Last year, my best friend Audra told me about her new obsession: chalk paint.
While I consider myself creative, I'd hardly say I'm crafty. I loved that she was having fun with it, but didn't give it much thought. When a client of mine called us to update her daughter's room, I brought up the idea. Why not try this new craze? What was there to lose?
So it began: my chalk painting trek to room changing adventures.
I had heard that Annie Sloan was all the rage, so that's where I started. I really like their colors: subtle and soft with a hint grey undertones. While there are only 32 colors to choose from, I liked them all. It took three coats to properly coat the bedroom furniture. Pricier than others, I expected it to coat better . I was, however, a chalk painting virgin...
In the end, the results were great. I was thrilled with the outcome. Click here to see the transformation:
Next was the oak mantel I picked up for a photo shoot. I decided to give American Paint Company's paint a go. A larger color selection, with 46 to choose from. I was drawn to the vivid colors, and chose to go bold with a coral color. This, too, needed three coats. The paint has a bit of grit to it, which I like. It reminded me a bit of Martha Stewart's paint.
A few months went by, and I got the itch again. I felt really ambitious. Could I paint my grandmother's old, vinyl chairs instead of reupholstering them? My third try I chose Vintage Market and Design. I have to say, not only was I impressed with the color choices (a whopping 56!), but I loved the different sizes the paint was available in. Given that the chairs were vinyl, I didn't get my hopes up. I went into this project expecting tedious dappling to get the paint into all of the little holes. This was not the case at all! After one quick coat, the chairs were heavily covered. One more touch-up coat and they were done. I loved this paint. I highly recommend it. My chairs were transformed for less than fifty dollars, and they feel like leather--not crunchy or hard.
I'm done with my crafty side for now, at least as far as chalk paint goes. There are deeper and more complicated conversations that could follow--distressing your paint job, waxes, etc. Hopefully this was enough to inspire you to take that piece from your home, the one you were ready to throw away, and give it a new lease on life!
While I consider myself creative, I'd hardly say I'm crafty. I loved that she was having fun with it, but didn't give it much thought. When a client of mine called us to update her daughter's room, I brought up the idea. Why not try this new craze? What was there to lose?
So it began: my chalk painting trek to room changing adventures.
I had heard that Annie Sloan was all the rage, so that's where I started. I really like their colors: subtle and soft with a hint grey undertones. While there are only 32 colors to choose from, I liked them all. It took three coats to properly coat the bedroom furniture. Pricier than others, I expected it to coat better . I was, however, a chalk painting virgin...
In the end, the results were great. I was thrilled with the outcome. Click here to see the transformation:
Next was the oak mantel I picked up for a photo shoot. I decided to give American Paint Company's paint a go. A larger color selection, with 46 to choose from. I was drawn to the vivid colors, and chose to go bold with a coral color. This, too, needed three coats. The paint has a bit of grit to it, which I like. It reminded me a bit of Martha Stewart's paint.
A few months went by, and I got the itch again. I felt really ambitious. Could I paint my grandmother's old, vinyl chairs instead of reupholstering them? My third try I chose Vintage Market and Design. I have to say, not only was I impressed with the color choices (a whopping 56!), but I loved the different sizes the paint was available in. Given that the chairs were vinyl, I didn't get my hopes up. I went into this project expecting tedious dappling to get the paint into all of the little holes. This was not the case at all! After one quick coat, the chairs were heavily covered. One more touch-up coat and they were done. I loved this paint. I highly recommend it. My chairs were transformed for less than fifty dollars, and they feel like leather--not crunchy or hard.
I'm done with my crafty side for now, at least as far as chalk paint goes. There are deeper and more complicated conversations that could follow--distressing your paint job, waxes, etc. Hopefully this was enough to inspire you to take that piece from your home, the one you were ready to throw away, and give it a new lease on life!
Before
First coat close-up
A quick second application
Almost done! Just need to reattach the front arms!
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