We Asked Annie Sloan How to Chalk Paint Furniture
Annie Sloan has a great friend that’s extraordinary from the maximum. She describes it as stunning, forgiving, and brief, which might be the forms of sterling adjectives that each person might want to attribute to them. But her first-rate buddy isn’t a person. In fact, it’s something she created herself: Chalk Paint.
“I needed a smooth answer for upcycling fixtures because I was running complete-time and raising three young sons, and there simply wasn’t whatever obtainable,” she says. “I’d describe it as my high-quality friend, to be pretty honest. Over the years, it’s stored me money and time by using no longer residing with unsightly furnishings!”
Since chalk paint debuted in 1990, it’s been a pal to innumerable DIYers who goal to refresh a thing of their homes without frequently needing to accomplish the more duties of priming or sanding first. Its matte finish, which offers Chalk Paint its call, is available in a kaleidoscope of colors which might be as impartial as white and beige, as on fashion as “Scandinavian Pink,” and as ambitious as lime green and bright orange.
“There’s no right or incorrect with Chalk Paint,” she says. “It’s short to dry and clean to paint over if you aren’t glad about how your completed portions appearance.”
On the concern of furnishings, Sloan recommends her product for almost any item. She does note that it looks first-rate on those made with pine—particularly kitchen shelves, as an example—or different woods that have seen a few put on and tear. Here’s what you need to understand earlier than you choose up a paintbrush.
How to Chalk Paint Furniture, Step through Step:
1. Choose your paint selection IRL.
“I would urge humans to go to their local Annie Sloan Stockist to see exactly what Chalk Paint colorings appear to be, rather than looking to decide by using searching online,” Sloan notes. “They are all rather educated in my painting approach, too.”
2. Some protection can be required.
“While no prep is needed for maximum furnishings pieces, there are a couple of outstanding exceptions,” Sloan says. “If you portray metal, melamine, or any other very sleek floor that paint would conflict to stick to, then you definitely have to key the surface with a few mild sanding. You can also dilute Chalk Paint and layer it on in skinny coats to build up insurance slowly.”
Three. Please test it out.
“Every piece of furniture is different, so my golden rule is always to take a look at Chalk Paint on a discrete location,” she says. “Virtually each Chalk Paint predicament can be foreseen and then avoided via doing a short patch test first. If you notice any bleed-through—which now and then occurs with fixtures from the Twenties or furnishings that would have come into touch with nefarious chemical substances— then seal the whole piece of furnishings with shellac or my Chalk Paint Lacquer.”
How to Paint with It:
1. Brush on diluted coats.
“To create a clean, cutting-edge end, I suggest applying two or 3 slightly diluted coats of paint with a flat brush,” Sloan provides. “Dilute the Chalk Paint at a 10 percent ratio to begin, then preserve to add water is vital. If you select a textured end, load up an Annie Sloan Chalk Paintbrush specially designed to preserve masses of paint, and observe in lots of different instructions. The paint will go on thick, and also you’ll see brushstrokes within the finish. Two coats in this fashion could be sufficient.
“Generally, two or 3 coats is normally more than enough for maximum furnishings, but the remarkable exception is ‘Pure’ Chalk Paint. Pure is made without any pigment to make sure it’s the whitest, brightest, cleanest white it could probably be. Because of this, the coverage of Pure desires extra coats than all the different colorations. My tip is to use Country Grey as a primer first, but you can use any mild-colored Chalk Paint you may have around.”
2. Leave it out to dry.
“Drying instances range depending on how a lot of Chalk Paint you use, the temperature of the room in that you’re portraying, and masses of different environmental elements,” she says. “Generally even though, hours can be enough. If in doubt, contact the furniture with a finger to confirm.”
3. Apply wax.
“I typically Chalk Paint in the mornings, after which observe a wax in the afternoons. The waxing system is what protects and finishes your Chalk Paint,” Sloan notes. “To get the most from waxing, use my wax brushes or a lint-loose material—it desires to be ‘lint-free,’ in any other case you’ll get little bits of fabric within the end. I locate antique cotton t-shirts are ideal. Use the wax sparingly, in one patch at a time, operating it properly into the paint. Remove any excess with a smooth fabric.
“For a sparkly finish, go away it to remedy overnight and then buff it right into a high sheen. Lastly, if you’re painting lawn fixtures, alternative Chalk Paint Wax for Chalk Paint Lacquer, which incorporates UV safety to keep shades fresh and vibrant.”
