We were hired to create a custom finish for a client’s new dining room design. She was modernizing a once-traditional styled room with more transitional pieces and colors. The original finish her sideboard was an Asian red so we proposed Graphite (a soft charcoal) with a White Wax finish (to bring up the blue) to compliment her wall covering.
Here’s how we did it:
Wipe down the piece of furniture you are painting.
Paint the piece using Graphite and an Annie Sloan Natural Bristle Brush (we used the Small). We did two light coats, allowing for 30 minutes to dry between coats. We applied the paint every which way in a cross-hatch pattern, rather than “with the grain” to create some texture for the White Wax to hold on to. Allow the two coats of Graphite to fully dry one hour before waxing to ensure adhesion to your piece since this isn’t a “distressed” look.
Time to wax! Wax your piece with White Wax. Brush on a light coat of wax in a small section at a time, then immediately wipe off with a lint free cloth (like Scott Shop Towels.) It’s important to use the Wax Brush for this look because the domed tip natural bristles will help apply the White Wax evenly and properly achieve the patina. Once it’s fully White Waxed and wiped back, give it one more good wipe with a clean lint-free cloth to ensure all the White Wax has been removed and your piece is ready to use. I slightly buffed mine by creating friction (rubbing faster or harder than you would while you are wiping off wax.)
There is no step 4. You are the paint master.
If you try this, please tag us in your posts!!
(For this piece, we painted over the hardware then lightly buffed off the paint so some of the original metal finish showed through.)
*Chalk Paint® is a non-toxic decorative paint that dries quickly and requires little to no prep (sanding or priming) so it’s the perfect option for home DIY projects! Annie Sloan knew what she was doing when she invented the recipe almost 30 years ago. It is tried and true, the original decorative paint, and we have tested the finish in both residential and commercial spaces.
If you’d like to try Chalk Paint® , shop online here or better yet, come see us in our shop and get a free in person tutorial on how to use it! We are located at 182 Glenridge Ave in Montclair, NJ, just 12 miles west of Manhattan NYC. Visit our Facebook page here for shop updates. Follow us on Pinterest for more Before & After posts or on YouTube for video tutorials. To have us custom paint your furniture (for locals in North New jersey or New York City) please contact us at azie@verdigreenhome dot com with photos and dimensions for a quote.
Happy Painting!
azie
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