What's the fuss about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?
I wanted to try this out for myself. All these 'shabby chic' projects that fly about on eBay, on blogs, in magazines, looking pretty and quaint.
So I bought a few tester pots, painted the back of the utility room door (the one that we'll be ripping out soon, replacing the nasty composite door with one of our reclaimed wooden doors).
Looks like this paint sticks to anything that you throw at it (or throw it at?), so my eyes searched feverishly up and down the house for an unsuspecting project. And finally rested on this:
So I bought a few tester pots, painted the back of the utility room door (the one that we'll be ripping out soon, replacing the nasty composite door with one of our reclaimed wooden doors).
Looks like this paint sticks to anything that you throw at it (or throw it at?), so my eyes searched feverishly up and down the house for an unsuspecting project. And finally rested on this:
A reproduction church bench, made in the 1980s(?), one of two matching pews that stood in the reception of my former workplace.
Complete with chewing gum (which I finally got round to removing, nicely hardened as it now was).
Sorry, no pictures for the in between bit of slapping (throwing) the paint on. Easy enough.
I mixed two tester pots, one of French Linen and one of Original Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. The mix proportions were completely random, as I'd used some already (painting the plastic door in the kitchen, yes, the cheap and nasty one).
Gawd knows what they put into this paint. It sticks and covers and dries to a thick coat. Apparently, it's very low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds), but don't kid yourself, it stinks, and this is a latex paint and as such, I wouldn't compare it to our wonderful linseed oil paint (Allbaeck is available in the UK), or even my favourite Earthborn claypaint (which is of course a wall paint, rather than one for furniture, or cheap and nasty plastic doors, for that matter).
But, it looks the part. And is perfect for the impatient home improver. It dries super fast, and Annie Sloan even recommends waxing the paint within an hour or so of painting. The surface has to be sealed somewhat, as it is very chalky and otherwise absorbs liquids, shows fingerprints and feels a bit odd too.
I finished it with linseed oil, and a layer of linseed and beeswax furniture wax (from Holkham, now Allbaeck).
Watch this space for a dressed picture... that looks just like the ones on the internet!
