The table was unique and had many years of use. I decided to give it a face lift and would do so with a pop or color. My "client" wanted red. So I hunted around for different chalk paints. (I am currently working up the courage to make my own, but for now I will go with the good stuff. With chalk paint there are a few options two of the more reputable brands are Annie Sloan and Maison Blanche. Both can be found at speciality stores in your home town or online and cost about $40 dollars a quart. I know that price is quite shocking for paint. Even with my research I still wasn't quite sure about that one but again trial by fire...here we go. I went with Maison Blanche Cerise because of their vibrant red shade. Remember my friend wanted red so red I shall provide. When I opened the can for the first time I was amazed the deep thick color. Red is not my color but this red I could get into! And lucky for me I had a cold at the time but hub reassured me the smell was quite strong. The paint went on fairly smoothly and depending on the look you are going for you will need only one or two coats. I wanted the dark wood to show through the paint so as to produce a slight distressed look.
When I had finished with two coats I lightly sanded down some of the edges. I then cleaned off the dust and added the wax. With wax there are two choices: dark or clear. Many distresses will use a little bit of both. The table had the effect I was going for, slightly vintaged without looking over distressed. With chalk paint you do not have to wax. There are some benefits to applying at least a clear wax to your piece. Wax will ensure that your paint job will be sealed and in turn makes it resilient to stains and paint chips. You have the option of purchasing a wax along with your chalk paint purchase. Both Annie Sloan and Maison Blanche have a line of waxes for purchase. Due to budget constraints I chose to go with hardware store brand MINWAX. I thought the MINWAX worked great for the job. I have since then purchased a Maison Blanche wax and will be trying it out soon. I will let you know how it goes.
Now why should you wax? Well the chalk paint itself is very porous and I have heard it said that wax is like adding setting spray to your make up routine. It keeps everything glowing. The wax is a protective barrier between your furniture and your everyday use. Waxes can deepen color and show dimension. The dark wax is best used when you want to created definition and contrast in your piece. I recommend doing some research or even taking a class before you dive in to either. Depending on the traffic you will want to apply one to three coats of wax. I did two for this piece since it will be used as a end table and will have drinks and other items placed on it. If you are doing several coats it is best to allow coats to dry completely in between applications. I allowed the last coat to dry for 24 hours before I delivered the table to my friend.
The table was a great addition to her developing reading room. Here's to many hours of reading Kel! I am excited about all the possibilities of chalk paint. Happy painting
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