Maison Decor: How to use Chalk Paint

Showing posts with label How to use Chalk Paint. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2013

Gothic Dresser in fabulous Olive Chalk Paint®!

This fantastic old dresser with Gothic lines was painted

in Olive Chalk Paint®.

We wanted to use a bold color on this piece because

it was so beefy and had great lines and details.

Action shots from our shop showing the first coat of Olive hitting the drawers.

Take your drawers out of the dresser to paint them for the best results.

Paint only where the original finish was applied. Don't paint all along the sides of drawers or you will have sticking issues.

It will all get the standard two coats of Chalk Paint.

Justin in painting mode~you can see the top of the dresser here and our little box of Elmers wood filler. If you have any deep gouges or ripped off veneer you can fill it in with this filler. After that was done we planned to use the Rustic Technique to create a leathered weathered texture on the top surface.

The top was done by my son Colin using the Rustic technique. He did a fantastic job on it! If you have a piece with a surface that has "issues" like our piece~consider using the Rustic technique to your advantage. We teach this technique in our Annie Sloan Introductory course at Maison Decor. This old piece had veneer missing and a less than stellar surface on the top of the dresser as you could see above~the Rustic technique worked beautifully on this piece.

All the details like the chunky leg and the
decorative trim are highlighted when you apply dark wax.

The leg without dark wax to enhance it~

see what a difference dark wax makes?

Plenty of dark wax was used around the drawer details~and we revived the old

hardware with Bronze Gilder Paste. You might use antique gold or silver if that is your preference. I used some silver on hardware for a graphite dresser yesterday and it looked amazing with the dark background!

You will see that later~

A moody finish was created with the dark wax~

I could have used even more!

To finish up the dresser, all the drawers were lined with a timepiece motif decorative wrapping paper. You can use these pretty papers to line old dresser drawers when they don't look so pretty inside. If your drawers have that funky smell you need to take them out and completely seal them with Zinssers clear shellac. These drawers were fine, but they had stains inside. You could paint the insides of the drawers, but since ours only had some discoloration on the bottoms, we chose to line them.

Each row of drawers has different hardware pulls which

makes for a cool look. They came that way from auction, and

the hardware is all antique, so its hard to think it is not original.

Step outside your comfort zone and try a bold color on

a big piece with details and then apply your dark wax (after the clear of course) with a liberal hand! Buff it all up and step back and admire your creation!

This piece is being added to our online shop but is for local pickup

or you can arrange for your own shipping.

But be forewarned~it weighs a ton...

Furniture~when to paint ? The before and afters!

Sometimes I have a dilemma about whether to paint a piece of furniture.

This is one such case~I would not think twice, normally, but in this case the set

has this pretty french artwork that was applied to the entire set. A graceful

embellishment of a white rose in a medallion with flourishes~I love this look!

The gentlemen's wardrobe has the medallions

on each door and the surface finish is in overall very good condition~

However the pretty bed with the wrapped style footboard,

also bearing the medallions on both head and footboard

has wear marks~so what's a painter girl to do??

I am pondering this set at the moment and next week

will make a decision~so while I ponder,

let's take a peek at some painted befores and afters~

This secretary was the first piece I ever used Chalk Paint™ on and

although it was a newer piece, I had grown tired of the decorative paint job.

This is the result of the paint job~

I was very happy I painted this piece!

Many people have these newer traditional sets done in

a cherry or mahogany finish. Nothing wrong with the finish at all,

but a client wanted the Shabby Chic look for her bedroom set.

The set is now finished in Old White Chalk Paint™

and lightly distressed. It completely changed the look

and feel of this from stately and traditional to cottage style.

My favorite transformation was this medium wood toned

bedroom set. It had nice lines and lots of details

and I just knew this would come out spectacular!

It was painted in French Linen and finished with a

dry brush technique to give it a high end look~

no distressing at all. Just pure gorgeousness!

This is how I imagine the antique bedroom set with the

medallion artwork looking~all soft and pretty and sophisticated.

When it comes to painting furniture its up to YOU to decide

if its best for the piece.

Although I'll admit, sometimes it is hard to decide!

In the case of damage its easy to make the call~

how could this not be an improvement after all?

This old oak chest with fabulous hardware just looked old, tired and worn out.

With two coats of Graphite Chalk Paint™ and a light distressing

it sold in our Boston shop within 48 hours!

Do you have a piece you are torn about painting?

I will be making my mind up on the pretty antique bedroom set~

but I think I know which way I am leaning!

You can view our new additions to our two stores right here!

We add vintage furniture pieces weekly at www.shopmaisondecor.com

I am getting a massive Shabby Chic armoire delivered to my

Malden Store at the end of the day~if you are local and have been

looking for such a statement piece, come by and check it out!

It will be listed by tomorrow with all the particulars,

but as with all my pieces, while authentic and of great quality

I price as low as I can to get it sold. Just compare my prices,

you will be happy you did.

My helper Damon and I have been busy.....
cause the MILK PAINT has finally arrived and will be
shipped out today and tomorrow!~
Thanks for your patience!

Chalk Paint® Tips

Annie Sloan

Creator of Chalk Paint decorative paint

Annie showed me many things~and it was a revelation.

Here are my Chalk Paint Tips.

