Friday, January 31, 2014

Me and Annie Sloan


We have a client that wanted to repurpose a dresser as a media cabinet. It has perfect lines and we had my carpenter son, Michael, take the front off the top middle drawer, line it and hinge the door to drop down for access to the tv components (plus cut a whole in the back).


I wanted the piece to resemble the look and feel of fine furniture.  Enter chalk paint--not just any substitute, but Annie Sloan's Chalk paint. I looked into chalk powder that you can add to any color of any brand of paint,and other off brands, but the Annie Sloan French Linen color was perfect (and perfectly classy) and the product has an impeccable track record.

This stuff is amazing. I watched videos (thank you Pam )and drove an hour to the The Empty Nest in Warrenton, VA, that carries it and saw lots of examples and was given instructions and tips.  It is true, NO SANDING OR PRIMING, just start painting.


There are hundreds of tutorials and videos out there on Annie Sloan Chalk paint, but the helpful local source was amazing to call when I ran into some snags. The stockists of these paints are experts!

The magic in the clear soft wax application is the $35.00 brush.  This video tells you how to wax so I followed it precisely.  I had applied the paint in a horizontal motion- all 3 layers of it.  After drying thoroughly, I applied the wax in a circular motion, but was not happy with how it was buffing between coats.  I was looking at circles and horizontal lines in the paint..very incongruous.


 So I called The Empty Nest for troubleshooting advice and they were familiar with this dilemma and recommended that I use 500 grit sandpaper to sand the top coat of wax, wipe and reapply in the same horizontal direction of the paint.  Perfect! I applied 3 coats of clear wax, buffing in between and waited 24 hours for the final buffing.  I am told it will cure rock hard, and we are loving the look and feel of this piece.



We delivered the piece this week prior to the full living room install this weekend! We are so excited and the client was over the moon about the new look of her old dresser.


I love this paint. It is so worth the cost and you will be thrilled with the quality and outcome.  More on this client reveal soon! Have a great weekend!


28 comments:

  1. nancy I love this color!!! and this paint and have used it but I find it dries so flat. Does the wax make a big difference and did you use the clear wax?

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    1. The wax makes ALL the difference and I used The clear-fabulous!

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  2. LOVE! What a gorgeous transformation ... and good for you to keep the patience to do this right. I am ready to try my hand at all of this! xo

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  3. I also love ASCP!! And I had trouble finding it here, in Romania, so I had someone buy it for me from THE us...NO REGRETS, IT IS MAGIC!! i USED pROVENCE FOR A DRESSER (HERE: http://houseatheart.blogspot.ro/2013/05/annie-sloan-chalk-paint-provence.html), I used it for my livingroom armchairs, , for the entry bench, for the coffee table... I used it a lot!! It is indeed amazing!! Haven t tried this colour, but it looks so classy!!
    xo
    Ozana
    http://houseatheart.blogspot.ro/

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  4. It's beautiful Nancy! I've been dying to use this paint on something.

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  5. Gorgeous Nancy!!! A painter friend of mine recently took an Annie Sloan workshop and has been busy as a bee painting furniture with the paint. She too loves it and I am amazed at the ease with which she creates beautiful make-overs on some pretty dowdy pieces!

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  6. I love it! I've been waning between using ASCP and BM colors for my kitchen island. will try to find a stockist here but will definitely watch that video. thanks for the tip!

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  7. It looks amazing! I love that color of chalk paint - it works with pretty much everything!

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  8. I've been following the transformation on Instagram. It looks fab!

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  9. Yours looks great! the pieces I have done had the same problem with the circular wax application messing up the look. This was good to know.

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  10. That looks great! It's a really nice update. I've never used the paint but I'm thinking of getting a fun color to use on the inside of my kitchen cabinets and drawers.

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  11. Wow Nancy, what a gorgeous transformation of that piece and great idea to hinge the drawer! Your new hardware choice is perfect, too! Thanks for the shout-out, friend!

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  12. It turned out beautifully! Great work!

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  13. So glad you had a good experience with the Annie Sloan. Love the new color and pretty hardware. Makes me excited to see the room reveal! Have a great weekend Nancy!

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  14. YES, YES. Annie Sloane's French Linen was applied by MC and myself a year and a half ago in our kitchen and we LOVE, LOVE IT.! We did our Master Bath with the Dark wax and we used Graphic in our hall bath. This paint is magic!!!

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  15. What a lucky client. This came out great. I have always wanted to try it, and now I know I must. This looks great. I think it is also available about an hour from me.

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  16. What an amazing transformation!! You are very talented, my friend!! Have a fabulous weekend, Nancy!! xoxo

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  17. I imagine it was difficult to surrender this beautiul piece back to the client after all of your hard work and effort. It looks gorgeous and no doubt your client was thrilled! GREAT JOB!

    Please post on how long this project took you: trip to buy the paint, painting, waxing, carpenter work, phone calls for help, etc. and how you charged. I'm new to all this (execution vs fees) and typically 'eat' the cost considering as new knowledge for another job....

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    1. I did have a hard time parting with it- I loved it. I spent about 12 hours on this project including travel time. I have been anxious to use ASCP so it was invaluable experience and knowledge gained, for sure. This became a key piece in our client's living room makeover. Thanks Linda!

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  18. your piece came out beautiful. I would like to try it on a wood stained bathroom cabinet that is in in need of some TLC after 15 years. question....what did you do on the inside of the cabinet? I am thinking the ASCP would be a waste of time and money on the interiors of my cabinet....was thinking of doing a BM paint in a complimentary color in a high gloss for durability....what do you think?

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    1. I left the insides of the cabinet the natural wood color since they were in great shape. I would have sanded them and clear coated them I believe had they been in poor condition. Sent you an email, Chris- thanks!

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  19. I use that paint all the time on old pieces it does such a great job!! I love the grays in that collection and that
    chest looks fabulous!!

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  20. Nancy, great job! I love Annie Sloan paint and have a couple of projects lined up for spring!
    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  21. Congrats on a beautiful job! What a fabulous makeover - love the color and stylish new hardware. I look forward to seeing this piece in situ, Nancy. Happy Sunday! xo

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  22. I agree Nancy it is amaxing. My paintwr husband even weighs in.

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  23. Aaaaaahhhh! looks great Nancy! Saw this on IG and it looked so professionally done! Great job!

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  24. Gorgeous Nancy! Isn't that stuff amazing? That is the same color we used at my sisters house...such a pretty neutral. Love the lines of that chest.

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