I am breaking from my "norm" today. It's Monday and I always participate in Carissa's meme, "Miscellany Monday." But, since I knew that many of you were waiting with "baited breath" to hear about my chalk painting experience, I decided not to make you wait any longer. ~aren't you excited?~
Every once in a while I enjoy working on a project. I have heard so much about chalk painting and have seen so many pieces done in chalk paint that I really like. And, as I looked around our house, I saw several pieces that looked like potential candidates for chalk painting. So, I began preparing for a project in chalk painting.
I watched several U-Tube videos on the process and talked with a couple of folks that had done it. There is so, so much info on the internet and it most helpful to me. ~whatever did we do before the internet~
As in any project, the first thing I did was gather my supplies. I decided that I would buy the chalk paint powder and make my own chalk paint. Webster's is the best and for the local gals, Nature's Hidaway carries the powder and the waxes. As far as I know, Annie Sloan is the only maker of Chalk Paint and it is around $38 a quart. ~a bit expensive for sure~ The powder is $15 and there is enough to make I quart of paint, but you make it by the cup. Two tablespoons of powder per cup of paint. And, take my word for it, a little goes a long ways. I used less than 1/2 cup on the two smaller pieces I did and I used 1 cup on the wash stand I did. You can use the chalk powder in any water base latex paint you desire and in any color. In addition to the this, you will need a a paint brush (a sash style is best and I got mine at the $$$ store and it worked just fine and never shed a time), some tight fitting disposable gloves, fine grade sand paper, your choice of wax (I'll say more about this in a minute) old rags and depending on where you will be working, a drop cloth.
I did my chalk painting inside. The pieces I was doing were all upstairs and we have a large landing at the top of the stairs, so that is where I worked. It worked out great for me and there is little to no odor with water base paint.
My first piece was this old rocker. I bought it several years ago at a garage sale for $25. I don't know what those spots are on the seat of the finished piece but it must be the lighting. ~forgive me~
My second piece was this plant stand. Both of these pieces were going in the same room so I did them to match. I used the clear wax on these.
Here are the two pieces in the rightful places. Yes, that's right, I use the plant stand for a TV stand in one of our upstairs guest bedrooms. ~don't laugh~
My next piece and much larger piece, a wash stand that I have in our upstairs guest bathroom. I did it in an Ivory color and then used the color, Rugger Brown, wax on it. I found a huge difference in the clear wax and the colored. You really have to work quickly with the wax. It dries extremely fast, as in just a few seconds. I wanted a more distressed look on this piece and that was why I chose to use a colored wax. But, you rub it in with the grain and rub it off immediately to the desired intensity. The wax color is just a personal preference but you have to wax each piece to seal it and to protect it. Some tutorials say use a paint brush to put the wax on and some say rub it on with an old rag. Let me just say, it is a whole lot better to use an old rag. ~in my humble opinion~
Now, is that not just "plum" pretty! I was very pleased with the results once it was placed back where it belonged. Note* in the picture the distressing looks a bit greenish and ugly. ~chuckle~ But, it really does look good. ~I promise~ On all 3 of these pieces I lightly sanded the edges in a "hit or miss" fashion for an even more distressed look. That is just your preference but needs to be done before putting on the wax.
While I did really like the looks of all 3 pieces, the rocker just did not please me when I got it placed back in the room it belonged in. The color did not have enough pizazz. So, I redid it to a golden yellow.
Now, don't you agree? And, when I grow tired of this color, I can always come back and do it another color. ~oh, the joys of paint~ I used the Rugger Brown color wax on this too.
Now, for just some random info for you in case you are about to embark upon some chalk painting...........
......since doing my pieces I have found out that you can easily make your own chalk powder. Go to this site to see how easy it is .
......some tutorials I saw used the term, "just slap the paint on the piece." Well, slapping is exactly what it will look like and I doubt that's what you want unless you are into a very primitive and rugged look. I went with the grain of the wood with my brush strokes and found it to be more of the look that I prefer.
......I used Fiddes wax but have also found out that you can use any brand wax that is used for a protective finish. The colored waxes will all give a more distressed look to your piece, so if you are not looking for that, then you will probably want to stick with the clear wax.
I have several more pieces that I am going to be doing in the coming weeks and will share those with you as I do them. But, good luck to those of you that want to give it a try and remember, the sky is the limit. You can paint any surface with chalk paint, so the options are numerous. And, remember too, if you do not like the color when you finish, you can redo it another color. ~smile~ If you have a question for me regarding my experience just leave it in your comments or email me and I'll be glad to answer. I'm far from a pro, so just remember "you get what you pay for." ~big grin~
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