We've been busy picking out tiles for the fireplace which is a job in itself and planning the wood floors in the dining & family room. I've been wanting to play with my chalk paint but don't dare start working on the dining set until after the floors are done. About 2 blocks from my house is a new Goodwill Home Decor store so checked it out recently and came home with 2 items that I thought would be fun to update with paint. The beauty of chalk paint is that you can cover pretty much any surface with a coat or two.
I liked the look of this but thought it needed something. It's all metal and I wanted to make the frame look like wood. Of course the first step in any project like this is to give it a good cleaning which I did. Because I'm using chalk paint I don't have to worry about scuffing it up before painting but did tape off the parts I didn't want to paint. I gave it two coats of Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint letting it dry inbetween. It still needed something so I did some research to learn about glazing. I could have used a dark wax but was worried it would be too muddy plus it's pricy. There's lots of ways to glaze but what I did was to find FolkArt Antiquing Medium (Plaid 819) for $2.99 at Hobby Lobby. I applied it with an inexpensive brush after mixing in some water to thin it (didn't measure but probably about 50/50). I painted on a section at a time and once done used a slightly damp papercloth to remove much of the glaze. It shouldn't leave brush mark but there is a direction so try to follow a pattern when applying & rubbing off. This takes a light hand and you can always go back over it. I like the look now and chose not to apply wax.
For the inside section I switch the painters tape around once dry because I wasn't sure how close I would come to the edge. I started out by mixing some AS Old White in a throw away container and a little of the Antique medium until I was happy with the color (mix in a little at a time). I painted it on the middle section and wiped off but still wasn't happy with the look. I then mixed in a little of my green paint from the other project and it gave the appearance of aged medal which I liked. I painted a little on the upper hanging section but didn't get as much of an impact. I decided not to go too crazy because sometimes less is more. Because I'm hanging it horizontally I have to use two. This was an inexpensive project ($6.99 for the item plus $2.99 for the antiquing medium which I'll use again, and I already had the Old White chalk paint).
My other piece is a large spoon. It's meant to hang vertically but I'm changing it for my purpose. I cleaned it and then painted AS Old white on it, let dry, and painted 1 more coat. I did a little light sanding to bring out the detail. I wiped it off and then used some greenish paint that I had in a sample pot. I watered it down to use as a wash and then applied the back side first and then wiped off with a slightly damp paper towel. This is where you can have it darker or lighter according to your own taste. I wanted an imperfect finish so rubbed it in and then took it off in varying amounts. After I was satisfied and it was dried, I applied Annie Sloan clear wax with a brush (or you can use a cloth) and wiped off the access with a clean cloth. I waited until the next day to buff. I was going for a satin finish and not too shiny so it just took a few minutes to finish. This project was only $6.99 for the item and everything else was in my paint stash.
Overall I'm very happy with the results. I was looking for some practice with the chalk paint and wanted to work on something different. My next purchase will be a small piece of wood furniture with some detail so I can play some more before I do our large dining set. I love using chalk paint and encourage you to try if you're interested. It doesn't have to be shabby chic if that's not your thing. I don't really like the heavily distressed look myself. You can just give it a coat or two of chalk paint and then finish up with a clear wax. Buffing gives it the finish look. I did a lot of reading and watching youtube videos before actually picking up the brush. I'll go into more detail when talking about painting furniture but please feel free to ask any questions you have. I have friends that are way more advanced than I am but we all have to start somewhere. Happy painting!