HI EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO MY FURNITURE AND DECOR MAKEOVER BLOG.
MY NAME IS ANNA AND FOR THIS PROJECT I AM USING CHALK PAINT TO ACHIEVE A FAUX WOOD FINISH. THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN A BIT OF A CHALLENGE BUT WAS SO WORTH IT IN THE END. COME CHECK OUT THE PROCESS OF CREATING THIS WEATHERED FAUX WOOD EFFECT. I USED ANNIE SLOANS CHALK PAINT IN THE COLORS HONFLUER AND FRENCH LINEN AND FINISHED OFF WITH BLACK WAX.
WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS LITTLE TABLE I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT.
ITS THOSE CURVES. I THINK I HAVE AN OBSESSION WITH THOSE LEGS HAHAHA….
IT GIVES ME A KICK TO SEE SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL BUT UNLOVED BECOME GREAT AGAIN. I COULD TELL THAT THIS PIECE WAS GOING TO BE LOVELY ONCE MORE.
THIS WEEK HAS BEEN A LITTLE TOUGH. HAVING A TWO YEAR OLD WITH ALL THESE COLDS GOING AROUND HAS NOT BEEN FUN. BUT WE ARE BOTH FIGHTING FIT AGAIN AND DOWN FOR SOME DIY FUN.
HE LOVES PAINTING SO I GET HIM SET UP WITH HIS PAINTING BITS AND I GET ON WITH MY PAINTING. THAT IS SOMETHING SO WONDERFUL ABOUT CHALK PAINT. IT IS SAFE TO USE AROUND HIM. I LOVE HAVING A PROJECT OUT IN MY KITCHEN. KEEPING IT CLOSE SO I CAN DO BITS HERE AND THERE. HE IS EATING ME OUT OF HOUSE AND HOME AT THE MOMENT SO I NEED TO BE NEAR BY. I THINK HE IS GOING TO BE A GIANT THE WAY HE EATS.
ANYWAY BACK TO WHY YOU ARE ALL HERE.
THIS PIECE I AM KEEPING FOR MY SUN ROOM. I AM NOT A MASSIVE FAN OF THE IDEA OF FAUX WOOD BUT I HAVE RESEARCHED OTHERS WORK AND THEY DO LOOK GREAT. THEY HAVE MADE SOME GREAT PIECES WITH THIS TECHNIQUE. I DONT THINK ITS GOING TO BE EASY SO I HAVE TO TRY. I LIKE IT WHEN ITS A CHALLENGE.
This is what i started with:
This project was very shiny and covered in a thick layer of varnish.
My first step was to give the entire piece a good clean before anything else.
Step 1 – Cleaning
I gave the entire piece a good clean. Recently i have been trying this Sugar Soap Spray which has been lovely to use. It is very convenient, i love how it is in a spray bottle. After i have scrubbed the whole thing, getting into all the nooks and crannies with a old tooth brush, i wipe down everything with a cloth with clean water on it. This is to wash away any remaining residue of cleaning product. It is important to start off with a clean slate.
Dirt and grime build up over the years. It is often shocking how dirty furniture is.
So well worth taking the time to create a great surface for your paint, this will create an ideal surface for your paint to adhere to.
Step 2 – Sanding
The next step is giving the whole thing a scuff sand, this is to remove any of the shine. This helps to give the paint something to adhere to. This stage is crucial to get the paint to adhere to the piece properly. I have skipped this stage in some cases, if painting on naturally untreated wood for example which already has a lot of texture. Then i have felt it is unnecessary. But otherwise this is a crucial step, i usually use about a 150 grit to really scuff up the surface. This varies a little depending on the surface.
Let me know what you think of sanding? is it the worst or?
Step 3 – Priming
I then decided i wanted to add a layer of primer. I was a little unsure of the type of wood. But think it might be mahogany. Since it has some characteristics of mahogany, it had a straight even grain which looked fine.
My thought with priming the piece was to give it a smooth and even surface to start with. I also am going to paint it a light color with chalk paint, so need to be careful with bleed through. It also gives the paint something to adhere to, meaning no peeling should occur.
I like to flip my projects to get to the under side first this gives a more professional look and you reach those parts that are a little hard to get to otherwise. I then flip it over and paint the top.
It is winter in Norway at the moment and some days are worse for sanding then others. I also have not yet bought a sander that is good for sanding in all these gorgeous details. So i decided to faux wood this piece instead of sanding it down. I also noticed marks on the surface which i was unsure could be sanded down easily.
I am loving trying something new. Do you like trying new techniques? Are there any you are interested in seeing me do? Just let me know in the comments section down below.
Step 4 – First coat
Here i brushed on in lines the Honfluer, i dry brushed this.
Here i have a useful article about dry brushing.
So lets just say i didnt really know what i was doing so i had a look around and found some useful blogs with some gorgeous faux wood projects.
I think it can be very useful to have a look around and check out other peoples processes. Sometimes i follow their instructions most often i go it alone and hope for the best.
https://www.prettyhandygirl.com/faux-finish-weathered-wood-grain/
https://renovatedfaith.com/raw-wood-finish/
These are some seriously talented people who have made some wonderful projects.
Step 5 – 2nd Coat
For the second coat i went in with my misting bottle and French Linen. This started off looking like this.
This then turned into that. I used my misting bottle alot throughout this project and cant live without it when it comes to using chalk paint.
I brushed the paint brush from one end to the other. This means you start a little in on one side and then brush off the edge on the other side. When you do this use your spray bottle to keep the paint moist but dont spray too much otherwise you can end up with puddles…..
Then this.
Step 6 – 3rd layer
I then added more Honfluer as i felt the French linen lacked depth.
I found this project a little challenging. I didnt like the way it looked yet but this is a process and i wasnt finshed yet. So i kept going.
Things you will need for this project-
- Sugar Soap
- Misting bottle
- French Linen – Annie Sloan stockist
- Honfluer – Annie Sloan stockist
- Black wax – Annie Sloan stockist
- Clear wax – Annie Sloan
- Paint brush
- Lint free clothes
If you follow the link to ebay i will receive a small commission with no added cost to you. This goes a long way to keeping my blog going.
Step 7 – Waxing
For the next stage i began waxing the piece, i decided to go for a black. Usually i would have added clear wax first but i had seen someone go straight in with the black and thought i might as well try that too, in the name of experimenting. This ended up being a little dark but i also liked the effect created. I do however wonder how it would have looked if i had done a layer of clear wax first. That is something that is quite wonderful about clear wax it can be used as an eraser. But when using black or dark wax it can sometimes be a good idea to add clear wax first then proceed with the darker color, this helps control the darkness of the waxes.
Thank you for joining me today! I love sharing and hopefully, helping people avoid some mistakes. I have made so many, but you live and you learn.
Have a great day everyone!
Anna x
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