…blue egg q&a’s

Here are your Q&A’s. Got questions? Email me and I’ll post. cbensten@blueeggbrownnest.com

I love the library card cabinet you have in your dining room. Did you paint the bottom of this piece with a cream chalk paint and stain the top? I guess I’m wondering how you got the great and neutral look and the colors used?

Thanks! I love it too. I actually bought this piece at a barn sale. I know a great piece when I see it. The top is a stained wood and the bottom is some type of paint.

When I am painting with ASCP I always leave subtle brush strokes within the finish..Yikes!…How can I avoid this.

You can’t. You will always have some brush strokes and to me this makes it look custom and not factory-produced. You can add water to your paint if you want to cut down on them, but you still will have some.

I recently purchased artisans crackle tex. I was wondering if u have used this before on any of your pieces. And if u have is there a tutorial that I missed. And if there isn’t a tutorial I was really hoping u could paint a piece with two colors. And apply crackle tex. 

I will definitely think about it. I have not used it before. I have found that milk paint gives me that crackle/peeling look. I will be doing a tutorial on MMS Milk Paint soon.

I have recently purchased a rustic barn board dining table from Restoration Hardware.  It looks a lot like the table you have, and I’m considering putting some kind of sealer on it to protect it. I don’t want to change the look of it, but don’t want to have it ruined with stains. Did you seal your table, and if so with what?

Is there any seal on it? My coffee table came with NO SEAL. This is the look. However, I have kids and quickly realized that stains appear out of nowhere sometimes. I used MMS’ Hemp Oil. It has helped. You are meant to wait 30 days for it to completely soak in and dry, but I am not patient and could not wait that long. I still see a few marks, but it is not too noticable. You could also use ASCP Clear Wax or a poly. This will deepen the wood color if it came untouched. This is the drawback of a natural wood. Beautiful, but if we want to live without glass rings we do need to seal.

I have a big problem I am hoping you can give me advice about. Last week my hubby and I bought a beautiful oak table and 8 chairs. It’s an American Drew circa 1975. From Craigslist for only $500.  The chairs are caned and gorgeous and the table and leaves look like they’d never been eaten in!! Unfortunately the owner smoked and smoked and smoked lol!! It stinks to high heavens!!!! I wanted to lime oak it with Old White and a touch of ASCP coco, but I’m afraid that it will still smell if I don’t just paint it solid then distress it. I’ve cleaned it with nearly straight vinegar water and man the gunk and goo came off but it’s still smells. I can’t afford to get it professionally cleaned and just was hoping you’d have some advice for me?  I want to have it finished for Thanksgiving dinner but now I’m doubting it.

Have you tried using a spray shellac on it before you paint. This should really seal in those odors. I know you only have one more day, but you could try to knock it out! Sorry I’m just getting to this! Good luck.

Could you tell me what color and brand of paint you used in your living room? 

Benjamin Moore. Check out my “Wall Colors Revealed” posts for all my wall colors.

Will you be giving a tutorial on how you are making the tablecloth? About how many washings do you think you’ll have to do before it’s how you like it?

I will definitely be doing a post on it. Do you want a tutorial too? So easy and looks really aged like a real grainsack.