This beautiful chest of drawers was painted with Annie Sloans
Duck Egg Blue and Paloma.
Two Gorgeous colors by the wonderful Annie Sloan.
Come join me and see how i achieved this look.
There is something quite magical about furniture redesign.
You are able to create whatever you like!
YOU can choose from amazing colours and designs.
There are thousands of ideas out there to choose from, So have some fun and get painting.
Step 1- Cleaning.
I washed the whole chest of drawers from top to bottom with a furniture cleaner (similiar to TSP) this i bought at my local hardware store.
It is important to wash your furniture thoroughly, over the years grime and dirt build up.
Otherwise it is possible that the paint will not stick to the surface properly.
Step 2 – Sanding
I sanded the top with the plan of staining…. but there was uneven color coming through the wood.
The picture below shows some of the old finish and also some of the grey/blue coming through.
I decided instead to paint the top.
Step 3 – Taping.
I then taped any areas i did not want painted, this step makes all the difference. It makes the process of painting so much easier and is such a crucial stage.
It also makes your edges look clean and crisp. Instantly adds a professionaly look.
Step 4 – Priming.
Sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry, so i primed this piece of furniture before painting it.
- This also can ensure better adhesion of paint to the surface.
- Better coverage.
- Blocks stains.
- Hides color.
- Seals the surface.
Step 5 – 1st Coat
I did a base coat of greek blue. I painted every which way. Adding texture to the paint.
Step 6 – Blue wash
I then did a blue wash (same as a white wash) on the draws.
This is a old chest so was nice to freshen up the draws. This ended up looking really nice.
I loved that it brightened up the draws. I added a coat of topcoat to seal the color and make them durable.
Step 7 – Added Appliques
I then decided to add 2 appliques to either side of the chest.
I used Air dry clay and a mold for this. These are so much fun to play around with. There are some beautiful molds available.
What do you think of appliques? Have you every tried to use them?
Let us know in the comments section.
Step 8 – 2nd Layer of paint
I first added the two colors duck egg and paloma. I did not start blending until the second coat.
I waited until the first coat was dry before starting the second coat.
I did not use brush strokes, i did a dabbing technique.
This is were i took a paint brush and added paint to it and dabbed the paint brush up and down.
This technique adds texture and gives an interesting blended look.
Step 9 – Waxing
I used white wax to seal the chalk paint, which gives a beautiful matt effect.
This also gives a lighter effect to the paint. I used my Annie Sloan waxing brush to rub the wax backwards and forewards in to the chalk paint and then wipe away any excess product.
It is important to remove ANY excess product as this can leave a tacky surface. Which is not what you want.
When done correctly the surface should end up silky smooth and be lovely to run your hand over.
I never thought i would love to touch furniture so much! But somehow it is soooo satisfying…
List of items used and where you can buy them.
- Paint brushes – Cheap chip brushes are best
- Primer
- Tape
- Duck egg blue paint
- Paloma
- White wax
- Air dry clay
- Appliques – Love the shapes from this mold
- Super glue
- lacquer
I wet a cloth and wet distressed the handles. Which is like sanding to distress but instead you are rubbing away paint layers with a piece of material.
This reveiled the colors underneath, it also draws attention to the pattern on the handles.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article.
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Love Anna x
