GUESS WHAT'S ARRIVED HERE IN BC - his and her nightstands

BTW this is a little can not a gallon

$49.99 plus tax

I picked up my first can of Chalk Paint from THE PASSIONATE HOME

the first mini stockist of ANNIE SLOAN CHALK PAINT in BC.

Here are the first willing test subjects,

and their new feet.

Magic ..... the new legs are installed.

You don't really want me to talk about adding legs again do you?

You want my review on this expensive little can of wonder paint right?

No sanding or priming required ...

This is the first time I have used chalk paint and I chose to spray it on the tables.

I found no difference from regular latex primer or paint when thinning with water or straining it

for use in the spray gun.

It went on the furniture in a smooth even coat just like regular primer.

I did start to notice my hand cramping while spraying which isn't normal.

I believe this was due to the paint being thicker and having more solids thus distributing

slower thru the gun. 

The paint drys very quickly to the touch and I had no threat of runs in the paint.

When dry it feels semi rough and a bit chalky just like a flat paint would.

Once they were done it was time for  .....

The Plymouth Rock sandwich from Safeway .. mm mm good!

Once I was done with lunch I got a small bowl of water and a good clean sponge.

The thing that I quickly learned while using this paint

is that it is always soluble with water.

Thus making the process of distressing very FUN and satisfying.

I'm able to create all sorts of antiqued finishes with regular products every time changing

the recipe and experimenting which is fun too but takes time and thought.

See how the edges are distressing

this has all been done wiping and rubbing with the damp sponge.

NO DUST

With the contact of the water the paint started to smooth the semi rough surface I mentioned earlier.

.

Because this paint is always water soluble you must finish it with a protector.

This is why the paint is primarily always sold with a finish wax.

I used MINWAX Finishing Paste Wax.

I have not tried brush painting with it yet and believe there

will be different challenges associated with that as well.

I do see this as being a great indoor winter paint for me 

simply because the dust level is so low when distressing.

Now to the cost, yes it's expensive at first glance.

However time is money for most of us and I didn't have to take an hour sanding,

or have to waste product deglossing.

A single coat of chalk paint is all that is required when achieving an antiqued

or distressed finish, saving both product and time.

The product also dries very quickly saving more of that precious time of ours.

No cost to purchase sand paper for distressing, just a rag and some water.

Money will be saved in paint brushes as they are always washable weeks later.

A similar look can be achieved with less expensive primer and distressed with sandpaper.

But I promise you won't have as much fun.

I find the most valuable aspect to this product being the adhesion factor.

Most ppl want instant gratification when they decide to paint something

and chalk paint now offers this with out the prep work.

There will still be slim occasions where adhesion will be an issue.

It seems that the paint will not stick to wood that has been penetrated by an oil.

Such as a tongue oil rubbed into furniture.

To summarize my thoughts:

If you are familiar with priming and painting techniques and already create decorative furniture,

I suggest trying this paint.

If you are new to painting and refinishing furniture

I suggest you read as much as you can find about this paint or even take a class

which THE PASSIONATE HOME is currently offering.

This is a decorative paint best used to create fun and fabulous vintage looks.

I finished the look with vintage provincial handles with a turquoise aged look.

I have also finished these tables with a poly clear coat on the top surface giving

them a great durable finish. I know my bedside tables see a lot of use.

Sharing with:

YOU ASKED MY OPINION III - kristy's questions answered

Personally I'd love to see this look
but I've been told I can't always get my way.

This is the 3rd installment of

*YOU ASKED MY OPINION*

My response to a reader requesting my opinion

on their furniture and/or space.

 Hi Kristy - I'm Kristy too!

I love your website and all your stuff - so envious of your skills! It's all totally my style! I have an older dresser
and matching side table in my bedroom that is just old, 80's wood finish. It has some interesting shape to it and nice
hanging (but brass) handles. I would love to refinish these to be black or black/brown to suit our bedroom decor.

I think they could look great painted either black or dark brown and with different knobs at the top, but paint

 the handles that are near the bottom of the dresser - I love the shape of them, just not the brass colour.

 

Kristy's maple dresser can be seen here on the right and a nice

 example of something similar on the left in brown

I think the night stand needs legs as well.

Great Bun feet can be found at Windsor Plywood.

Do you think darker pieces look better distressed or just solid colour?

Distressed furniture looks old with history.

Solid colored furniture appears new and modern.
 What is the overall feel you want in your room?

 I love the shabby look, but maybe that's better with something white

and white won't look as good against our beige walls.

I firmly believe every piece of furniture has the ability to be

 spectacular on it's own, that it doesn't need things around it to look

 good or match a set or even worry about beige walls. The only trick

 is figuring out the right look for each individual piece.

Do you think a dark chocolate brown could still provide that classy look like the white and black?

When done right Dark Chocolate can definetly provide a classy

 look, however brown paint is tricky to get right, so usually it would

 be stained in a dark walnut rather then painted.

Also - where do you get your awesome, antique-like handles and knobs?

  

 I find my hardware everywhere, from fleamarkets to yardsales,

 antique stores, and hardware store, but mostly I find them on old

pieces of furniture. All the above pictured handles are repurposed

 from found furniture.

Lee Valley in Coquitlam is a great source for reproductions.

What do you use to paint them?

EXCEL Spray Paint 10 min dry available at Co-op in Langley

and Rustoleum Painter's Touch available at Rona

Since I'm totally new at this stuff, can you provide details like which paint products and such are good to use?

I get most of my latex paint and primer from Cloverdale paint.
I use preformance select paint brushes from Home Depot.
I use minwax paste finish wax, and varathane's diamond clearcoat and gel stains.

I painted a dresser once before and it didn't work well. Two years later it still is sticky
on the top and dents and scratches whenever I leave anything on it.

I'm going to suggest it wasn't prepped or primed first. Latex paint does take

28 days to cure and the darker the color the more time is needed.

Although I'm sure 2 yrs would be more then enough.

 Thinking I should redo it completely and paint it white and do that one with a more distressed look since it's

 has more boring shaped to it. I also think I should change the knobs to be more fancy looking. 

Distressing does add shape to a less then curvatious piece. In the

 photo of Kristy's dresser here on the left you can barely see the

 outline of the drawers and can only see the curve on the bottom
 due to the lighter carpet. Distressing the edges would highlight all
 the lines it does have.

My bedroom walls are a neutral beige colour and my curtains are chocolate brown and
our recently created (still need to add tufted buttons) headboard is light grey-blue. 

I am hoping to change my bed sheets and such to a more chocolate brown or light blue as well.

I also love the damask pattern

 

Please let me know what your advice is.

I really appreciate your input - I love your stuff!!!

Regards, Kristy

Did I mention I really like this look 

With a couple of these

And for a beginner, distressing is fun, easy, and not so fussy to achieve.

*** Interested in finding sources for the inspiration photos used in this post,

right click the photo and in google image search use the file name listed under properties to search each pic.