Have you been curious about how to paint with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint? I am a huge fan and have lots of chalk painting ideas to inspire you!
Today I have an easy before and after transformation of the very first piece of furniture I ever painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. This is the project that started it all for me! I fell in love with the painting after that, and I hope this will help you like it too!
Before we dive right into the tutorial, I wanted to share a little insight into what this paint is and a quick overview of the process.
What is chalk paint?
Chalk Paint is a paint product developed by Annie Sloan 25 years ago and she owns the mark. It contains low VOCs and is water based, which makes it easy to use and clean.
This style of decorative painting is so popular for a few simple reasons:
• There is very little prep work (no sanding or priming) that is required
before you can start painting.
• You can easily alter the finish to create beautiful shabby-chic styles (but this
is not all you can do with it!)
• It is VERY versatile and you can do so much!
What steps are required to chalk PAINT a piece of furniture?
There are two basic steps for every chalk painting project:
Paint the piece
Wax the piece
You can take additional steps depending on your goals. These include:
properly clean the item so that it accepts paint with minimal peeling.
distressing furniture to achieve decorative finishes.
stencil or add other paint accents.
How to paint with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
The first step of painting with chalk is to find a item that you want to convert, and then get chalk painting!
There are many, many brands of chalk paint available on the market. When I first started using chalk paint I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which we will talk about in this article. But I have used others and will share a review article soon. If you have any questions about various chalk paints, please leave a comment below and ask, I will be more than happy to answer all of your questions.
Visit Annie Sloan's website to find your local dealer or to order it online. There are so many colours to inspire you!
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Colors
There is a wonderful range of colours available in the ASCP (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint) line! Here is the current list of available colours:
For the project of this article, I used Provence and Old White.
Like most paints, they look lighter in the tin than they do once they're dry.
What kind of brushes do you need?
For the painting part of the project, almost any type of brush will work.
WARNING: I would recommend avoiding a cheap brush. Quite often the bristles will continue to fall into the paint, which is incredibly irritating.
Best Brushes for Chalk Painting: This micro-fibre brush is my most favorite brush ever! It is as smooth as silk and so comfortable to hold for long periods of time !!
Good quality bristles will also help the paint perform better. Personally, I tend to like synthetic bristle brushes for the painting part.
Chalk paint should be sealed to protect the finish and not just help it fade. This is a crucial step that should not be skipped. And it takes a little time, so it is important to calculate this in the planning of your project.
It's easy though as you'll see below.
Best brushes for applying wax to chalk paint:
For the waxing part of the project, the choice of brush is more specific and important. Round natural bristle brushes are recommended and they really make waxing easier. Brushes like these are great for waxing chalk paint and will help you not dread the waxing part!
They cost a bit more but they are so fun to work with that I highly recommend them.
before & after
First of all, say hello to my item: before.
I love the combination of wood and reeds in this piece but the colour was a bit too yellow / gold for my decor.
Many years ago I refurbished my dining room table and despised so much all the sanding, stripping and sweating that was involved in this project - it almost put me off doing any remaking. furniture for life - until I discovered this paint.
With chalk paint, you don't need to sand or strip. Nada.
Do you want to paint? Take a brush and a can and paint!
How long does it take to Chalk Paint?
It is possible to paint and wax a piece of furniture in one day. But, if you are new to this area, I would give yourself more time. And when you start to venture into creating different and more complex types of finishes, you will find that this will add time to your project as well. So try to leave some buffer time when doing projects like this so that you enjoy it and don't feel unnecessary stress.
I started this project on Friday mid-morning. I took my paint bucket and rocked it vigorously up and down for several minutes, then grabbed my paintbrush and got to it. The piece was completely finished (painted and waxed) on Saturday afternoon.
Pro Paint Mixing Tip: You can flip your box 45 minutes to an hour before painting to help it blend better.
At lunch, I had applied my first coat to the outside.
Chalk paint is very easy to work with and dries quickly. This first coat on the outside took me an hour and a half to apply. This was my very first time painting with chalk paint and I've since become even quicker, but still - just an hour and a half and the part was done with the first coat!
Can you apply it straight from the can?
Yes, you can paint right from the tin. Some people suggest pouring it into a separate container and that's fine too.
However, it is advisable to keep the top on the tin as much as possible to prevent the paint from drying out.
I noticed that the paint was starting to thicken slightly and I had read that this would happen so it didn't alarm me.
How to loosen chalk paint that thickens?
If your paint starts to get thick, add a little water (no more than a tablespoon at a time) to thin it slightly.
Start painting
When deciding which part of the cabinet to paint first, I wanted to start in a place that wouldn't be noticed so that I could familiarise myself with painting.
So to begin with, I started from the bottom and back of my piece mastering the use of paint.
There are a few steps that will help you get a better finished product in the end and practicing on an area that wouldn't be seen was a good idea for me.
My top tips for painting with chalk paint:
Here are a few things I learned:
If you want a smoother finish: apply your paint in the same direction as the grain of the wood when possible. If you want a distressed finish, apply it in multiple directions.
Work in small areas and apply the paint thinly
For a smoother appearance: In addition to painting in the same direction as the grain of the wood, keep your brush strokes in the same direction as well. Oddly enough, if you paint from top to bottom and then across in the same spot and the paint has started to set at all, it can actually start to remove the paint. So if you paint from top to bottom, stick with this pattern from top to bottom.
What to know before applying wax
The most critical step is to make sure everything is completely dry before you start waxing the chalk paint.
When you apply the wax, you don't want to disturb your finish.
Chalk paint tends to dry quickly. I had a very hot day so my paint dried very quickly. And, if you've painted in thin layers - it should be dry in about 20 minutes. But, if it's very humid or you've been a little harsh you may need to let it dry overnight… jumping the gun on this step could cause more trouble than it's worth.
OK, now to the wax!
How to apply wax to chalk paint
Apply the wax in a thin layer with your brush, making sure to "push" it into the wood and all your crevices.
Work in small areas.
Immediately after brushing it, wipe it with a cloth or t-shirt, wiping off the excess. (This isn't about polishing the wood - you will do that later if you want - it's just to make sure you don't clump the wax together.)
I used the clear wax on my item because I didn't want to darken the colour.
And that was it!
On Saturday afternoon, I had a totally “new to me” item that matched my kitchen colours perfectly!
Hope you have learned some tips on how to paint with chalk paint and that you are going to give it a try!
If you have any questions, leave a comment, I would love to share the joy of this amazing painting with you!
Extract taken from; Celebrating Everyday Life 'Copyright 2020 ©
Comments