sander and run it across the surface to give it that beautiful sheen.

I purchase Annie Sloan Chalk Paint from Robyn Story Designs in Tampa. She also ships it to my home in Ohio for my painting projects up north. Look under the paint products tab on her website: robynstorydesigns.com

My friend Karla caught the Chalk Paint bug and buys her paint in a store in Shaker Heights, Ohio: methenyweir.com

 Or find a location from Annie Sloan’s website: anniesloan.com
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8 Responses

  1. Karla King November 14, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just be content living with things as we buy them? I hold you responsible for getting me hooked on the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. That stuff is awesome!

    Reply
    • greenthumblonde November 15, 2012 at 1:32 pm

      I hope to get other people to try it. It’s so easy. Even people who aren’t confident in their skills in that kind of stuff can have a really great result. It would be a great paint on kitchen cabinets if you were flipping houses. Doesn’t it make you want to tackle an old kitchen?

      Reply
  2. Jennifer Kubinski November 18, 2012 at 11:11 am

    I have been wanting to start painting furniture…especially furniture that I like because of the shape or lines. But, I stop myself from purchasing because I am very intimidated by making the first move. I guess I don’t want to ruin the furniture with a botch job. So, my questions is how do you prepare the surface? And, what is the difference between chalk paint and regular paint? And finally, why the wax? See, I am also wanting to get a cool piece for the foyer of our new home. But as you can see I am a babe in the woods:)

    Reply
    • greenthumblonde November 18, 2012 at 7:34 pm

      I hear ya. So this is the cool thing about chalk paint, you don’t need to do anything to prepare the surface. You can wipe it with mineral spirits if it’s been waxed, our just clean it with some 409 and a wash rag. Chalk paint isn’t like any paint you’ve ever worked with. It has a tooth that just seems to stick really well. When dry, it looks exactly like chalk. The wax seals it an puts a beautiful sheen unlike any varnishes. The place I buy it actually used it on melamine cabinets and it stuck. Though I think if I painted a fake finish like that I’d give a light sanding first. The paint is a bit pricey. Like $28 a quart I think. But I swear you can do it. It’s so forgiving. Let me know if you go for it.

      Reply
    • greenthumblonde November 18, 2012 at 7:41 pm

      One more thing. If you didn’t already do so, read the post, More Chalk Paint Projects so you can see the waxed and unwaxed closet door example. It shows how wax changes the color and sheen.

      Reply
      • Jennifer Kubinski November 25, 2012 at 11:11 am

        Just looked at the projects. Showed my husband, Doug. We both loved it….Looks awesome! I found a little thrift store in Cuyahoga Falls with some interesting pieces. I may start with something small like a mirror or an end table. I also have this rocking chair that was handed down to me…my mother rocked me in it as a baby and I rocked my girls in it when they were babies. But, the finish has never been a favorite of mine…I have been wanting to change it to an interesting color. Does the chalk paint come in bolder colors? Thanks for the info…

        Reply

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