Beautiful ways to revive old furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

If you have read my home improvement column on Examiner, you are well aware that I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®.

Now, don't confuse Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® with chalkboard paint. They are two entirely different things.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is a line of 32 colors of paint based on historical colors that Sloan personally chooses for the palette. The colors are always being added to as evidenced by a brand new introduction of Burgundy this month. Last year, Sloan added Henrietta and Emile (two orchid shades)  to the line and before that, English Yellow.

What's so cool about these paints? Well, here is my list:

• They can be used on almost anything including old varnish and new wood, metal, plastic, cement, brick, etc. without priming, sanding or any other preparation.
• You can mix the colors. Add some Old White to the new Burgundy, a little or a lot and you can get a raspberry color or a powder pink.
• Distressing wood with this paint is super easy. If you want to give a worn look to a piece of furniture, you simply paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, rub in the protective wax, let it dry and then sand corners and edges. It is unbelievably easy.
• I love the feel of the paint. You get a soft, matte surface that feels smooth and velvety to the touch almost as if many hands and years of wear and smoothed the surface to a wonderful patina.
• The paint is very forgiving. If you have a scratch or chip in the wood, it smoothes it out. It fills in scratches and yields a much smoother surface than you had before. That was especially true when I refinished an old tool chest and turned it into a night stand. Click here to see the transformation.
• You can easily age a piece using the dark/antique was Sloan sells as part of the line.
• Easy clean up, just use soap and water.

Now, I mentioned wax above. Yes, once you paint a piece with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, you need to add on a layer of protective wax. This comes in either clear or dark, the latter is used to antique the piece. The wax element can be intimidating to some and if you're a beginner, I wouldn't attempt a large piece at first because adding on the wax does take a certain about of elbow grease. So start small. Sloan provides a great video tutorial here. 

I refinished this chest (formerly an old tool chest) in Annie Sloan Provence. I covered in it clear Soft Wax and distressed it.

This table is finished in Annie Sloan Burgundy. Image copyright Annie Sloan.

This birdhouse had chipped and peeling paint and I didn't want have the time or inclination to sand it and refinish it, so I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Florence to bring it back to life.

Here's the revived birdhouse, sporting a new color and clear wax by Annie Sloan to protect the finish. (See that old metal milk box? Well, it is the next item on my list of items to refinish.)

I refinished this flat panel door in Old White and then antiqued it with the dark Soft Wax. I added this antiqued door panel that I found at Hobby Lobby to add more interest.

This dresser is painted in Henrietta on the outside and the inside of the drawers are painted in Provence. Image copyright Annie Sloan.

I am loving the blue on this dresser. It is Annie Sloan's Louis Blue. Image copyright Annie Sloan.

The red drawer is painted in Emperor's Silk and finished in Annie Sloan's dark Soft Wax. The inside of the drawer is painted in Aubusson Blue. Image copyright Annie Sloan.

This table is painted Scandinavian Pink with some touches of dark Soft Wax here and there for added interest.

All in all, you can do a lot of things with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I enjoy exploring all the options!