Annie Sloan to the Rescue

So I have these monstrous-sized built-ins that flank my chimney and mantle in my family room. They strolled right out of 1994 and set up camp to stay awhile. They were glaringly WHITE. I mean, shield your eyes and put sunglasses on the dog white, and they filled nearly one entire wall of the room. I really wanted to do something different with them but they were daunting. Lots of crevices and decorative edging that looked pretty but I felt sure would eat a paintbrush right out of my hand.

So I looked and I loathed but never made a move to change them. They sat there smugly, like they knew they'd won the battle. Until I saw a friend's Facebook post about a very cool type of paint called chalk paint, and specifically, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Touted as not needing any surface preparation, this paint would adhere to anything, cover in one coat (usually) and was actually designed to be more messy than precise. Ultimately, it would create an Old World style, antique looking finish that would be full of character. I was giddy at the find and delusional enough to think that I could pull it off.

After researching online, I decided to go with Country Grey (deceptively named since it is really a butter kind of color, not grey at all). And the even cooler thing you can do with Annie Sloan products is add a clear and then a dark wax over the paint to give it an even more weathered look.

Here's the key--the paint itself is applied messily and dries so that you can see the brush strokes. The dark wax you apply settles into these and that's what gives it such a cool look. I was all about it.

I went and (foolishly) bought ONE quart of paint (it only comes in quarts and it is pricey, I'll warn you), one can of clear wax, one can of dark wax and two wax brushes (specialty brushes, worth the investment). We removed all the doors and shelves from one built in and laid them out in my garage on plastic covered tables. I was ready to begin.

I started by painting the doors and shelves, making sure to use sloppy stokes in a diagonal direction. The paint went on super easy and not having to be precise made painting a dream. The stuff dries in about 20 minutes. I moved onto the actual built-in itself where I discovered that a quart of paint wasn't going to go nearly as far as I'd thought it would. After a quick run to the store for more paint, I got the entire thing covered in a single coat. I left it all to dry overnight just to be safe.

The next day was waxing day. I was nervous about this because I'd seen tons of tutorials online and there were a lot of admonitions about how NOT to do it and the mistakes folks typically make. It seemed to be common to apply too much wax which then takes forever to buff down and leaves your piece tacky to the touch. That wasn't going to be me. I put a dollop of wax on a paper plate, grabbed a wax brush and dipped only the tip into the wax and applied to the doors and shelves in a circular fashion, very thinly, and using an old tshirt to wipe off any excess as I went. 

This part definitely takes some elbow grease but it wasn't horrible. After the clear wax was on everything, I next applied the dark wax, using the same method but with a different wax brush. this was the scary part b/c that was is really dark. But you put on what you want and then wipe off with a clear tshirt, leaving only as much as you want to get the look you desire. Big tip--any dark wax that is tough to remove, you can dab clear wax onto, and it's like an eraser to the dark wax, taking most of it right back off with your tshirt.

Looking at a door that was done (left) vs one that was only painted (painted) really shows how much more character the dark wax gives you:

After the arm work-out I realized the wax requires, I thought that I was probably ambitious in taking on such a huge piece of furniture for my first time using Annie Sloan products. But I plowed on, completing the built-in and the following weekend, tackling the second. Along the with fireplace mantle that I painted but did not wax, the difference it makes in the room is astounding and I couldn't be happier.

Playing with Paint

When John and I first married, he told me that there was not much he wouldn't or couldn't do when it came to fixing things around the house with one giant exception--he hates to paint. He'd happily unclog a drain (gag! when it comes to wet hair clumps), replace plumbing, install lights, clean carpet and perform any number of yard work duties, but keep the paint and the brushes as far away as possible.

This seems fair enough, right? Except that I, too, hate to paint.

Certainly there are a lot of folks out there who would gladly come and slap some paint on our walls for a fee, but the miser in me hates to do that. I'm perfectly CAPABLE of painting but I'm not great at it and the perfectionist in me hates to have squiggly lines where there should be a straight edge.

It's a conundrum.

But I have learned that when it comes to painting in a style that doesn't require precision, I'm all over it. So recently, after extending the invite to my Florida family to join us for Thanksgiving, we began a list of tasks and upgrades that we wanted to knock out prior to having guests. I do love having a reason to be motivated. And on that list was painting. I wanted to redo my kitchen in a faux painting style which is easy to do but it was involved, simply because my kitchen/breakfast area are one big room with lots of corners and edges and funky spaces around my cabinets to have to cover. Luckily, my mother was up to the task of helping and together, we knocked it out in a day. It looks awesome:

Before:

 After:

I was very pleased with how this turned out. We refaced our kitchen cabinets not long ago from white to chocolate maple with a black glaze, and I felt like lighter walls would complement them better. 

After this success, I was feeling bold in my painting abilities. The next project I fixed my attention on were the two built-ins and fireplace mantle in my living room that were a pristine and way-out-of-style WHITE. They had to go!

 

How to tackle these? They were daunting with their size and finish that I felt sure would repel paint and any attempt to improve them. But I had recently discovered a decorating secret weapon who was going to change all this: a little lady named Annie Sloan. Stay tuned for my next remake!

Be a Better Blogger

I have always been one to think that if you needed to wait to do something (start something, quit something, etc) until it was New Year's Day and you had a reason (New Year's Resolution), I'm not sure how committed you are going to be. I think you need to start something or end something you want to start or end NOW. What are you waiting for? If smoking is bad for you, quit NOW rather than smoking it up for another 2, 3 or 4 months while you wait for January 1st to roll around.

So I'm taking on a resolution now: to be a better blogger.

I loved writing here for a couple of years and then it dwindled off. Maybe I had no excitement to write about; maybe I was crazy busy; maybe life was too mundane to be entertaining; maybe I became a worldwide superstar and forgot my roots. All that may or may not be true but I've decided to return to blogging, and that return begins today.

So how've you been? You look good. How's your mama?

I'm still getting on getting on. My son Chase has moved up in grade (into high school now) and up in vertical feet, surpassing me in height as of not long ago. My husband continues to work in the same field I do (trucking publishing) while golfing and (currently) fantasy footballing his weekends away. We went to Siesta Key for our annual family reunion and went on a cruise over the 4th of July last summer. Along with Chase's travel lacrosse, we were home about two weekends of the summer. The countdown is currently on for a couples getaway to Savannah in October and after that, the holidays and our annual ski trip out west. Between all that I'll try and get some work done.

We're in the midst of a house interior overall--miscellaneous projects we've desperately needed or wanted to take care of are getting knocked out slowly but surely. Nothing like the impending visit by family for the holidays to knock you into gear. House embarrassment is a great motivator. We recently redid our entire half bath downstairs: removed wallpaper (goodbye 1980s!), refinished the sheet rock, painted and added a new vanity and potty (with a double flush: fancy!). With one more piece of decor, I believe I'll call that room Done. 

Currently, I'm elbow deep in a huge project I bit off: repainting two tall built-ins that flank my fireplace/mantle in my family room. I repainted the mantle as well (goodbye white, hello chocolate brown). And now I am tackling my built-ins one at a time, courtesy of Annie Sloan chalk paint, clear and dark wax, a lot of elbow grease and a smidge of not knowing any better. I'm nervous. I hope it turns out well and my level of profanity is reasonably contained. 

Once complete, I'll do some show and tell on here. :-)