The Wonderful World of Chalk Paint

So,  I was feeling quite generous  seeing as it's the first day my blog is up and I thought, "Hey! Why not put up two posts!" Enjoy!

Ever go garage sale paroozing and you stumble upon an old but salvageable piece of furniture. You stand there awkwardly as the home owner stares you down, inwardly begging you to buy there piece of trash. You think to yourself, “This could look lovely if I sand it, and prime it, and paint it, and varnish it.” Ugh! Just the thought of all that work sends you wheeling back to your car. Well, would you think about buying that piece if I told you there was a DIY-ers daydream product that nixed all that prep?

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I had never heard of chalk paint until one day when I was browsing in this cute little hole in the wall antique store. I immediately fell in love with all of their chabby chic products and asked the sales lady what they used on them. “Annie Sloan Chalk paint of course, the best formula of chalk paints out there.” She went on to tell me that this product required next to no prep. I was sold! Bought myself a quart of paint and two waxes, dark and clear, and set out to remake one of my garage sale gems.

I love love love how the two colours (FAT Caribbean Blue & Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue ) work together.

 First thing I noticed was the colour, it was so rich and beautiful (I had chosen Aubusson Blue). I was shocked at how quickly the paint dried. I am not a patient person so this worked wonders for me! I used an older brush, which gave the piece a more textured look, and I would definitely recommend doing this. It gives it so much more character and I love the way it works with the waxes. Speaking of which, I did a coat of clear wax first. It gives you more time to work with the dark wax. Putting on the wax and sanding to create the antiqued look was so much fun. It really allows you to have a one of a kind piece of furniture. Another amazing quality of this paint is that you can mix paint colours together and mix paint colours into the wax. AH-mazing, I know! I was like a kid in a candy shop. Lastly apply the finishing touches, a final coat of clear wax over all the dark and sanding. And Voila! A Beautiful garage sale gem sans all the sanding and priming and varnishing.

You can see how using an older brush gives your piece that grainy finish also allowing your wax to get right in there.

Before I found Annie Sloan, I had tried FAT Paint, it’s a new Canadian product and it works quite similarly  However there were a few distinct differences. The first was FAT paint dried almost instantly. I started on the top of one of my desk and by the time I reached the bottom the top was dry. Love it! The second was FAT paint didn't have as much of a selection of colours as Annie Sloan did. Annie Sloan’s colours were mostly antique and suited for shabby chic. Lastly, I found the consistencies were completely different. When I opened the can of FAT paint I was surprised to see how thick the paint was. It almost had a mousse like texture, while Annie Sloan was had a more paint like consistency and in turn was easier to apply. All in all they are both great products and are both a DIY-ers dream. I don’t know if this is taboo or not so don’t tell anyone but I did a base coat in one product (Fat paints Caribbean Blue) and the top in Annie Sloan (Aubusson Blue) and the finished product was stunning! The pop of teal coming through with the rich Aubusson Blue, just perfection!