Chalk Paint

I took a leap into the world of chalk paint.  After seeing so many wonderful projects in blogland, I was excited to receive my shipment.  I ordered from a retailer in Florida on Friday and my products arrived on Wednesday.  That's a pretty fast turn around.

I ordered a starter kit which consisted of a quart of old white, duck egg blue, a clear wax, a dark wax and a wax brush.

It also came with Annie Sloan's book.  After leafing through the book I was ready to start my first transformation.

Remember my Craigslist find?

After removing all of the upholstery, I was ready to paint.  My plan was to paint the chair the duck egg blue and accent it with the old white.

I was very happy when I opened the can of duck egg blue that it looked exactly as I had pictured it.  Whew!

The Old White is also beautiful...it's a creamy white.  It kind of reminds me of a nicer version of Heirloom White spray paint.

Well let me tell you...this paint is unlike any other paint I have ever used.  I totally get why it's called chalk paint.  That's really what it looks like.

All in all, so far I am very impressed with the paint.  It's very easy to work with.  The paint goes on smoothly and easily and covers completely in one coat.

The paint also comes off extremely easily.  How do I know this, you ask?  I was painting the accents in the old white when I got some on a part that I didn't mean to.  I had a wet rag and went to wipe it off.  It not only took off the old white but it also took off the duck egg blue, which had been applied a day earlier.  Whoa!  That's when I went back and read the book a little more carefully rather than just flipping through the pages.

As it turns out, it's the wax that really sets the paint.  Apparently after the wax is applied and has had time to cure, the paint will be permanent.  

So my plan for the holiday weekend is to finish this chair.  Next step is to apply the wax.  I would have loved to get that done yesterday, but the wax needs more than the ten minutes I could devote.  For one, you need mineral spirits to clean the brush after use so it will have to wait for Saturday.  I can't wait to reupholster.  I'll be sharing the transformation next week.

This weekend also officially marks the beginning of our summer entertaining.  The pool is open and ready to go.  What do you have planned for Memorial Day weekend?

-Judy