Experimenting with Annie Sloan

I've been reading about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) on a lot of DIY blogs, but until this weekend, I was still "Spray Can Diane."

However, last weekend, Doug and I bought a small pine farmhouse table for our kitchen (our 5th table in as many years, but that's a subject for another post).

The table looked great in the kitchen, but I wasn't so crazy about our chairs.  They're from Target, and they're sturdy and a nice design, but I really wanted to do something different with them.  Here is what the chairs looked like before:

It was time for Annie Sloan.

An Internet search turned up a "stockist" (their term for a store that sells their products) just 15 miles from our house in Kennett Square, Pa., at Consign-it Furniture.

The store turned out to be a gem in itself--they have a great selection of furniture, some of it redone in ASCP, and lots of smalls too.  They also had the latest issue of Flea Market Style magazine and several varieties of Girl Scout cookies.  And the woman who helped me with the paint (I didn't get her name) was amazingly friendly and helpful.

I chose four colors of paint in the small (100 ml) jars, a can of clear wax and one of dark wax, a brush to apply the wax, and a brush to buff the chairs afterwards.

The process was easy, and I got all four chairs done in one morning.  The new look is exactly what I wanted--I love color, and the chairs pick up all of the colors in our kitchen:

The paint isn't cheap, and neither are the "accessories."  I spent more than $150 for everything.  But the paint goes a long way--I probably could have painted all four chairs with one of the little pots if I had wanted them all the same color.

The brushes were also worth the money.  I used a regular paint brush from Home Depot to apply the paint, but on the advice of the nice woman at the store I bought the wax applicator and buffing brushes and was glad I did.  She told me that you can buff with a soft rag, but it's a lot of work.  She was right--I tried it just to see, and the buffing brush definitely did a much better job in less time.

I have enough paint left over for lots of other projects, and I can mix colors if I want something different--I didn't buy a green, but the Aries (yellow) and Aubusson Blue would mix well together to make green.  You can also coat with just clear wax for a completely different look from what you get with the dark wax.

The best part--I have four chairs that look exactly the way I want them to look, so it was worth it.  And this paint is so easy to use--no sanding, no priming, just brush it on.