A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO ACHIEVING A STONE EFFECT ON ANY PIECE OF FURNITURE. HOW TO CREATE THIS TIMELESS EFFECT WITH MINIMAL EFFORT.
THIS PIECE TURNED OUT BEAUTIFUL! THE EFFECT CREATED WENT GREAT WITH THE CURVES OF THIS ROCOCCO CHEST.
Hi everyone!
I found this piece on facebook marketplace. Straight away i fell in LOVE with all those curves!
I was unsure where i was going with this piece when i first found it.
I could imagine gold highlights but that is not me so i kept on thinking. And actually painted it with greek blue by Annie Sloan before i realised that wasnt what i wanted. But then it came to me…
Step 1.
I washed it thoroughly with a strong cleaning product (a type of TSP) trisodium phosphate. I buy mine from my local hardware store. It is important to remove any dirt, grease or grime from the project before you begin painting.
Then I sanded over the whole thing. I did this with (80 grit) sand paper. I did this so the paint would stick to the surface.
TIP- When the surface is shiny that means that it could do with a good sanding before you begin painting to be sure that the paint has something to adhere to.
Step 2.
I began painting the piece, i wanted to achieve a raised effect to the paint and give it some texture.
I began by adding layers of paint, i painted in every direction.
I used Paris grey by Annie Sloan, i did a type of technique (dabbing) where you tap the paint brush up and down on the surface. This makes little raised bits of paint.
You go over a section at a time, this helps you keep control over where you have done.
(I use cheap chip brushes as they will get damaged from this.)
I have added 2 coats of the Paris grey here, with this dabbing technique. This creates a bumpy surface.
Step 3.
After i had achieved the coverage and texture i wanted, i used French linen to dry brush over the carvings to create some dimension.
This is an easy but rewarding technique where you have very VERY little paint on your brush. You lightly brush over the surface building up the layers until you are happy with the result.
It is important to use very little paint on your brush and instead build up. Practice on something first.
Step 4.
After this i did the same technique with the dry brushing with Pure white by Annie Sloan. The important thing with this process is to use little paint. This is actually harder than it sounds and i still struggle, but
the best advice i can give is to dip the tip of the brush in the paint and then wipe off the remaining paint onto say newspaper, something that absorbs up some of the paint. I wipe until i almost feel there is no paint left on my brush and then lightly brush over the details.
You also want to work from darker shades of colour to lighter, most of the time however i did use the French linen here for some contrast to the Paris grey and Pure white.
Step 4.
I then decided to add white wax Annie Sloan instead of clear wax, this lightened up the whole piece and gave it a pulled together appearance.
I also felt that it pulled all the colours together and gave it a more subtle look. I used a wax brush to do this,
it is much easier to use a brush when waxing inbetween all these details.
When waxing over chalk paint you are almost moisturising the wax into the dry paint and then wiping up any excess. This should be done in sections. As this makes it easier to take away any excess wax.
When you are finished wiping you should run your hand over the wax section to make sure your hand slides over the surface and no residue is left. It should not feel tacky.
Step 5.
However i decided to use a Polyurethene for the top of this piece. This is a durable topcoat, that will make the top much more durable to everyday wear and tear. It will also make it more resistant to water, unlike wax.
I have used wax to protect my night stands at home and now it has marks all over the top from the glass of water i take to bed with me every night.
You live and you learn! I LOVE being able to help you guys not make my mistakes!
The topcoat i used was matt so i think it matched very well with the matt look of the white wax on the rest of the piece.
The items i used for this project were –
Painters tape
3 chip brushes
TSP type cleaner
Paris Grey by Annie Sloan
French Linen by Annie Sloan
Pure White by Annie Sloan
White wax by Annie Sloan
Polyurethene
Thank you for reading this post! Hope you enjoyed it.
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Anna x
