Painted with Annie Sloans Old white and sealed with clear wax. Step by step guide to this French provincial cabinet. What i learnt from painting with white chalk paint.
I have had this cabinet for a few years now. But had gotten bored with the colour. I needed a change and knew i needed something lighter and brighter. It gets very dark here in Norway in the winter. So it is always nice to have some bits around you that add a little light into life.
The cabinet is oak i believe. I loved the shape with all the ridges and edges. And thought this would look really nice distressed. I ended up spending alot of time painting this as the wood was very dark and i was trying to paint it light. I would have done another layer of primer, if i had done this again. This is alot cheaper then the chalk paint so would have saved money here.
Cleaning the windows at the end also took some time. Which isnt a problem with chalk paint but there were so many windows. If i had a project like this again i would have covered them with newspaper and painters tape, to make this part easier.
What i used for this project-
Cabinet
Heavy duty cleaner (similiar to TSP)
Primer
Old white chalk paint by Annie Sloan
Clear wax by Annie Sloan
Sand paper
Shop towels
Water spray bottle
Paint brushes
Angled brush
Annie Sloan L paint brush
Before
Step 1.
I started the process by washing the cabinet with a heavy duty cleaner. I then wiped over with water to remove the cleaning liquid. This is an important step as dirt and grime can build up over time. If the surface is dirty the paint might not stick as well and the overall finish may be compromised.
Step 2.
I then painted 2 layers of primer, since the wood cabinet was so dark. This can lead to bleed through, into the light colour of the paint. It can also be hard to get coverage when painting over such dark wood with white paint. So using the primer can save you some paint too. I waited the full drying time inbetween primer coats which was 12 hours. It is important that the layers completely dry. I believe i should have sanded a little between coats to help the paint stick a little better. There are sections were the paint did not stick as well and moved around on the surface. It is important that the paint has something to grip to.
Step 3.
I then painted 2 layers of Old white onto the cabinet. I used an Annie Sloan brush. I used a spray bottle with water. So if the paint became too dry i could spray some water onto the paint so it spread easier.
I did not sand inbetween coats because i wanted brush strokes but believe i should have. And instead not sanded the last layer.
What do you think? do you like your finishes smooth or with texture?
Step 4.
After i was finished with the painting, i let the last layer dry and started to wax the piece. I did this in sections using an Annie Sloan waxing brush, i like how the brush goes into all the details and spreads the wax nicely and evenly. I then used a lint free cloth to wipe away any excess wax. I always use gloves when using wax, but i take off one of the gloves to run my hand over the surface to check that theres no tackiness. It is important to work in small sections and take your time.
This will make the overall result better. I have made the mistake of doing too big an area at once and this is harder to control. Meaning you cannot remove all the wax and you are left with a waxy residue which is not good. It feels bad and seems unprofessional if you want to sell your pieces.
Step 5.
After i was finished waxing the whole cabinet, I started to distress with 220 grit sand paper. I sanded along any edges. Distressing can be done before or after waxing. There is less dust from the distressing after the waxing however.
With the hardware. I painted it with a few layers of the Old white paint. I then distressed them using the 220 sand paper and then waxed them.
I really liked the hardware on this project. It was easy to get them to look nice. Since they had nice details from before.
The finished cabinet.
What do you think? Is this something you would like to try doing?
Hope you liked this article and hope it helps you to avoid some of my mistakes!
Have a lovely day!
Anna x
