Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Chalk Paint Love/Hate Affair

I've been playing with chalk paint and while I adore this:



I absolutely despise this:



That darn wax is kickin' my butt!

This desk was my first chalk paint victim. Purchased at a consignment shot, it was pretty ugly & beat up.



Enter Annie Sloan's chalk paint, in Old White.





I added some knobs from Hobby Lobby, lightly distressed the edges & there you have it. A much nicer looking desk for my daughter's bedroom.

The paint is pretty much all that it's claimed to be. It goes on well, covers well, no odor, doesn't drip, requires no pre-sanding, dries quickly...

...but let's not talk about the $#*&@^ wax! (And yes, I watched every stinkin' tutorial available on waxing and I still want to scream when I think of it! Grrrr!)

Linking up at:








Domestically-Speaking for the Power of Paint Party
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party
Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday
My Romantic Home for Painted Furniture Party

Gina
Gina

Welcome! I'm Gina. Like the header says, this blog is all about home, food and life..

28 comments:

  1. I still haven't tried chalk paint, my husband might choke if I spend that much on paint. Your desk looks lovely though! I think ALL wax is a pain and I dread using any of it!!!!

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  2. You are funny! Love the little illustrations! Haven't tried the paint yet, but want to. But I have to say, even if you didn't like the wax part, the desk looks fantastic! Cute knobs too. Better daughter loves it!

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  3. FYI, I've used the chalk paint several times and never used the A.S. wax. I only use Johnson's Paste Wax which I get at Home Depot. The best advice I can give is, wait until it is completely dry before buffing. If it grabs at all or is still a little sticky, it's not ready to be buffed. Your desk looks amazing!
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  4. I LOVE the desk it looks SO nice in the white with those cute knobs. All I can say about the wax is you HAVE to use the clear before you put on the dark or the dark will grab something fierce! Good luck, try again on another piece.

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  5. I haven't entered the chalk paint craze yet, but might have to try it sometime. Your desk looks great!

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  6. Great Job Gina!! And yes great minds think alike (LOL)! Martina

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  7. I think the desk looks nice. i am scared of that chalk paint and wax stuff.....yikes, I'm sure I'd jack it all the way up!

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  8. I think your desk turned out great...but I totally agree with you about the wax. What a pain in the butt! I have painted one thing with Annie Sloan paint. I used Minwax in natural that I got at Lowe's. It smelled terrible and was like spreading honey. Very gooey. It did buff up nicely though and my piece turned out OK. I wish Annie could figure out a way to eliminate the wax step...but it's probably not likely.

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  9. Hi Gina,

    The desk looks great. I have never used wax before, don't think I want too either:)

    LeAnn

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  10. It looks really good Gina. I found the wax to be better when I used a rag. I did not brush it on, as it was too long a process. I literally scooped it out with a rag, and ragged it on. I am certain that is NOT right, however, it looks good to me, and the paint is upholding fine.

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  11. I can't wait to try the chalk paint Gina, it always looks so good on the projects I see all over blogland! I just used regular wax from Lowe's (clear) on my desk and like Deb I used a rag and I did wait a while before I used it on the desk!
    I love those knobs, wish there was a Hobby Lobby around here!

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  12. Great job on the desk Gina! I have never used or heard of chalk paint until I started blogging...I doubt that I will ever use it,,,but it sounds interesting? Keep up the great work on your projects, you do a fine job!!

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  13. Your project is beautiful Gina. My chalk paint is on it's way. Can't wait to give it a try.

    Thanks so much for visiting the Back Porch. I enjoyed your cloche post so much!

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  14. Gina, that turned out so nice!!! And I love the knobs you choose....don't you just love HB, I spend a lot of time there, not to mention money!!! hugs...cleo

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  15. Oh my, the desk turned out gorgeous. I love it. Now I would have looked at that and walked away. It looks wonderful. Hugs, Marty

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  16. What an amazing transformation! Sorry about the wax part, though!
    Blessings,
    Janet

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  17. i haven't tried chalk paint yet. but i've seen in on soooo many blogs? what's the hubbub about? ((i feel kinda stupid for asking that))

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  18. I truly think you are needing to become an interior designer. You are amazing!!!

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  19. Your desk looks great. I just bought the chalk paint and wax earlier this week. I've been trying to read helpful hints from the blog world before I attempted to use it on a project. Do you have any suggestions?
    I love the Hobby Lobby knobs. They have really cute knobs there for great prices.

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  20. This desk looks really cute. And I love the little illustrations on the pictures, those are hilarious.

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  21. You did a great job with transforming the desk. Love how it turned out.

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  22. That is good to know. Why the need to put wax on it? Is it to preserve it? I usually just used water based latex and call it good but have not tried the chalk paint.

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  23. You'd never know it was the same desk after your painting. It looks fantastic. Sorry about the wax trauma. It looks worth it.

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  24. Too funny! I am not a huge wax fan either! Be sure to stop by my Appreciation Party that is on my side bar! Let me know a question you would like to ask Annie. I get to pick 4-5 questions for her to answer!:)

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  25. Now I'm curious why you didn't like the wax :-P But I know it's a sore subject so we will leave it at that ;-) Anyways, you did an awesome job on the desk. Looks great.

    Much love,
    ♥Ana

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  26. LOL!! Love the skull and crossbones and monster! I am going to get some of the paint in old white this weekend....but I am NOT going to get the wax....I just don't feel good about it! lol

    The desk is gorgeous though!

    Lou Cinda ;)

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  27. Your desk turned out great! I am wondering now about what went wrong with the wax? If you have a few mins, stop over to my blog and see my $5 Goodwill desk that I just did in Annie Sloan Old white. I didn't get her wax though. I got Fiddes wax that Miss Mustard Seed likes. I have never used wax before on furniture refinishing. I guess it was ok but I know now to not to leave it over night to buff out.~Patti

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