ANOTHER Annie Sloan chalk paint tutorial?...

 So I scored this sweet little coffee table a while back at the PTA thrift store for $5 bucks! She's been patiently waiting her turn in the furniture storage (ah' hem.. "hoard")  and today's her lucky day! So, lets get started hooking her UP!

*A lot of times with these "curvy leg" reproduction type pieces, the legs are loose and a little wobbly, so take this time before you paint to grab a Phillips or your hand drill and tighten everything up.* 

Then I made a solution of TSP and scrubbed her all down. Once she was all dry and cleaned up, I brought her in the living room...(YES, I paint in my living room) helloooooo this paint is magical..Memba'? No fumes, No Sanding, No Priming!  So, I lay out my drop cloth (A.K.A  6yo daughter's old bed sheet) and got to work! 

*TIP* Whenever you can, ALWAYS paint the underside and legs of the furniture first. It makes it a WHOLE lot easier to get to all the knocks and crannies and saves the strain on your neck and back! 

So, I mixed up A.S.C.P Old White and Cream to make a soft creamy white.  To avoid dripping all over the cans when pouring, I like to use my big medical syringe. You can use it to siphon out the paint you need without spilling it everywhere and it keeps your lids nice, neat and easy to open and close.  Great little tool to pick up!

I finished painting the under body, allowed it to dry..

and gave it the first coat of clear wax.

I applied the coat of wax, rubbed off the excess with a lint free towel..(AKA Hub's old T Shirt)

 *Tip! When you are done wiping back the wax your hand should glide across the piece. IF you get any resistance or you feel like your hands "catches" on a specific area..you've got too much wax still left on the piece. Chalk paint is very porous, so when you're apply the wax it actually sinks down into the open "Pores" of the paint and accepts what it needs. Everything left on the top is actually excess and that needs to be removed *  

This was a piece for someone who wanted a conservative look so I did some very light distressing.

 After the distressing I knew I wanted to give it a little more of an aged "Patina" so I applied Dark wax where I wanted more of an aged look. Always, make sure that you have good coverage of clear wax on the piece BEFORE you apply the dark wax.. because otherwise you'll be tryin' to remove that dark wax for days! It needs that barrier coat of clear wax, and THEN after you apply your dark wax, and you find areas you don't want dark wax on, just use some of the clear wax on a corner of your lint free towel and rub some of that dark wax off...the clear wax works like an eraser! 

You can easy-peasy wipe off as much as you like!

Apply Dark wax

Wipe off excess, with a clean cloth or T-shirt

After you do all your hot spots with the distressing, apply ONE more coat of the clear if you like, ( I did on this piece because it is a coffee table and I knew it would be a high traffic piece) buff it to a shine, and enjoy your fruits!
Till next time...Cheers Ladies, Meliss

VOILE!