PaintTips - Using Annie Sloan Soft Waxes

 Love the aged look of this dresser ? It's really quite simple to achieve if you follow these basic tips. 

Annie Sloan's Soft Clear Wax was applied over the entire front, then her Soft Dark Wax was applied just over the edges. Always apply clear wax first even if you know that you will apply dark afterwards. The dark wax will stain the paint if applied directly on the paint and then it is impossible to get back to the original color. 

With clear wax underneath, you can apply the dark wax and if it is too dark remove it with some clear wax, adjusting it until you get the right tone. The finished result of using dark wax over clear on light colored paint should look as if there is a discernible color difference, with some dark wax in any little niches or grooves in the paintwork or wood. The wax should not look streaked or smeared on.

If the piece is small, you can use a soft cloth to apply the wax, but for anything larger, we recommend the Ultimate Wax Brush to make the job easier and faster and you will use less wax.

Want more tips? Click HERE or there are lots like the one above from Annie Sloan's great book, Quick and Easy Paint Transformations. 

Both Annie's book and the Ultimate Wax Brush are available at Brocante Home Collection.

Happy  Painting!  Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:
4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 
19 S. Belmont St. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

To see more tips, tutorials and photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

photo and tips via Annie Sloan and Christopher Drake

"PaintTips" - tips for painting with Chalk Paint®

Here are some of my top tips for painting with Chalk Paint®

1. Always start with a clean, dry piece of furniture. I wipe down all of my furniture with a gentle cleaner like "Method"or "Simple Green" and find this to be enough. If painting kitchen cabinets or furniture with a grease build up, you may want to use a little bit of Odorless Mineral Spirits to wipe off (let it dry overnight before painting) or use a "scrubby" sponge with the cleaners.

2. You normally don't need to sand or prime the furniture unless the surface of the piece is chipping, peeling or is damaged. An uneven surface can give your piece interest!

3. Using long, smooth strokes, paint your first coat a bit thicker than the second if you plan to distress down to the first coat. For the second coat, try "tipping" your brush in water, then in the paint to thin it. (This also works if you want to minimize the brush strokes.)

4. When applying Annie's Soft Wax, "push" it into the paint (think of applying hand lotion). Don't apply too much wax and remove excess wax with a clean cloth. Using the wax brush helps enormously with this.

 5. Apply Clear Soft Wax before applying Dark Soft Wax. And, apply the Dark Wax while the Clear Wax is still wet. You can use a little more Clear to "erase" some of the Dark if you put too much on.

 6. Let the Soft Wax set up (almost dry) before buffing. Applying wax before distressing and buffing will cut down on the dust. I personally buff as soon as I can after I wax - I can't wait until the next day!

 7. For the best patina, use a high grit (600-800) sandpaper to buff. This is my secret weapon - it will give you furniture the smoothness of glass! Use a lower grit such as 220 to distress.

8. Temperature should be between 55 and 80 degrees in the room when painting or waxing for proper bonding to occur. This goes for storing the paint and wax also. So, during the winter, bring your projects and paint in from the garage! Same goes for the extremely hot days of summer.

9. In the unlikely event that there is any "bleeding" after the first coat, it is always best to stop and apply a coat of clear shellac and then proceed. (Remember though, that it may take a few more coats of a lighter color like Pure White if you are painting over a darker wood.)

10. Using Annie's paint brushes will make the job go faster! Both the paint and wax brushes are easily cleaned with a gentle lye soap. If you can't clean them up right away or are just between coats, then put in a zip lock bag to keep them from drying out. 

Still unsure? Join us for one of our Chalk Paint® Classes or Hands-on Workshops. CLICK HERE for the schedule.

Happy Painting!
Rachel

P.S. - For more tips, LIKE US on Facebook, where I post PaintTips (and more) each week.