Update and salvage an old picture frame to bring it back to life. I found this on my last trip to the goodwill.
Sometimes i just fall in love with old pieces of junk! Haha!
I think i see the potential to fix it. I found this picture frame with no picture in it.
Using Chalk paint and wax i transformed this beaten down old looking frame into a fresh piece of art.
The frame was in bad condition.
With old chippy paint, a damaged frame and lacklustre finish.
Lets see if we can fix this little beauty up and find somewhere nice to have her.
The frame is beautiful!
I saw it hanging on a wall and i just could not help myself.
The frame is likely old, from what i can tell from the condition it is in.
This frame screamed to me to be painted and loved.
I love these type of frames. They always come out amazing.
With all the patterns and curves. It works so well with chalk paint and dry brushing.
I am terrible when it comes to having a proper plan with my projects.
I seem to go with the flow a little too often but that is me and i love playing with the colors until i feel it is just right.
Usually when i layer colors, i start with the darker color first and then work my way up to the lighter colors.
Step 1 – Cleaning
Whenever i am starting a new project i always give it a good scrub.
This mirror was dirty and needed a thorough cleaning.
I like to use a cleaning solution i bought from my local hardware store something similiar to TSP.
I buy the biggest size i can get my hands on and use very little each time. So it usually lasts a long time.
Though recently i did see that someone was suggesting dawn dish soap… but i have not tried this.
I always air on the side of caution when it comes to these things. The soap i use does an amazing job. So for now im sticking with it.
I used an old toothbrush to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Step 2 – Starting the painting process.
The base color i used for this project was Graphite by Annie Sloan, this is a lovely charcoal grey which is great for shading.
I painted a layer of this first. To do this i left the paint a little thick and did not add alot of water and used a chip brush.
I made sure i covered the whole surface.
Once this had dried i started the technique of dry brushing with the color Greek blue also by Annie Sloan.
When dry brushing it is important not to load the brush with too much paint otherwise you risk covering up the first color.
Usually i have either a paper plate or a little bit of cloth near by and wipe off nearly all the paint i have picked up. I then very lightly brush the tips of any raised surface on the project.
With this project i added so many layers and dabbed the Greek blue that there became alot of texture in the paint which made it easy to add dry brushing to the tips of the raised paint.
I hope you are able to see what i mean by this. In this picture the base color is a dark grey, then the blue almost sky color then a light green then the white.
I feel you really get depth when using a few colors and doing the dry brushing.
After the greek blue i added Provence which is the greenish color you see. I added very little of this because it was a stark contrast and i quite like it that colors are similiar in shades.
I just feel that it flows nicely together.
After the light layer of Provence i started with the white.
I ended up doing a very light layer of Old White by Annie Sloan.
But then i built up this color and slowly added more. Doing very light layers and stepping back and looking at the project each time.
This can be a very good idea! Just take 5 minutes and look at the project and see what needs to be done.
With dry brushing you can easily add too much paint and suddenly you have covered what you have just done.
Tip – LET EACH LAYER DRY PROPERLY INBETWEEN COATS.
Step 3 – Wet distressing
I then got an old clean rag that i wet and rubbed away a little of the paint to reveal the beautiful gold that was underneath.
I love this part. It always adds something special to the project.
When doing this i suggest distressing for example the corners of the frame, edges or raised areas and do a little at a time.
Anything that stands out and then i did a few random spots. I am going to look for a picture to show you what i mean.
I did not distress as much as i thought….
But i think i liked that the gold came through subtly. This can be a really fun process.
Each to there own! There are so many options you can make with this kind of projects and sometimes you have to just try and go with what you like.
That really is the fun of it. Playing with different techniques and processes.
Step 4 – Waxing
I used Annie Sloans White wax for the sealer on this project. With chalk paint being water based it needs to be sealed to protect your paint job.
I have not been a massive fan of waxing. I have found it hard to work with in the past.
But i believe this is purely down to not knowing how to use it properly.
Now the whole process goes so quickly and effortlessly in comparison to before.
I first start by removing a little of the wax from the tin. I usually use a paper plate and a chip brush/ (lint free) material or my Annie Sloan waxing brush.
I then begin by brushing the wax into a section. Imagine you are moisturising the chalk paint, you see it sink in almost and the color goes slightly darker.
You then take a piece of lint free material and wipe away any excess wax.
I will give you a little list of the things i have learnt from my mistakes with waxing.
- Do a little section at a time.
- Wipe away excess wax, then wipe again until the material glides over the surface with no tackiness.
- If you are waxing over white you need to use either a very clean brush or a light in color lint free cloth. The amount of small hairs that show up on white make me almost never want to wax over white again. If anyone knows any good tricks let me know! Please!
- Experiment with how you apply, i have used brushes, material even steel wool.
- It takes practice to be good at anything worth being good at.
I hope some of these tips help. I do believe wax is such a lovely sealer for the effect it creates. Though it is not the easiest in many ways.
The main thing i would suggest with the wax is to give it one last wipe down to double check that you have removed ever last bit of tackiness.
I havent quite decided where i want this to go in my house. My house is a never ending changing of furniture and decoration at the moment. But i do have a nice little sun room that it would look nice in.
This technique would work with any colors, If you wanted a more shabby chic look you could do dark brown, maybe a little mix of white and brown for a light brown effect then some white over the top.
Whenever i buy paint now i buy big tins in neutrals and smaller pots in the more extravagant colors, especially with chalk paint its so easy to play around with and mix up your own shades.
For this project i used
- Find a stockist here- Annie Sloans –
Graphite, Greek blue, Provence, Old white and White wax
Stockists
- Cheap chip brushes
- The spray bottle that is every chalk painters best friend
I hope you have enjoyed reading this and if you have any comments leave them down below.
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Have a great day everyone!
Anna x
