Several "After" coming up.....

The pics are so washed out, we need a new camera! It's so much richer in person....

Close up

Staged

Last one, thank you for looking. :)

This is today's project .... was a China Cabinet, but the top is unusable, so we'll just use the bottom as a dresser/TV console/buffet/whatever.

I'm thinking of doing the top and base surround in black, with the doors and details light, warm gray. Black hardware.

This post was edited by Miz_M on Sun, May 26, 13 at 10:59

Nice detail. Need to get motivated to paint today!

Wow----what a transformation! So pretty and I love how you burnished the doors, eats with the gray. I would love to try something like this..starting with a small table or something small. I take it you don't buy AS paint...what is your "recipe?"

grey combo looks fantabulous

Thank you both! :)

Joanie, just heading out the door, will post the recipe when I get back home. :)

I'm looking forward to it too. I love your color choices.

Didn't even look like the same piece ! You sure have a lot of talent and an eye for color combos. c

Thank you so much! :)

The recipe I use is:

2 cups latex paint, satin
5 tbsp Plaster of Paris
2 tbsp warm water

I mix the PoP and warm water, until dissolved, then mix into paint. This makes more than enough for 2 coats on a large piece, such as a China cabinet. This recipe is very smooth, and doesn't have that extreme chalky feel I've had happen with other types.

I lightly sand and clean the piece well, paint (each coat dries in 30-1 hr), and either wax, or we poly, depending on several factors.

If you want to distress the furniture, do so before wax/poly.

For waxing, I use Johnson's Paste Wax, usually 3 coats. I love how it feels after buffing (I leave it on about 20 minutes).

I've done many paint jobs with primer/latex/poly, and like that method, too. I wouldn't use the chalk paint on chairs, for instance.

Thanks For the recipe Miz....would love to give it a whirl!

It looks wonderful, and I can't wait to see what you do with the dresser/TV console/buffet/whatever. The pictures you take of the item with the staging is a great way to display the work and have a potential buyer get ideas.

Thank you, my3dogs! :)

I love it! When I saw the before picture, I couldn't imagine how beautiful it would be. I don't have much of an eye for those things, but sure know " beautiful" when I see it :)

MizM----don't forget to post a picture of the buffet when you get it done....I am sure it will turn out as beautiful as the china cabinet!

Thanks, everyone!

Joanie, I'm taking a break from painting right now, halfway done! Hopefully will finish today. :-)

Sneak peek (it's similar to the China Cabinet)

Black top and base, light gray doors and side, medium gray inside.

Taken with my phone, so colors are washed out.

Wowzer, u r GOOOOD!

Thanks, Caminnc!

6 pics coming up, we'll stage it in the next couple of days (as a TV console, and a buffet).

Again, cell phone pics, which really wash it out. Santa didn't bring me a new camera ladt year. :-D

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5, decided to do diamonds inside door. :)

Last one, I'll add a couple when it's staged. Thanks for looking!

Miz m..Wow, unbelievable. I wish I had this gift to turn ordinary furniture into something magnificent. I love them both.

Thank you, dinobambino! It means so much to me, compliments from this talented bunch. :)

They look fabulous! This method is piquing my interest - I want to give it a go! Any helpful tips for a novice? Can you do this on furniture that has veneer or do you stick with strictly solid wood products? Many interesting buffets and dressers have veneer tops and it would be nice to repurpose them with some paint.

Thanks, muskokascp!

We've done many veneer finishes with this paint, and it bonds well. I do like to sand lightly first, but no primer is needed. I have read about some instances where a certain finish bled through after painting, but I'm not sure of the details. Waxing is important for after painting, to get a nice, smooth feel, and for protection.

I would find a good practice piece, and experiment. It's a very forgiving paint to use. :)

The staging pics came out terrible, it was gray out, and our camera stinks! Here is one, but I cringe looking at it.

One more, look at that lovely blue tone! Not.

This post was edited by Miz_M on Wed, May 29, 13 at 19:17

In both pieces the under color that shows through after the distressing is a darker grey. Does this mean you first painted the piece darker grey followed by the lighter grey?

I looked on the Annie Sloan website and it looks like they get the darker colour/distressing to show more with what they call dark wax.

I'm just not clear on how the distressing is achieved.
I appreciate your time in answering my simple questions.

No, I only did one coat of light gray on the doors of the cabinet, and two coats on the sides .... what shows under is the original fake wood stain color (shown in the "before" pics earlier in this thread). I'm not a fan of a lot of distressing, or chippy finishes, so I do a bit of dry brushing -- just a little paint on the brush, and spread it thin on areas I want distressed.

I didn't on this piece, but sometimes I'll glaze select areas of the paint (I did on the doors of the China cabinet up there). I buy a small bottle of glazing medium at Michael's to mix with paint. Or, pre-mixed glaze at Lowe's (Valspar).

I hope that makes sense! :)

I love your painted furniture, but since I can't see it in person, I don't get the chalk paint idea. How does it change the look of the furniture, and is it washable afterwards of more absorbent like flat paint?

Thanks, musicteacher ...... I like chalk paint (which is a much older concept than latex) for several reasons:

It doesn't have the soft, rubbery feel that latex sometimes has. It has more of a matte finish, but waxing brings out a wonderful sheen.

It lends itself well to distressing. I'm not personally a fan of very "chippy" furniture, or extreme distressing, but like it in subtle ways on my own pieces.

It requires no primer.

Making my own is very inexpensive, and a little goes a long way.

It cures much faster than latex, and in my experiences so far, is much more durable.

I've painted furniture with latex many times, and like it for various reasons as well. My choice of paint depends on the look and feel I want to achieve.

It's easy to wash and clean, once it's waxed properly. Just a damp rag is fine.

This post was edited by Miz_M on Sat, Jun 1, 13 at 23:27

First let me say you are very talented and the pieces are gorgeous All the detail work is great for being creative with antiquing.

I too adore chalk paint and make my own because it's too expensive to buy premixed. I think it's the best invention since slice bread!!!

Thanks, molly! :)

When it first came to my attention, I chalked (ha, ha) it up to just another fad in blogland .... destined to become as hated and looked down on as sponge painted walls. :-D

But it's really just the name that is new (20 yrs or so), while the look/technique/mixture are ancient. Not our mixes, since we use latex, but the lime, silica, chalk, etc used then.

I also started researching painted antiques (painted back then, not current), and saw many similarities. It's always been around, and many stunning pieces still exist.

I'm picky about my goals: to paint pieces that I hope will stand the test of time, and NOT look like a cliche someday .... to take something very unwanted, destined for trash pick-up, and bring out it's beauty for many more years ... and, I will not paint just for the sake of change. I absolutely love wood finishes, but there's certainly room for painted pieces, too. :)

Oh, and my staging has backfired on me, we're getting interest in the chair instead! :-D We always put in our ads: "Accessories and other furniture not included".

(I will never, ever sell that chair, it's priceless to me, for sentimental reasons).