playing with chalk paint

I just started using Annie Sloan’s chalk paint and it’s amazing! You don’t have to clean, sand or do any prep to get your furniture ready to paint. What I’ve found that works is that you need to do 2 coats of chalk paint. They can be the same color, mixed colors or one color on top of another color. My first experiment was with Old White and French Linen. I mixed the two colors 2 to 1. Then, I did a second coat of the same combination. I think you really need 2 coats because otherwise you will see alot of the wood coming through. If that’s the look you want it’s cool too – kinda white-washed look. I let each coat dry for 24 hours.

The next thing I do is the wax process. You want to use a clear wax all over the piece. I have a wax that is pretty thick so I’ve found that using a cloth works the best for me. I try not to make it too thick. Then comes the dark wax. I use this to make it look aged. I’ve found that you want to put the dark wax on more heavily in places that are used more, like key holes, locks, hooks, latches, etc. It’s going to give you an antique, old look as opposed to a matte chalk color. The transformation is so exciting to see!

I used milk paint on all the furniture I’ve done for my house, but that’s for another day…