Annie Sloan Is My Girl: Painting Furniture
10:30 AM
I don't know why I was never warned about the incessant need to want to mark every inch with a piece of yourself when you have your own place. I found that out quite quickly however and have now changed my profession to an interior decorator. Coming up with a good color pallet you want your main living space to be really helps narrow down your search of what you're looking for as a theme in your place.
Now that I have that all established and have now given you all the warning that I was never given, I am going to give you a tutorial and review on the Annie Sloan chalk paint that I used to paint some pieces of furniture with. Remember when I said I had an incessant need to mark every inch of my new place?! I was not joking.
- Do your research: Before I got carried away I made sure I researched everything about the product. I was at first searching for techniques on how to give a rustic look to furniture and came across the Annie Sloan chalk paint again and again. I then narrowed my search and watched a lot of YouTube tutorials on how to properly use the paint. Since I have done the research I can save you some time so you can skip this step. I found that it was the fastest, trendiest "new" way of painting furniture. There is no need to prep the furniture, such as sanding or striping anything on the piece. Pretty much three steps is all it takes. Wipe down, paint and wax. The simplicity of it is what I found the most desirable. I know next to nothing on the techniques of properly painting furniture so this product seemed like "paint for dummies or paint for people who don't want to spend a million hours painting."
- Finding Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: This product is not sold in most retail stores, such as Home depot. I however, got pretty lucky and found it at a upscale warehouse furniture store. You can go to the Annie Sloan website and search locations where they are sold near you, which is what I did or I would have never found it. www.anniesloan.com.
- Picking your color: Going on the website you will find an array of different colors to choose from. Again, deciding on your color theme for your place is important because it is very easy to get carried away. I went with "Duck Egg Blue." My colors are blue, gray and white.
- Waxes: Its pretty simple. There is a dark wax and a clear wax. The dark wax gives a very different look to pieces. Its almost as if you painted over black paint and some dark would show threw. This just all depends on what style you are looking for. A clear wax is what I went for and it doesn't really change the color or anything its just a protective layer to put over the paint so it doesn't chip or get worn out.
What you will need:
Once you have found your color and where to buy the paint, I must prepare you for one thing.
The price.
A 32 fl oz can of paint runs around $34.95 and on top of that a wax, that is pretty essential to have, runs around the same price. So, you'll be looking at spending around 65-70 dollars. BUT, do not let that scare you. I would recommend getting the rest of your equipment at Home Depot or other department stores.
After, your wounded wallet has purchased the paint, these are some essentials you'll need to do the job:
- Paint brushes: This depends on what kind of furniture you're doing. I did a coffee table and a book shelf. So, a large surface is easier to use a roller brush because its quicker and then I got one small grip brush for more detail work and then another larger grip one for other areas. I used the small grip one the most. I had the most control with it and it worked best for me. It was about 3 dollars, much cheaper than the 15 dollar Annie Sloan paint brushes.
- Paint can opener: Again, I am very new to using paint and I know there are many ways to open paint cans but I went the safe route and got an opener and it took a matter of two seconds to open. *Tip! When closing the paint, put a rag over top of it and then use a hammer to place the lid back on. This will keep your paint from not drying out because you will most likely not use the entire can.*
- Rags: You may have some of these at home, but I bought some that were in the paint section of the store. They are soft rags that you will use to put on the wax. I also used them to wipe spots off and clean paint brushes. They were very useful.
- Sand paper: This is not essential. I didn't buy this to sand the furniture prior to painting because that isn't necessary with this paint. I wanted to give my pieces a distressed look after I was finished painting. I found the way the paint dried on the furniture that the distressing part wasn't even necessary. It's good to have just in case and depending on what look you're going for.
- Tarp: I painted my pieces right in my living room since I live in an apartment complex and don't have the luxury of painting in a garage or outside. It's however not necessary to paint outside. The paint does not give off any fumes what so ever. It hardly even gave off a scent. This will be nice for those you are sensitive to smells. It also dries in about 20 minutes. I just got a plastic tarp in the paint section of the store and it was about 5 dollars, if that.
NOW ITS PAINT TIME!
 |
| Coffee table before |
 |
| THE COLOR |
 |
| Wiped it down before applying the paint |
I started with painting the top and the worked my way down the piece.
 |
| After one coat |
Drum roll for the finished product.....
I am not kidding when I say this only took me about 3-4 hours AND I also painted my bookshelf! I am sad to say I have no before photos of the bookshelf but it needed some serious love. It was given a terrible black paint job when I got it and I was so happy how they both turned out.
 |
| Add caption |
Close up of the paint. I love how it dries onto the furniture. It gave an almost worn out look, without trying and I love it.
I was so happy how this turned out. The black paint seeped through the color a little and I love the rustic look it gave to the book shelf.
 |
| Look how pretty that is! |
This was by far one of greatest times I've spend doing a project. I listened to my audio book and painted away and it was actually fun! The flip side is I now want to paint every piece of furniture in my apartment. Also, I must add, this was boyfriend approved. He loved it!
Final Thoughts on Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: I'm pretty sure you all can tell that I absolutely love this paint. Its easy to use, it looks expensive and its efficient. The price is a little high but I personally felt like it was worth it. Highly recommend. Five stars.
I will be back with more updates about my move to Virginia! Stay tuned. xo
Jens to blame
0 comments