Tuesday, September 20, 2011

What I use Chalk Paint for...


Painting used furniture seeped into my blood
when I was about 10 years old:
my mother gave me her old red plastic kitchen clock.
I didn't like red.
I dreamed of a pink and blue bedroom.
So I painted the clock blue and pink.

Of course, paint doesn't stick well to plastic,
but the way the clock had been transformed sealed my desire.
So began my journey to understand paints...
and I'm still traveling.

Recently, I met chalk paint.



I know I've discussed chalk paint a bit much lately,
but since I've gotten a lot of questions,
I'm going to break down what I don't use it for,
since it seems it can be used on nearly any surface.


I don't use it for:
1. Raw wood

(like my base kitchen cabinets were.)

Why waste the money when regular paint adheres well to raw wood?




2. Latex painted things (that have not been polyerthaned):
if regular paint will adhere to an object, why waste the chalk paint?

For example, Violet's desk.
The base looked like a flat paint,
so I just used latex right over it.

However, I did use chalk paint on the top.
 I used two coats of Old White Chalk Paint
because I could see it had some kind of sealant on it.


However, chalk paint is great on painted surfaces as well,
if you have a reason you don't want to use latex.

For example,
I painted my top kitchen cupboards with chalk paint
for two reasons:
1.  I didn't have to remove them from the cupboards
to sand them or prime them.
(because they do get a lot of use, they could chip or peel
if I just used latex over the paint on them:
I've fount this out on some of my window sills).

  I just washed them off and then painted them
with Old White Chalk Paint,
right where they were.



2. Chalk paint doesn't have any smell.
If I were to use a sealer on these cupboards first,
the sealer has a strong odor.
Oil paint's fumes are just wrong.

So painting the top cupboards was super easy.
When they were done, I just waxed and buffed them three times
(when I got time, which is nice about having them hanging there
not waiting to get put back on),
using some rugger brown during one of the applications to give them an older look.
The wax does have an odor, 
but minimal compared to polyerthane!
And I aways have drip marks when I use polyerthane,
so I love using wax now that I have discovered it
(thank you, Miss Mustardseed!)
For brushes, I use what I feel comfortable with:
these inexpensive chip brushes.
  I get mine at Walmart or Home Depot.
They are about $1 each...
 ...and as you can see, I reuse them.

I bought a Purdy brush because I heard they were the best,
but I had a hard time painting with it:
felt like I couldn't control those long soft bristles.

So I went back to chip brushes.
A word of advice:
before using a chip brush the first time,
pull the bristles firmly about 15 times as there are a lot of loose bristles
in these cheap brushes.
  They are not pretty when they come out and stick in the freshly painted surface
and picking them out while the brush is loaded with paint
is maddening.


I use a well-used chip brush to apply the wax.
I usually just set it aside, let it dry, and when I need it again,
I use my gloved hand to squish and manipulate the hardened bristles
to make it pliable, and use it.
When it gets too gummed up,
I throw it away.

As far as what I hope to try it out on next,
here are some projects that are awaiting chalk paint:

This fun old table from my mom,



the bathroom medicine cabinet,



.
this cupboard up in our bedroom,
as well as this one,

I'm still debating how I will paint them,
but so far, I love this look:

as well as this:

and this:
Picture from Vaughan Antiques


Oh, my love of green!

I plan to use chalk paint on
this brass piece surrounding the deceased fireplace.


And I am looking forward to re-doing the girls' floor
as it wasn't done correctly when we moved in,
so it's a scratched up mess.


Here is Violet's choice of a painted floor:


although now she says she wants

Hmm, pink and blue, brings me back to my painting roots:
...must be an inherited childhood gene.



In my last discussion of chalk paint,
coming up next week,
I will show you how far a can of chalk paint will go.
And then I'll cool it with the chalk paint talk...
or at least I'll try.



