Q & A - "How do you get such a smooth finish with the Annie Sloan chalk paint?"

Today I received a message on my Etsy store with a great question that I'm sure that many of you have! How do you get such a smooth finish with the Annie Sloan chalk paint?"

This is a great question because the paint does have a unique texture that takes a little bit of getting used to! A beautiful, smooth finish is absolutely achievable, and I adore Annie Sloan's line not only because of the amazing vintage-y colors, but because of that soft, vintage feel as well. (And no, I don't get paid to say this, I just really love it!)

Here's the full question and my pointers:

Annie Sloan Antibes Table Makeover Tutorial

This green Bombay table has always been a favorite of mine, so when I received a request for a tutorial I was definitely happy to oblige! The Bombay company style of console table I love has long, lean legs with gorgeous fluting that I knew I wanted to accent with bold color and a little distressing.. or as I say, a little bit of shabby and a lot bit of chic!

Thanks to Jessica at LoveFifty50 and Red Door Lane for the photo in the shop! You may remember this table from the Color Story : Inspiration series in-progress HERE. I am positively obsessed with color and knew I wanted to try and capture this vibrant leafy green, but in a subtle, natural way. No big deal ;) .

So here is how I did it!

Before and After : Vintage French Provincial Side Tables

These gorgeous French Provincial side tables were a fabulous find! I decided to go after them with a layering dry-brush technique, and started with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Olive, followed by Greek Blue and French Linen. Then I came back in with a chippy paint brush and put on a little more of the Greek Blue, particularly to the leg and trim details. I sealed them with clear and dark waxes for a gorgeous antiqued look.

Aren't they beauties? I am just loving the subtle color variations! They will be a perfect complement to any decor! I'm always looking for new ideas - what are your favorite color combinations?

Before and After : Vintage Rolltop Desk Refinish

This client loves high contrast! She found an inspiration piece in black and white that we translated into a high-gloss black and blue to be a bold, modern accent piece in her home office. The blue inset is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Napoleonic Blue, and we used a gloss polycrylic to give her tons of the beautiful shine she wanted! The hardware was spray painted with Rustoleum in a nickel color for a gorgeous accent.

To spray paint the hardware, I poked holes through a cardboard box to stand the drawer pulls upright. This allowed me to get even coats all the way around the knobs! The handles were sprayed first upside down, then right side up for a few light passes so that the color is on all sides and angles.

I love how sleek and chic it turned out! It is always such an honor to collaborate with clients to bring their visions to life :) . They always have such creative ideas!

Before and After : Vintage 6 Drawer Dixie Dresser

This dresser is a total showstopper! The client wanted it to go darker, so we found a beautiful inspiration piece with a stained top and painted body. For the top, I used two different shades of stain, then a stain with polyurethane, and finished with a wipe-on polyurethane. The wood grain is stunning! The body is painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite, lightly distressed, with two coats of dark wax.

 Here's another angle with that rich, dimensional wood grain. I am definitely loving the finish! What a huge difference between the Before and After photos!

I can't wait for the client to come see this in person, she's a real beauty! The original hardware in a vintage bronze is the perfect complement to link the brown and thunderstorm-dark gray. What a chic color selection!

Before and After : Vintage Bassett Drum Table

This was a super gorgeous drum table already, so I knew I wanted to preserve the beautiful pattern on the stained top. I made it just a bit more modern with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White, then integrated the two with a wash of French Linen. I gently distressed the detail points on the legs and trim for a seamless transition between antiqued and modern shabby / vintage chic!

This table is so much more than a basic neutral! It is a truly lovely piece that will blend perfectly with any design, style, or home decor. I adore color, but I also love the versatility of the paint/stain blend on this classic French Provincial style piece!

Before and After: Hand Painted Photo Frame

This photo frame is an example of a great project to have in the wings! I love to pick up small items where I can, and paint them when I have a color open that inspires me. In this case, I was painting a mirror with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Louis Blue to match a client's dresser, and decided that it would give a perfect touch to this pedestal frame.

I love how it really brought to life the gorgeous carved details! I also added a highlight of Pure White to the highest points of relief. Here's an in-progress photo so you can see how much visual interest it gains with the addition of the white vs. the blue by itself.

Then, I sealed the frame with clear wax, and a little dark wax for antiquing! I love the end result! This was the perfect way to spend my time while my other project dried. Can't wait to get started on the next one, and see where the colors may take me!

SHOP NEWS!!

For Love of the Paint is now sharing some space with the super talented and wonderful artists from Barn Dance Vintage and LoveFifty50 in their Red Door Lane shop! They have beautiful vintage finds, and tons of knowledge and creativity!

Come by Friday - Sunday to check out all of the gorgeous pieces at Red Door Lane in the Leander Flea Market, 1291 E. Woodview Dr., Leander TX 78641. And check them out on Facebook for painting and distressing workshops!!

Before and After : Black and White French Provincial Bedroom Set Refinish

Here is another great custom set for a client! She really loves black and white, and so we designed this beautiful refinish based on an inspiration piece that was all white, with black trim. The gorgeous chest of drawers and nightstand are curved, and also had beautiful wood grain. What this means for a high-contrast finish is that even after a secure taping between colors, I still needed to come back and use a fine detail brush to touch up. It was worth it! This high-impact refinish is a total showstopper!

I really love the soft vintage-y feel of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints, but they don't make a true black. So for this, I borrowed a tip from another refinisher, and combined Graphite Paint with a bottle of India Ink to make a jet black.

I also spray-painted the hardware with Rustoleum hammered look black. The trick to getting a beautiful finish while preserving the original shapes of the hardware is to use light passes and build the color, and not let it pool from overspray. The faux keyhole at the top could not be removed without risking damage, so I sprayed directly into a disposable bowl, then quickly and carefully applied the paint with a QTip, pressing first in the center of the metal, then pushing the paint toward the sides.

Before and After : 9 Drawer French Provincial Dresser in Scandinavian Pink Blend

This lovely lady was a great find for a client! We got a beautiful French Provincial bedroom set with the 9-drawer style dresser her daughter loved, and gave it a modern, sophisticated, yet feminine redo! For this, they selected a custom blend of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Scandinavian Pink and Old White. If you're near a retailer, try to see the colors in person! There's a great store nearby here called the Weathered Cottage, which has a book of the colors blended with Old White so you can envision the great range of colors you can achieve from any given paint. Your retailer will also likely have examples of the paints with clear vs dark wax. The colors can definitely look different in person, so I highly recommend you look for the retailer nearest you, and give them an in-person visit!

The second consideration on this great vintage piece was the handles. There was one piece of hardware missing, so the first option would have been to look for an exact replacement. However, due to the beautiful curvature of the drawer faces, the original hardware actually made it a little difficult to grasp the handles - since both the drawer faces and the handles were curved in the same direction, there was a limited amount of space in which to grasp with fingertips. So, we found these great bail-style pulls as an option that gave a great vintage color, yet modern feel, and dropped away from the drawer fronts in a manner to give more sufficient manner. Aren't they gorgeous? And super usable and accessible.

Here's the full before and after:

Simply lovely! Scandinavian pink is a gorgeous, mature pink with coral undertones. In this case, we used a matte polyurethane for a gorgeous finish.

UPDATE: This gorgeous dresser now has a sibling! Check out the corresponding vanity by clicking here!