I have only cleaned furniture with a damp rag to get dirt off. I wouldn't suggest more, unless your furniture is unusually dirty.

The paint doesn't come with instructions, but you can google it and see what seems to be 1000s of posts with step-by-steps.

Annie Sloan's web site lists "Stockists" who stock and sell the product. You can look for stockists near you to see if they have local stores or web sites. You can also google that and come up with a lot of options. I just ordered via mail from a nearby state's stockist.

Thanks lolauren!

Hi Folks, I am new to forums...and I'm very new to painting furniture. I just bought two can's of Annie sloan chalk paint, clear wax and a brush and it was VERY expensive. I am going to start a project of two matching antique dressers with a mix of cream and arles. I'm worried because I do not know if my cabinets are mahogony or cherry...they are old looking and shiny and I'm worried about what I'm reading on this forum of the bleeding through. I don't want to "ruin" them and I don't want to waste my well over $100 dollars on product. Is there a way to try it in a corner and if it appears to bleed through, wash it off? Any help would be appreciated because I'm soo very anxious to start.

Annie's is expensive and it's easy to make your own .... you need Plaster of Paris and flat latex paint. 3 parts paint to 1 part P of P. Put P of P in a container, add water and stir ... keep adding water and stirring until you get a nice smooth consistency, then add to your paint and stir until well mixed. The important thing is to have the P of P mixture as smooth as possible before mixing with the paint.
You can use clear Minwax or Johnsons Paste wax once paint is dry. HTH

Annie Sloan chalk paint is the only paint I use in my business.( and am not associated with her company in any way) I have painted over 300 pieces in the last year, and have only had bleeding in one or two. If the original finish is intact, I don't think you will have any bleed through.
Yes,it is expensive per quart, but the price breakdown works down to about $4-6 per piece- depending on the size. I routinely paint a dining table with a leaf and 6 chairs with one quart and have enough to do a couple more pieces.
FYI I clean all of the pieces before I paint with original windex.
I think you will like using the paint.

I've never used chalk paint, but saw some pieces the last time I was at a craft type flea market. Is it always chalky feeling after it's completely finished? I didn't care for the way it felt. I thought waxing would make it have a smoother feel.

The pieces I paint have a smooth feel from the wax, and a soft patina when finished. It shouldn't feel chalky.

Hey There Ingeorgia!

Could one use gypsum powder (e.g. Sheetrock powder 90min Drywall mud) in place of the PofP? I sure hope you are online right now and can advise! :) gypsum=gypsum, right?

Thanks so much, please advise and TIA :)

I've been painting furniture for years and have always used an acrylic paint w/o absolutely any problem. I get great coverage w/2 coats and a poly as the top coat.

I've compared 'the look' of an Annie Sloane painted piece to my paint technique , and there is no visible difference, just less expensive, and probably the same amount of work. Just wanted to throw in an aside.

Sis2two~
Be sure to check the shipping charges on all the stockist.
Don't just go with the one closes to you .
They kill you on the shipping charges...
Maybe you will get lucky and find somewhere to pick it up.
Probably just order a quart to start and see how that works for you.
There are many many online blogs with instructions for you.
However I am now in the camp of making my own out of calcium carbonate.

I think it's terribly expensive and the store around here does not take returns if you change your mind. I wasn't at all impressed with the furniture they'd done but did like some of the small sample boards from the manufacturer which had interesting rubbing and wax effects. I am going to try mixing my own.

CC Caldwell is trying to give AS a run for it's money. Sorry I can't give you a difference in price, but have heard the paint is comparable to AS.

Here is a link that might be useful: CCC

I just visited a shop that sells AS paint. They had several pieces painted with AS chalk paint, and offer classes. The pieces all felt smooth and from a few feet looked great. Up close, though, I could see all the brush marks, which I didn't like. Is it usual for all the brush marks to show? I couldn't feel them, but they were all there, going every which way. I didn't buy the paint yet, because I wanted to check with the experts here. Do the brush marks always show? I asked the owner/artist/dealer and she said she likes it that way. So.....?

Since it seems so easy to make my own, I might give that a try. What about brushmarks in homemade? Or should I grow to love brushmarks?

I am very experienced with ASCP, as well as latex and acrylic and oil. My brush strokes don't show, unless I want them to do so. One of Annie Sloan's techniques, which is taught by all of her stockists, suggest helter skelter brush strokes, as I call them. I prefer to paint my way,which is smooth. A bad painter using a good paint, will still produce a poor product.I do prefer to use ASCP and have used it exclusively in my business for well over a year. My customers prefer it as well. I also do custom painting and use ASCP here too. Since it covers so well, I can get 10-13 pieces from one quart. I believe that that would be the coverage of any of the chalk or clay paint products but am not sure. When I factor in the cost of paint per piece,I think that makes the paint pretty economical to use. I think it would make sense for individuals painting for themselves to share the colors and wax with friends.
I will not bad mouth other clay and chalk paints, there are a lot out there and they all have their enthusiasists and detractors.
I have seen samples of home made "chalk paint" and what I have personally seen and touched is latex with a funny texture. There is more to the formula than just the addition of plaster of paris or calcium carbonate. My DH keeps saying he wants to try to make homemade chalk paint, maybe he will change my mind!
The ASCP stockist that I use, will even pay the shipping charges sometimes if she is out of stock and a customer comes specifically for that color. When I have ordered by phone, she used a flat rate shipping rate box from the post office.It is my understanding that AS has a very strict policy about what can and will be done with her paints- lending a very uniform code of business to her stockists and therefore her customers. I imagine that not all of them play by the rules of their contract. I also understand that the contract sets the price and the return policy of the paints, not the stockist. If you feel that your stockist is taking advantage, I am sure that Annie Sloan would want to know. She is very customer oriented.( I have not met her but friends have)
I suggest you find a paint you like to use, buy a Purdy paint brush( not affiliated just a big fan) and practice your technique and enjoy your "new" furniture.

Thank you, cooperbailey. That is exactly what I'm going to do...but now I can't decide between old white and duck egg blue for starters. Problems, problems.

Hi Holly, hope I'm not too late. calcium carbonate (limestone) baking soda and un sanded grout can be used instead but I have no idea if the gypsum powder would work or not ... you should try it and let us know!
I have bought the Annie Sloan but honestly you can make your own with a little experimenting. No need to spend so much money. HTH

I have to agree w/cooper re:a good brush, not one of those 99 cent ones. That could be the reason I feel the finish of my pieces are as nicely done as what i've seen painted with AS.

Up until 3 weeks ago I had only seen 3 pieces done w/AS and it was at Round Top, so maybe more time was taken to give a better finish. 3 weeks ago a friend and I went shopping and one of the shops sold furniture using the paint, as well as has classes/sells the product. IMO, I thought it appeared sloppy(my friend agreed),but then again, it could have been the application as well as the brush. In looking at the samples at the shop, again I feel what I do using acrylic is just as good.

So what is the benefit of using a chalk paint? I know it will stick to anything. But as far as how it looks. Is it somehow different than using a flat and waxing over it?

some of the benefits, you don't need to sand or prime, it's easy to distress, dries quickly and a little goes a long way.
It's easy to mix some up and give it a try to see if you will like it.

One thing I find useful is weather it be gypsum,plaster of Paris ,unsanded grout or calcium carbonate..
Sift the powder to get it really fine and
mix with a little warm water to get all the lumps out first
then add paint color.
Usually I see brush strokes when only one coat is applied.

Ok just to report on what I've read and what I did today. From wiki it appears to me that both PofP and the powder version of drywall mud mix have chemical compounds of Calcium, Sodium, and 4 Oxygens. CaSO4 (with the 4 as subscript), although it looks like water molecules also
are parts of each, but in differing amounts. So, in theory, I think it should work very well. In fact, today at the hardware, the sales guy told me that he thought the Sheetrock brand stuff would stay workable longer. But I do know from experience, that once that stuff sets, forget working it. So I bought the PofP, mixed it as you wrote, Ingeorgia, and it worked well. 1st coat looked pretty crummy, many brushstrokes and very thin, but after my mixture sat out several hours, it thickened well and appears pretty level now that the 2nd coat is on. I did not use a quality brush, just the foam cheapie. Overall, I say it went okay. I'll sand and wax the chairs tomorrow and hopefully I will still be happy with them. Thanks for the recipe. Next time I'll try the Sheetrock and report back. I have a feeling the results will be pretty similar.

The recipe works great. I used it on my island cabs, half-heartedly cleaned of 20+ yrs of grease from cooking without a vent. Two coats covered as hoped using a Purdy brush-no brush strokes. I like that I can mix a custom color, since nothing looks right in my house on the first try. Cleans well with a simple beeswax topcoat. This is what amazes me.

I plan on a remodel sometime in the future and just wanted a different feel in the kitchen that didn't depress me. This experiment was a success.

Love the PofP mixture I use. I've found dissolving it in hot water works best to make it smooth, before adding to latex paint. I do use Purdy brushes, and Johnson's Paste Wax after painting. I've painted and sold several pieces now.

This is the most recent we've done.....black chalk paint with gold accents......it was a golden oak table before, and very damaged. We poly'ed the top for added protection, waxed the rest. I'm thinking about keeping this one. :-)

Miz M, you did a beautiful job!

Anyone else care to share pics of their painted projects?

Thank you, Catkin! I have so many pics of projects, but don't want to take over this thread. :-)

Ok, one more....our Harlequin table, one of my favs. It was oak before, my fiance did an amazing job marking off the diamonds for me. We added brass tacks down the middle.

Close-up of tacks...

Miz M, I was scrunching up my nose at the idea of painting furniture, just on the principle that I couldn't possibly like anything so "in." ;) But your pieces are to die for! The round table in particular - do you by any chance have any close up shots of the top? Also, white kind of paint is the gold paint that lines the game board? We have an old oak table with a top in such bad shape that it always wears a table cloth. Now, I want to transform it into a gameboard so I can play chess!

ohhhhh Miz M ... fabulous !

Holly321 thanks for the report and happy it worked for you. Hope you will let us know how the sheetrock works out.

Miz M, I love that!! Perfect for my den......hmmm, ideas....

Nancy

Thanks, all! :)

After painting my kitchen's white beadboard walls and white cabinets, I wanted to create a little contrast on the other side of the room. I used Webster's Chalk Paint Powder added to SW Gauntlet Gray 7019 latex paint. I used two coats of chalk paint then two coats of the clear wax sold through Annie Sloan distributors.

The process was easy, and the buffed wax surface seems durable.

Pinkpaula, love that! Beautiful!

Thanks, Miz_M. YOUR work is soooo very nice. I have looked at your other posting on chalk furniture---Wow!

I thought sis2two would like to see a cabinet, since she mentioned that in her original post. I do think that if a cabinet is in a high-use area, such as near a sink or stove, or if you plan to throw keys on it daily, the surface should be sealed with polyurethane.

The cabinet I painted is on the opposite side of my high-use area. It functions more as a china/storage cabinet and, with a granite counter surface, the chalk paint has held up just fine.

I've been experimenting with chalk paint in general and I have come up with 2 things.

Annie Sloan paints IMO are better, better coverage, ease of use, colors stay saturated even when diluted with water to make a wash. I've had a quart of Old White that somehow even after several large projects is still 1/3rd full!

CC Caldwell, while having a larger range of colors and are (in my area at least) substantially more economical in the sample jars than the ASCP paints. Just aren't quite as good. Not horrible mind you just not quite as good coverage wise.

Now heres the kicker. I have waxed both paints and recently tried a water based polycrylic on them.

ASCP- clear wax deepens the color poly does much the same but I don't find it to be a dramatic change

CCC- the color changed considerably with both wax and poly! So much I'd have to account for that change in my finished piece.

I have yet to try my hand at making my own custom paints, for my purposes the commercially available works great. I might have a different opinion if I were covering large areas like those beautiful grey cabs above.

I love the pictures! Can I just send my cabinet for you all to do! I am currently trying to decide on a color for my cabinet. My kitchen won't be painted until mid March now. My cabinets are going to be an antique white and I have a breakfast table, chairs and sideboard that are black and stained reclaimed wood. My first inclination is to go with black but I'm wanting to use a different color, maybe a sagey gray color. Do any of you have any ideas. Looks like I am going to use Powell Buff by BM on my walls. Any suggestions? I do plan to use the AS chalk paint.

removing post. spammer ad was deleted.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Feb 20, 13 at 19:53

I tried mixing a little up using 3:1 Plaster of Paris. I used satin finish to see if it would take all the shine out or not. It did.

I've seen a lot of homemade recipes online but most do not mention what sheen they start with. Does it matter? I am wondering if starting with the more durable satin versus an eggshell or flat would still deliver more durability (eg on tabletops or shelving), or if that would go out the window by adding the PoP.

Any one with technical knowledge on this?

This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Feb 20, 13 at 19:57

I'm thinking of using the chalk paint with wax on my bathroom vanity. How does it hold up on something with repeated use around the area of pulls and knobs? Anyone have this problem with wear? What if it gets dirty around them?

I have used Annie Sloane pain a couple of times....this was an old cheap pine dresser.