Remember the Chalk Paint basics:

no priming, stripping or sanding

Tip #1
Assess your piece.
Usually you can just start painting. But read below carefully before you start.
Is it super shiny? If so I do go over my piece with a sanding block to knock back the shine. If I think it has been polished with furniture polish over the years, I will wipe it down with mineral spirits on a paper towel to dissolve any polish. Otherwise just start painting! Chalk Paint dries quickly so don't use repetitive brush strokes or you will get a rough finish. Long fluid stokes are best.
Load your brush up with the paint and use longer strokes across the piece,
trying not to go back and forth over your strokes as you can with latex and oil paints.
Adjust your style of painting: Longer fluid strokes.

Kind of shiny....and will need some clear shellac too.

Tip #2
No Prep!
You really don't need to prime or prep, unless its shiny. Also, if the piece has chips or gouges those are issues that need to be addressed as the paint does not make those problems disappear. If you have a piece of furniture that starts to bleed while you are painting (which means a discoloration comes through your lovely paint job), stop painting! Get a can of Zinsser Clear Shellac and go over the entire piece. It will dry quickly and then you can resume your paint job.

Tip #3

Use water on your brush for the second coat.

One light coat of paint, followed by a second light coat should be your protocol for most pieces of furniture. When you start your first coat, expect to see brush strokes and some of the wood peeking through. You might feel like your paint job is looking amateurish~but wait til the second coat goes on. You will look like a hero! Two light coats of paint is the rule, not a heavy gloppy first coat to try to cover the surface. When you apply the second coat I like to "kiss" the tips of the brush in a bit of water to help the second coat glide on smoothly. It makes a huge difference. As you are painting check the edges to make sure it is not running or globbing on the side you are not directly painting. I am checking constantly to make sure there is no buildup as I paint.

Tip #4

To Distress or Not?

After the two coats are finished, this it the time to decide to distress or not~if you are going to distress your furniture I like to do it before I wax. Its a personal preference. Go over the edges where it would be worn authentically with the passage of time. Resist the spotted look~a little bit here and a little bit there creates the dreaded Leopard look!

Tip #5
Wax for a finish
Now your piece is painted (and distressed or not) and ready for waxing.
Apply wax in sections of about a square foot at at time and wipe off excess wax with a soft cloth.
T shirts work great for this. Repeat until finished.

Use a wax brush to apply a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax.
Apply a small amount of wax by brushing the tips of the wax brush onto the wax and then apply to the surface of the furniture. You can also apply wax with a soft clean t shirt or rag.

Tip #6
Buff your piece
After waxing wait a few hours (or overnight) and then buff your piece to get a luster.
Buffing is underrated~it gives a terrific finish to your piece. You can buff with a buffing brush or a cloth.
Buff means to rub the cloth or brush briskly over the surface and you will see a sheen develop. It takes a piece 21-28 days for wax to fully cure, so until then use extra care with your piece.

Tip #7

Caring for your wax brush

If I am doing a lot of painting and waxing I store my wax brush in a neoprene (not latex) surgical glove. It keeps it nice and supple, ready to be used, even several days later. I don't like to wash my wax brush until I am finished with it for a period of time. Wash your brush with warm water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. It cuts through the wax nicely. Then I paper towel it off and shape the bristles together as I towel it off, then place flat to dry.

Tip #7

Dark wax?
If you plan to age your piece with dark wax, you want to apply it right after you apply the Clear wax. Don't let the clear wax dry first~if you do, then lightly wax again with clear wax, then apply small amounts of dark wax in areas that would look good with a patina. Apply dark wax with a separate wax brush, like the one shown above or a cloth. After you apply a small amount of dark wax, use a clean cloth and rub it around on the piece~continue until the piece is done. Do not use your clear wax brush for dark wax as it will cause staining and render it ineffective for creating a clear wax finish in the future.

Tip #9
Clear wax is a dark wax magic eraser!
Too much dark wax? No worries.
If you think your piece got too dark with your application, add some clear wax with a cloth and rub to remove the dark wax area you would like to lighten up.

Tip #10:
Mix clear and dark wax together
A combination of a little dark wax mixed with the clear wax on a paper plate and then applied can be an easier way to use dark wax. Try this to see if you prefer this method. Remember to always apply any dark wax over a fresh moist coat of clear wax.

Tip #11
Dark wax changes the color of Chalk Paint.
The desk in the photo above shows Paris Grey. The greenish khaki area is Paris Grey after treated with dark wax...it looks totally different. I recommend making a sample board with your paint color, wax the entire thing, then use dark wax over half the section so you can access the effect of the dark wax.

Tip #12
Do not use wax on outdoor items.
Chalk Paint can be applied to front doors, home exteriors, bird houses, metal and cement garden statuary and more. The reason we don't wax is that the warmth of the sunlight keeps the wax from curing. Yes, you can paint a front door and wash it later on without a coating of wax!

Tip #12
Caring for your piece.
Do not use furniture polish on your waxed pieces. A damp clean cloth will do the trick. Smudges can be removed by applying a bit of clear wax and buffing out the spots. Over time surfaces can benefit from another a coat of wax, particularly on pieces that are getting rubbed down a lot over time, like coffee tables, kitchen cabinets and the like.