Annie Sloan Paints-My First Experience

 Hello All,

I do not normally post twice in one evening!

But I had promised to share about the Annie Sloan paints,

and how my table and chairs are coming along. 

When I decided to create this fanciful outdoor tea area for myself,

I had visions of old painted chairs all around a lace covered table.

So off I went to locate some old chairs cheap...like 10 bucks.

On the way to reaching my goal for an outdoor tea area,

Once I had the chairs I needed to alter them to look like the ones in my vision.

I ran across the option of using Annie Sloan chalk paints

at a charming little antique shop near me called Two Old Birds.
But I thought they were too expensive.

I was sure I could make my own chalk paint,

and I checked out many recipes and tutorials on line.

Then I saw a few posts about Annie Sloan's paints.

I was so impressed with the bloggers experiences,
I decided to go for it.
I figured one way or another I was

saving money and time using such a reliable product from the start.
 And I was assured by many posts that the paints covered so well,

you actually needed less paint. 

Hmmmmmm

Since I was nervous painting furniture with pricey paint I started with something

I wasn't afraid to practice on...like my plain kitchen stool.

All I did was give it a little roughing up with some medium fine grit sand paper to take the sheen off.

Then I gave it two coats of A.S. Louise Blue chalk paint.

It went on smoothly....and it stuck well to the well varnished surface.

The brush strokes were quite noticeable but I was o.k. with that at this point.

The coloring is lovely, and so is the feel of the chalk paint.

The paint dries quickly, so one needs to work fast.
Eventually I learned to not leave the can open,
so the paint does not dry out as quickly.
Also, I added a few drops of water when
the paint seemed to be too thick. 

Next coat was Old White. I actually did two coats.

 And I realized that each coat took less and less paint.

I was amazed at how little paint it did take.

The last step was to reveal some of the blue underpainting,
by sanding lightly areas that would normally show wear...
like the stools edge, the corners of the legs and the middle top of the rungs.

I found the chalk paint easy to work with, it dries beautifully,

and a very light sanding produces a silky smooth surface.

Even though my paintbrush left large bristle marks, it looks fab.

I can see the marks, but somehow it suits this piece.

I am wanting to do some kind of transfer or painting on the top of this stool.

Soon....   : )

Next, I will show my first finished chair! 

Yay!

Once I had done my kitchen stool, I felt like I could move on to one of my new chairs.

Not much to look at, but good bones.

 I found her broken, cheap and lonely at Goodwill.

All I could see were the possibilities.

Yay!

The first thing I did was clean it up,

My dear hubby did the hard work of sanding it,

and he even took it apart and made sure

all the joints were tight and secure.
Thank you sweetie!

I later learned that with Annie Sloan paints you do not need to sand at all!

I was glad to skip this part on the others chairs I did.
They still look really good, even without sanding.

 Here she is with her first coat of white A.S. chalk paint,

and you can see I have just begun with the Louis Blue along the front and one side.

I do love her details!
(and I loved her in old white! but I was so curious to try the blue...)

She got two coats of Louis Blue chalk paint.

To finish her off I gave her a good rub down with the soft wax that Annie has developed.
I had to choose between clear and dark wax...
I decided on clear as I thought the dark would not be cheery enough.
It was easy to rub on with a soft cloth and then buff out with a new clean soft cloth.
The wax really is luscious, and works beautifully.
The color intensified slightly as it was waxed, then dried a tad lighter.
The end result, just a little darker than non waxed Louis Blue

A close up of the front.

The paint surface feels silky smooth.

It has a heavenly look to it,

 (it looks much more blue in this image than in 3D)

Here there is only a little distressing, I did more later on  before I waxed her.

Ta da!
Doesn't she look pretty with her floral print on?

She is ready for our first garden tea!

I was totally delighted with Annie's product.
No wonder, as the woman has been an paint alchemist for many many years!
Annie Sloan Unfolded  is the name of her online site for the United States, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Next post I will share the next  two chairs and some more preparations.
It is good to have a project!

Thank you for stopping by!
Hugs to you all!
Terri