Painting with Chalk Paint

I have a few confessions to make… I have been envious of some of my big-bloggy-girlfriends for a few years now. They’ve all had amazing opportunities to work with and try out ASCP (otherwise known as Annie Sloan Chalk Paint). Even though I live in a community of 1.7 million, we are not blessed to have an ASCP stockist in our area. My recent trip to the Haven Conference provided the chance the meet with the ASCP people! They were knowledgeable, inviting women who also had amazing giveaways for us! I won a prize package of paint, a brush, and wax. I screamed so loud with glee when I won that I know I shocked a few bloggers (my apologies ladies). Yes, chalk paint and power tools are close seconds to diamonds for me (hint-hint darlin’)!  I’ve never used chalk paint before, so come along on this painting journey with me. Today, for the first time I’ll be Painting with Chalk Paint! 

Every one who attended Haven received a little 4 oz. pot of chalk paint. My prize package was a full quart in the color Provence, the clear wax, and a brush, but this sample pot was the beautiful Duck Egg Blue. The Duck Egg Blue is very close to Benjamin Moore’s Atmospheric which I’ve used on the walls of my playroom and boys' beach themed bathroom.

I have several cheap side tables we bought 20 years ago that needed TLC. One of them resides in my dining room. Now this is kind of embarrassing, but look, everyone thinks home bloggers live in homes that look like magazines…. um…. no. Trust me, we can make our home look magazine perfect for about 5 minutes for a photo shoot, but hey, we all have kids and crazy lives and frankly, are messy people at times. I’ve showed you a glimpse of my chaos before at the end of my Laundry Room Makeover post.

Hence, exhibit A (pictured below). This is how my formal dining room side table looks right now. I use the room as my blog-office. Yes, I think the room speaks for itself. You’ll find craft supplies from campaigns I did in April, amaryllis and ornaments (hiding behind the junk) from Christmas, random décor items (because I can’t find a place to store them), stacks and stacks of business receipts and papers I need to file. Oh my….

I might need an intervention…

Regardless, that little console table hiding under the junk is what I chose to paint.

Do you hear him? He just screamed “thank you for freeing me!”. Poor guy. He’s about to get a gorgeous makeover. Yes, I’m painting in my foyer… it’s hot out people! Like 105 degrees hot.

Using the large brush I received, I painted the entire table with the 4 oz. pot of chalk paint. I brushed it on quickly, in long stokes, in the direction of the wood grain. The chalk paint dries to a very chalky, matte finish and you will see the brush strokes. Like I said before, this is unlike any paint I’ve ever used. It dried crazy fast, yet is very accepting to new coats of paint. The biggest bonus is that you do not need to prime or sand before painting with chalk paint! I love that feature!

I wanted to add depth and interest to the paint, so I decided to add a bit of brown glaze to the edges and a bit to the surface. I already had brown glaze on hand which I had used when I painted my cabinets & bathroom mirror. I bunched up cheesecloth and dipped it in the glaze then dabbed it on a paper plate. With feather light strokes, I brushed the cheesecloth along the edges and surface of the table. I pressed a bit harder along the edges. The chalk paint absorbs the stain immediately so that is why I stress using a feather light touch. The glaze will automatically settle along your brush strokes. Seriously, this part you must not overthink, just let go and focus on edges, corner, nooks, and crannies. Stroke in the direction of the wood grain. Where it goes, it goes. Que sera, sera (whatever will be, will be).

The next step was sanding. I took a sanding block made for sanding between paint layers. It’s a very fine grit. I sanded the entire table. The areas where the stain looked a bit to harsh, melted away with sanding and the whole table started to take on a bit of a sheen. Chalk paint is made for sanding and distressing!

Look at this picture below. It shows what the table looked like when I first added the glaze (left pic.), then after it was sanded (middle pic.), and finally after it was waxed (right pic.). Oh, don’t even get me started on this wax… (sigh)… ok, let’s talk about it.

I’ve heard the ravings about the Annie Sloan Wax. It’s like butter! It seriously has the consistency of Crisco, just not greasy. It smooths on beautifully with cheesecloth or a brush and then you wipe it off in a circular buffing motion and wow-o-wow!

Just look at the instant depth of color that is brought out the second the wax is applied! I was getting giddy at this point! And the fact that I was waxing this table in less than one hour after painting was freaking amazing!

Didn’t it turn out beautiful?

The chalk paint table now resides in my foyer. The glass float summer wreath is perched happily above it along with my new coral lamp.

Isn’t this little sea urchin vase from Target just beautiful filled with white crepe myrtles?

You can see how the stain and wax bring out the brush strokes of the chalk paint. If you love a painterly look to furniture, then chalk paint is a good choice for you.

When friends and family enter my home this is what they will pleasantly be greeted with! It’s a relaxed coastal environment (we’ll just steer them clear of the dining room… shhhhhhhhhh).

I now see why everyone loves chalk paint. It provides amazing coverage and style in the fastest amount of time with little to no prep! Tell me what you think about Painting with Chalk Paint! Think you’ll give it a try?

Pin it if you love it!

For more DIY ideas be sure to check out the DIY Project Gallery & Décor Craft Gallery.

Kim

For the latest updates, join me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, G+ or SUBSCRIBE for Free!

Linking up to: