Everything from garage sale finds to family heirlooms can be upcycled, repurposed, refreshed or refinished with a little imagination, a little time, and a little do-it-yourself miracle worker known as chalk based paint.
Chalk-based paint (not to be confused with chalkboard paint, which creates a surface that can be written on with chalk) offers an easy way to refresh old furniture or to create the popular “shabby chic” look of distressed wood without having to prep the piece by sanding and priming the surface.
HANDS-ON LEARNING
“I have very little furniture-painting experience.
Everything I have painted has not turned out …. So, I thought,‘I’m going to come and learn to do it properly before I tackle another big piece,” says Darlene Davis.
Camille Richardson agrees, saying, “I just wanted to have somebody beside me going, ‘Why don’t you do this, why don’t you add that’ …. I wanted some expertise.”
Davis and Richardson are among six women who participated in a chalk-based-paint class taught in April by Sharon Cowell, owner of Reinvented Vintage in Little Rock.
Cowell says that adding chalk to paint is an old technique. “In the old days, it was called whiting. In certain terms, it’s nothing new. It’s been around for a long time, but as far as the way it’s being used now, in today’s world of repurposing old furniture, it came on the [U.S.] market about two years ago.”
Daniel Bright, who teaches painting classes at White Goat, a furniture and accessories store in Little Rock, says the paint works on almost every surface. “It’ll stick to metal, brass, iron, glass and plastic - even if it’s painted, stained or sealed in a real shiny varnish.”
Reinvented Vintage carries the Maison Blanche La Craie line and White Goat carries Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - two of the more popular brands in the U.S. market. Both paints are water-based with extremely low VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which means they can be used safely indoors in areas without a lot of ventilation.
Besides the eco-friendly aspects, chalk-based paints also provide a superior surface for distressing (removing portions of the paint to give the piece an aged or worn look). “Other paints are usually latex based, which is like a plastic. If you try to distress plastic, it’s going to chip and once it starts chipping, it’s going to keep chipping even after the paint dries,” says Bright.
Chalk-based paints can be used to create different looks, depending on the combination of painting and finishing techniques. Cowell’s basic class focuses on giving the participants hands-on experience painting and finishing a piece of furniture. Davis has two door panels and a drawer from a dark brown buffet she wants to redo. “I’ve got heavy, heavy pieces in that room. I think lightening it up is really going to help,” she says. Richardson’s piece is a small table that has been passed down in her family.
STEP ONE: PAINT
After Cowell, assisted by Tara Jackson, helps the participants decide on paint colors, everyone starts applying the first coat. Cowell walks through the room, offering tips and demonstrating techniques including:
Only dip the tip of the brush into the paint and don’t let a lot of paint accumulate in the brush
Use long strokes on large surfaces
If you get too much paint in your brush, add a few drops of water on the brush to thin it out
The first coat will be a little streaky; don’t try to cover the piece completely with the first coat
When Cowell gets to Richardson, she calls everyone over for a “teaching moment.” Richardson’s table was made in the early to mid-20th century and has a mahogany stain, and the white paint she is applying is turning pink. Cowell explains that the mahogany stain used on furniture of that era contains a tannin that will bleed through new paint, and that these pieces need to be coated with a clear shellac.
After the first coat dries, participants add a second coat and are ready for the next step.
STEP TWO: DISTRESS
Cowell hands out pieces of sandpaper as she begins the demonstration on distressing. She recommends sanding at an angle on the edges and where natural wear would occur, such as on the seat of the chair that Karen Carter is working on. She points out the raised motif on Davis’ buffet doors and suggests that Davis remove a little more paint in that area.
Distressing the piece is optional. Some people prefer to leave the paint intact; others want to play up imperfections and make the pieces look more worn.
STEP THREE: WAX
“The wax is going to soak into the paint and protect from the inside out,” Cowell explains as she shows the class the soft paste wax, which is applied with a brush. The Maison Blanche line includes four regular waxes, ranging from clear to a dark brown, as well as three lime waxes that give the paint a washed or “beachy” look, as Cowell describes it.
The dark brown wax that Carter is using on her chair isn’t giving her the look she wants, so Cowell shows her how to wipe back the wax using a wet wipe. Cowell also shows Richardson how to use longer strokes and spot checks other participants’ coverage.
After the wax dries, Cowell shows the class how to buff the finished pieces with a soft cloth. “Put a little weight into it,” she coaches. The more the piece is buffed, the shinier the finish.
BEYOND THE BASICS
At the White Goat, Bright takes a different approach to teaching. He gives his participants four wood tiles and a picture frame to learn layering techniques. “I like layering up colors and distressing a lot, because to me, the more you do, the older it starts to look, which is kind of the point of using this paint,” he says.
Bright teaches four techniques:
Single color, distressed with a sanding block
Two-color distressed, using contrasting colors - with this technique, the second color becomes the primary color with bits of the base color showing through
Dry-brush distressing - this involves removing most of the paint from the brush to create soft streaks, leaving more of the base color with the second color as an accent
Colored wax - with this technique, the piece is painted with a very light shade such as white or ocher. Then a small amount of a darker paint is worked into clear wax before it is applied. This technique produces a haze of color on the surface with a little more color in crevices.
Throughout the class, Bright offers tips:
Sand any rust off of metal pieces or seal it with a rust primer before painting.
Use paint straight out of the can for the first coat. Then put some of the paint in another container with a little water to thin it for the second coat to achieve a smoother finish.
Annie Sloan waxes come in clear and dark. Bright recommends using a coat of clear wax before applying the darker wax.
To lighten the dark wax, mix it with some of the clear wax.
Don’t use furniture polish or dusting sprays on the finished pieces because those products will eventually strip the wax finish.
If the piece has grooves or details, work a little dark wax into those areas to accentuate them.
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
Chalk-based paint is more expensive than most latex paints (around $40 per quart) but Cowell points out that one quart should paint the equivalent of three to four dressers. Paints also are available in sample sizes that are adequate for smaller projects.
The colors can be mixed to create custom shades. And the variety of waxes and other specialty products means there are myriad combinations available.
Where to find chalk-based paints
Chalk-based paints are available at various sources including the following Arkansas retail locations.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint:
Ash Flat: The Grapevine Home, 717 Ash Flat Drive
Batesville: Heritage House, 2025 Harrison St.
Fayetteville: Red Hill Gallery & Homewares, 2630 E. Citizens Drive, No. 19
Jonesboro: That French Shoppe, 456 Southwest Drive
Little Rock: White Goat, 5624 R St.
Maison Blanche La Craie Paint:
Fort Smith: The Goods, 1809 Dodson Ave.
Little Rock: Reinvented Vintage, 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road
Prairie Grove: The Summit Hill Cottage Shoppe, 124 E. Buchanan St.
Searcy: The Bee’s Knees, 511 Alexis Drive
- Nathania Sawyer
DIY Chalk-finish Paint
The Internet is full of recipes for homemade chalk-finish paints that use everything from calcium carbonate to plaster of Paris to achieve the finish. Because these paints are latex-based and substances such as plaster of Paris are carcinogenic, use these paints in well-ventilated areas and avoid breathing the fumes or dust.
Lowe’s offers this recipe on its website:
1/3 cup plaster of Paris
1/3 cup cool water
1 cup flat latex paint
Mix the plaster of Paris and water, stirring until the mixture is completely smooth. Mix with the latex paint and stir thoroughly.
According to the site, this will yield enough paint for one coat on a six-drawer dresser.
See the original Lowe’s recipe at tinyurl.com/keyvl65.
- Nathania Sawyer
Tips for other applications, how to get weathered look
Daniel Bright, who teaches painting classes at White Goat, a furniture and accessories store in Little Rock, offers these tips for stretching the use of chalk based paints.
Chalk-based paints can be used to paint fabric and leather. Bright says to spray the fabric with water before applying the paint so it will soak into the cloth instead of sitting on top of it. Applying wax to the fabric after it dries will give it a leathery finish.
A weathered look can be achieved by creating deliberate cracks in the paint. Apply a thick coat of the paint and then use a blow dryer to create cracks. Bright says to put a small amount of the paint in a separate container and refrigerate to create a very thick paint.
Use stencils to create decorative designs or connect a projector to your computer and project an image to trace on the piece.
Steel wool, dish scrubbers and other items with rough surfaces can be used for distressing.
Use separate brushes for paint and wax. Natural bristle brushes work best, and round brushes work well for applying streak-free paint and wax.
Wax is not the only option for sealing and protecting. Cowell recommends using hemp oil on pieces that children may come in contact with because the oil is natural and rated food safe. “That’s great for things like cribs where you think your kid’s going to gnaw on it at some point,” says Cowell.
Tung oil is a good option for exterior furniture and doors that will be exposed to the elements.
- Nathania Sawyer
HomeStyle, Pages 33 on 05/03/2014