(If you are interested in finding a stockist of chalk paint,
I purchased mine from Tammy at >Periwinkle Pass<.
If you click on it, it will take you there
where she also has a good display of the colors.
She is also carrying the new true white
that is "whiter" than the Old White.
When I ordered through her, she sent it to me promptly,
and I found her shipping price was better than some.
The paint is $35 per qt, but I find it really goes far.)



I order my wax from John Millen Hardware.com
and there is an EXCELLENT explaination of its use
on the >Miss Mustard Seed< blog.
You REALLY want to use the wax
otherwise the paint looks like flat paint.

 
>HERE IS THE LINK<
to Miss Mustardseed's introduction on chalk paint
where she lists several other stockists.


(I am not being paid anything for all this advertising I'm doing,
just trying to be helpful.

Someday soon though, I hope!)

Linking up to:
Shades of Amber 

Furniture Feature Fridays

19 comments:

  1. I've heard so many good things about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I wish they sold it out here in Hawaii, but alas, I've looked and they do not. So, I'll just vicariously live through your blog and your chalk paint adventures. :)

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  2. So let me get this right, I can paint right over my kitchen cabinets without taking them down and sanding??? I've been dying to paint them, but have not wanted to go through the hassle of removing, and sanding. Where do I get this kind of paint?

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  3. you are a painting fool! laughed at the inherited trait!

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  4. Yes, indeed, I think I am. :) I told my husband before we had kids and I painted furniture for my "job" that I felt like the reason I was put on earth was to paint...then I had kids. And now I feel like my reason on earth is to feed creatures (farm and human) all day long...and clean up after them. Now I dream of painting, as you can see. :)

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  5. Yes, Jenn, right on the cabinets. There are a few different distributors. I'll get back to you with a few if you'd like. :)

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  6. Jane, I'll trade you some chalk paint if I can come to Hawaii! :)

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  7. Tonya, I saved a cup of veggie oil and soak my wax brush in there for an hour or two after waxing, and my bristles are softened. I heard the veggie oil take out the oils in the wax or stains. Nice info! I like that green look in those pics too!

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  8. Now I need to find something to try this chalk paint on. I hadn't heard of it. Love the info on your blog!

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  9. Tonya, I'd love to know where you get it from. Let me know when you get a chance. Thanks!!

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  10. BEAUTIFUL work! Thanks for the final nudge I needed to start my corner cab... LOVE your attitude and blog!
    hugs,
    Leslie

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  11. Oh my goodness, I LOVE the bathroom!!

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  12. That paint gives that furniture a worn country look, looking good. Richard

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  13. Tonya, you are so creative love your blog & the 2 Tammy's

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  14. found you on Shades of Amber & and am a new follower! I too love green & have done a couple with the Antibes both full strenght as well as deluted with old white! Great job on the pieces and great way to explain it to someone who has not used the chalk paint much or even at all!

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  15. ok,, I said I was a new follower, but can not find a follow me button or link...
    Also, I went to an ASCP workshop in NJ a few weeks ago & learned so much! YOu can soak your brishes in Mineral oil & it won't spoil like vegtable oil.But I just place my waxing brishes, one for clear & one for Dark,in a plastic bag & tie a rubber band around it! YOu only have to 'wash' them out when they get a little too gunky, but I find using the brush with new wax breaks that up!
    Let me know how to follow you1

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  16. I am using my first 3 quarts of ASCP with great pleasure and lots of experimenting. I have followed Miss Mustard Seed's chalk paint blogs and discovered many more ASCP user blogs and now, yours. I'm happy. I am adding you to my blog links as well as I am following you so I don't miss any of your posts.
    - Joy

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  17. So glad to see you had great results on your kitchen cabinets. I want to do the same. Just got my shipment and want to stop experimenting on small items first.

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  18. Beautiful job on those projects! What did we ever do without our ASCP?? lol! I've been using it all summer long and am head over heels in love with it! I find myself thinking outside the box more often and trying new things with it! Also, you can wash your wax brushes with Dawn dish soap and they come out nice and clean! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  19. I think you are the chalk paint master! (mistress?)

    Anyway, I LOVE what you do with it.

    =)

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