Painting with chalk paint....

DIY tutorial

In Wednesday's post I touched on the general rules of painting wooden furniture, and how important prepping your piece is....Sanding and priming before painting....

But today I want to tell you about chalk paint....and the rules are slightly different...

Chalk paint was developed in 1990 by Annie Sloan, whose name has become synonymous with  chalk paint....She wanted to develop a paint that was versatile and could be applied using many different styles and painting techniques....

Chalk paint has the benefit of being able to stick to almost any surface....so there is no need for the usual prep like sanding and priming before you paint...

...it has good coverage with it's thick consistency, and a little goes a long way...it is fast drying and hard wearing, and can be used almost anywhere, including outside....

But the main reason a lot of people use chalk paint is for its beautiful antique looking ,chalky patina....it lends itself very well to ageing and distressing, and can be made to crackle......

Adding glazes, waxes and stains when using chalk paint can create a beautiful antique look...

 It can also be used as a wash of colour  and makes an excellent primer for milk paint (more on this next week)..

So today I will show you how I used chalk paint to transform my friend Claire's bookshelves...

 She wanted it to look old and distressed, so chalk paint was my natural choice....

CHALK PAINTING TUTORIAL...

 

The bookshelf was a red colour, and the finish really had taken a beating and had seen better days...

Because I was using chalk paint, there was no need to sand or prime before painting, however...

....if your piece is in a dark colour and you don't want the colour to come trough when you are distressing, I would recommend stripping the current finish first...

I didn't because I wanted the history of the shelf to shine through....

...so I just gave it a good clean using a solvent degreaser (to take away the current wax-finish) and some soapy water....

I gave it a really light sanding, even though I shouldn't need to, just to crate a slightly rough surface for the paint to adhere to...I probably spent 5 minutes sanding...if that!!

A down side of chalk paint is that it can be very expensive....

A lot of people make their own....

I will be posting a receipe for this next week...

But as this was the first time I've used chalk paint, I thought it'd be safest to use a branded one...

As I was painting this bookshelf white, and didn't need any fancy colours, I decided not to spend my money on expensive Annie Sloan paint, and got this slightly cheaper Autentico natural chalk paint (£20)...

After wiping the shelves down so they were free from dust, I laid the shelves down, and started painting the inside first.....

.....the main reason being that it made for easier access to the shelves when it was laying down , and I wouldn't damage the paintjob when I stood it up to do the outside...  

 

I ended up doing 3 coats for good coverage....letting each coat dry for 30 minutes+ before sanding lightly between coats....

Tip: When painting try to control your brushstrokes to minimise brush marks in the paint....

After the 3 coats, leave to cure for at least 24 hours...

The next day I ran my electric palm sander over the shelf, concentrating on areas with heavy brush strokes and paint drips....

Then it's time for distressing....I used my sanding sponge to very lightly take back the paint on the detail of the bookshelf....  

....don't be too heavy handed at this stage....

...as you can see: Any previous paint colour underneath will show through in the distressed areas...

When you have distressed all the obvious corners and details on your piece with the sandpaper/sanding sponge....you need to get rid of all the paint dust....

I used our electric inflating pump for Little Miss Moo's paddling pool to blow away the dust....

Then I used a slightly damp rag to wipe the shelf down....

....I also used the damp rag to soften the distressed parts, by rubbing it over the areas already distressed by the sanding sponge...gently wiping and blending away the paint in these areas.... 

When you are happy with your distressing....you are ready for the finishing...

Chalk paint always needs to be sealed with a finishing wax...

I used "autentico" clear finishing wax.....

Make sure your piece is dust free before waxing....

...Using a soft brush or a cloth, smear the wax all over your piece...

Take extra care in the corners and crevices .....

Leave for about 10-15 minutes before wiping and buffing the wax off again using a soft cloth....an old t-shit is ideal....

Because I wanted to create a bit more interest in the finish, I decided to use some antiquing wax as well....

....ALWAYS use a layer of clear wax before adding antiquing wax, or the paint will soak up too much of the stain, and it will not buff up right... 

Because I only wanted a light stain...I worked on smaller areas at the time, NOT leaving the wax on for very long, but going straight over it with a cloth , wiping away the excess....

Because the shelf is white, the antiquing wax will yellow the finish hue....

I learned, by trial and error, that it maybe best to dilute the antiquing wax by mixing with some clear wax, for a less "dirty" look if using on lightly coloured pieces...

If you feel like you have been a bit heavy handed with the antiquing wax, like me, just use a bit off solvent cleaner on a cloth to go over and wipe away the wax stain where needed....

Use a dry soft brush to get the wax build up out of the corners and crevices....

Finish off with another layer of clear wax on top....

...really buff it up for a nice sheen to the finish...

I am happy with the result of my first attempt at using chalk paint....

...I have learned a lot though....

Like the importance of sanding properly in between the coats of paint to get rid of the brush marks, for a silky smooth finish....and that it is better to mix your dark wax with some clear to dilute the stain it leaves....especially on light coloured pieces.... 

But most importantly: My friend Claire was happy with her bookshelf makeover...

I have really enjoyed using chalk paint....I can see the potential for different finishes using different techniques...and cant wait to play around with it again next week, when I have big pine dining table that needs an update....

Have you had any experience painting with chalk paint?

If you have any advice on using chalk paint, or you have any neat tricks or techniques you would like to share, please leave a comment below...

 Thanks for popping by....

please come back soon...

xxx

June