Hey!
Here are your Q&A’s. Got questions? Email me at cbensten@blueeggbrownnest.com and I’ll post.
When painting or not painting drawer pulls or knobs. How do you decide?
My rule of thumb is that if the hardware is cool, vintage hardware and is an “old-looking” metal then I keep it as is. If the hardware is shiney and brassy and looks cheap or dated then I paint it. I love both looks. You can always keep hardware original and if you hate it with the painted piece, paint later.
Also if painting, what is the easiest way to handle….Ive tried and I get paint everywhere and “touched” places on them.
You always want to take your hardware off if you are going to keep it original.
Just wondered. What colour is the bow fronted chest of drawers..sometimes it looks blue, other times grey. Today more of a Linen colour.
Thanks! This piece is my inspiration piece. It was the painted piece of furniture I ever bought. It is the closest to Paris Grey, but I don’t believe Chalk Paint was used.
I was wondering if you have a horse for sale like the one in your dinning room the wooden hose looks tan/brown cream ect. We dont have many vintage stores or good flea market here.
I was able to get these at one point and sell them as they are reproduction, but they have been out of stock at my wholesaler. If you can’t get to any flea markets or shops then hop onto Etsy. They have some really great online vintage shops. I’ve purchased quite a few pieces myself.
First off I love your decorating ideas and furniture. I have painted a couple of furniture pieces french linen but when I put them up against the wall they just look wrong. I probably have a wall color that clashes, would you suggest a few wall colors that would work with french linen.
I would suggest any neutral if you are worried about your wall color clashing with a grey piece. If you have a color on your wall that is dominant I can see how this would fight visually.
In your post entitled “Annie Sloan Cornish Blue”, the blue dresser appears not to have been waxed, the paint finish appears to be completely flat – when I wax I get an ever so slight sheen from the wax. I do leave my pieces to cure for a week and haven’t experienced tackiness which I’m pleased about.
I actually did clear wax these pieces and let them sit and cure. If you don’t want much sheen then don’t buff so hard.
Am I doing this correctly – sometimes I’m tempted to leave a piece un-waxed, do you do this and if so, how does it ‘wear’ afterwards?
It is more prone to scratching and stains if you leave unwaxed so I wouldn’t recommend doing this for a table top or the like. But, for other pieces you can experiment. My son’s bed is Chalk Painted without wax because I wanted a matte look. It’s held up great.
How do you handle formica tops and wood kitchen furniture. Will the paint adhere and I’m assuming you don’t try to distress it. Same question for veneer tops.
If the piece is old veneer you should be fine. I have painted many pieces that are not real wood and Chalk Paint adheres. The big BUT is that if your piece is on the new side, not wood and has a shiny coat I HAVE had problems with paint adhering. There is must be some kind of chemical or polish that does not like Chalk Paint on these newer pieces. This is actually one of the reasons why I only accept real wood from clients now. Your pieces should be find, however.
I’ve started my first chalk paint project…it’s a black dining room table with four chairs. Unfortunately, my husband sanded the top not knowing that wasn’t necessary. I have painted it in old white and was planning on distressing it. I have yet to see a black piece distressed…will my piece look okay and what can I do about the top since it isn’t real wood, but is already sanded to a gray color?
You should be fine. The only problem that may arrise is that you may need many more coats to get coverage if the sanded surface does not immediately take to your ASCP.
Have you ever had your wax brushes fall apart… the wooden piece inside the brush holding the bristles of my large clear wax brush came out and now the bristles are coming out in huge chunks see attached. used this brush for 6 months.
No! That’s terrible! I’m sure your stockist would be able to replace it for you.
Where do you buy the nail polish?
Your local nail salon will have the gel/shellac nail polish and know how to apply it.
I have a question, I have painted, waxed and buffed this dresser and it has come out splotchy. UGH!! I believe the problem is that the waxed was not but on evenly, can I but another coat of the clear wax? If so, when? And will the second coat of clear wax even out the color?
Yes. It is splotching because you are not covering the entire piece with your clear wax. In the spot where you have used it your paint color will deepen. You can see the spots that you’ve missed because they are lighter. Go back over these areas with your clear wax and then buff all. You can do this immediately.
I have my next project reprinting wicker patio furniture and recovering the cushions with vintage flour sack… Super excited a it the project, but any suggestions painting wicker with AS? And making it weather resistant?
Paint as you would any other piece. I prefer not getting into all the cracks of wicker because this gives it an aged look. Like all outdoor furniture it will eventually wear. But, you do not need to use clear wax if outdoors.
You had said on a previous Q&A a while ago that you would post the paint colors on your walls in your home. I just wanted to see if you would be willing to do this or maybe I missed it.???
Thanks for the reminder. Thinking about doing it next week.
I have started painting the cabinets a shade of green, because I would like to Annie Sloan “Old White” to be on top with the green (& some of the oak) peeking through in some areas. Question: How do I keep the cabinets from looking too beat up? I don’t want them to look like camo. 🙂
If you are doing something more custom like this be prepared to play a little. Go light on your top coat of green and be sure to actually sand the surface so you can see some wood something through. If looking too beat up then repaint some of your sanded areas. Sounds like a cool project!
ASCP dealer here didn’t sell me the crackle but told me to take the cabinet doors out in the sun and the sun would do the crackling. That didn’t work, so I found where you can use a hair dryer to make it crackle. Do you have any experience in crackle?
No, I’m sorry I don’t. I think I like to have a bit more control when I work. If I were after this type of aged look I would actually try a milk paint because you can get a better distressed look this way. Have you looked into Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint?
I was wondering how you felt about painting fabric? I am wanting to paint my decorative bedroom pillows but afraid of the paint rubbing off on my bed.
I’m just kinda weirded out by the whole thing not to mention that there are so many pretty fabrics out there. If you want a real finished look then bite the bullet and pay an upholsterer. That being said, I have not yet tried it.
Hi!
Just wanted to tell you I love that you share your ideas and painting techniques. I have used chalk paint a little but have never tackled a large project. You should see the list I have of things I would like to paint but am afraid to even go buy the paint…. Your videos help make the process seem less daunting and maybe I will eventually gather the courage to try a few projects on my own. I have one question….do you have suggestion on how to repair loose veneer on the top of an old oak dresser before I paint it?
Kellene