Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

New houses and old furniture just don't always mix. Bill was handed down

this table from a neighbor in Lombard several years ago. It serves its function,

nothing to fancy about it, but the color of the wood wasn't quite jiving with 

the current aesthetic.

While I'd love to go out and purchase a new table and chairs, it's 

not practical or necessary at this time. So, time to get creative! Please note

that I have somewhat of an aversion to DIY. The majority of the projects 

on Pinterest fill me with a tiny bit of dread. Perhaps my Type A personality

and perfectionist tendencies are to blame, but let's not explore that now, ok?

Just know I'm not a girl who gets giddy about a nail gun and some craft glue.

Anywhoo... some co-workers of mine had mentioned using chalk paint to

update their old furniture. Said it wasn't too hard, in fact, it was quite easy.

After a bit of internet Pinterest research, it seemed Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 

was the way to go (you can make it yourself with regular paint and plaster of

Paris, but see previous paragraph ;)). Her website has some brief tutorials and 

links to where the paint can be purchased. There is a shop about 20 minutes from 

me that sells it, so I set out one Saturday for a liter of paint. It's small and sort

of expensive but a little goes a long way with this stuff. I did 2 coats on the table 

and four chairs and still had some leftover. 

To seal the paint,  it has to be covered with a soft wax. A co-worker offered to
let me borrow hers. Again, a little goes a long way! You can see the paint takes
on a darker hue and the grain of the wood shows through a bit with the application
of the wax. Annie recommends using her special 'wax brush' but it's a pretty penny ($30+)
so an old t-shirt or rag works just fine.

You can tell the difference much better in the photo of the wax on/wax off effect.

Ta-da! New table! I think it probably took about 3-4 hrs total to finish. The paint is water based and 

dries very quickly so I didn't have to wait at all between coats. By the time I finished with the first one, it was ready for another. Some blogs I read recommended waiting to wax until the next day

so you can decide if you want to distress or make changes to the finish. I was pretty happy with the look so I just went right on and applied the wax. 

I tackled the chairs a few days later. They took a bit more work because
of the design of the back. I found a linen colored fabric with some silver
thread for the seats. Bill helped me re-upholster them - testing the limit
of my DIY ability. I love the way they turned out!

Here's my cheery looking breakfast nook the other day - much better!
For around $75 (paint, brush & fabric) and less than 2 days worth of work, I have a updated table and chairs. And you're welcome to come join me whenever you like! Looking forward to good meals
and community around here....