Everywhere you look around the blogs, you see Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Many talented bloggers have created gorgeous furniture transformations with the stuff, and I am always in awe when I see them. When I started following Nancy over at Artsy Chicks Rule a few months ago, I was so inspired and knew I had to a try it myself. If you haven’t discovered Nancy’s blog yet, go check it out TODAY!! She is a seriously talented painter and the sweetest artsy chick that you ever did meet.
I had done smaller projects with ASCP, but I was a bit nervous to start my first full-blown furniture transformation; however, I had this hand-me-down trunk that had seen better days, and it was definitely crying out for some TLC.
Not only did this piece move around the country with hubby and me when we were first married, it has also had to survive at the hands of our two crazy boys who have great fun climbing all over it, and as you can tell, it is just a *bit* worn down.
So after giving the trunk a thorough scrubbing with soapy water to remove any dirt and grime, I set to work with my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. After painting on the first coat, I began to panic. It looked like this:
Yikes! Streaks galore! I immediately messaged Nancy, afraid that I had messed something up. {I also joked with her that she was going to forbid me from ever using chalk paint again because every time I open it up I bombard her with questions!} She assured me that this was normal for a first coat since some colors of ASCP have better coverage than others. She also advised me to be sure to shake/stir the can well before my next coat and all should be well.
Relieved that I didn’t royally screw up my project {at least not yet!}, I proceeded. This baby really sucked up the paint! I ended up doing two coats on the outside and three coats plus touch ups on the inside. It was finally all nice and white. I could have stopped there, but why take the easy road when I could complicate things, right?! 😉 I happened to have a paint sample that matched our bedroom exactly, so I decided to add a little bit of color to the front of the trunk. I first attempted it freehand…HA! I should have known better!
Um, messy much?! Then I got smart and taped everything off. That technique went much more smoothly! {though the curves made taping a little tricky…}
Once all the paint was dry, I began sanding away, working for that famous chalk paint distressed look. I was a big dusty mess at the end of it all, and so was the trunk. I used baby wipes to remove the excess dust and proceeded to wax the whole thing with Minwax Paste Finishing Wax. I buffed and buffed and buffed until I had a nice, smooth finish.
Overall, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Am I an expert chalk painter? Definitely, definitely not. If anything I am even more impressed by the amazingly talented bloggers who do this furniture makeover stuff so well. It takes a lot of time and patience, and this is just a simple little trunk! I am glad I gave it a try, though, and hope to keep learning more and improving my technique. Let’s take one more look at the before and after:
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Have you done any projects with chalk paint? How did you like it?
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I have a hope chest that has followed me all over the place. It’s in our foyer as a bench. I’m trying to get up the courage to paint it. Love how your chest turned out!
Thanks, Ashley! It took me a while to finally pull the trigger and paint this one too, but I’m glad I did! Good luck with your hope chest!
~Abby =)
Your trunk turned out wonderful, Abby! I’ve painted a few things with the chalk paint and I really like it!! It does take some getting used to and I’m striving to create projects as fabulous as the “pros”!! You did great!~~Angela
Thanks, Angela! The pros really make it look easy, don’t they?! Have a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Super cute! I love the colors you chose! We love chalk paint!
Thanks, Tiffany! Chalk paint is pretty amazing! Hope you have a great weekend!
~Abby =)
wow that looks awesome! i would have never guess an old trunk would turn out looking that cute! thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Thank you so much, Judy! It was fun to work on! Have a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Aww, it turned out so great Abby!! So sweet of you to mention me and also the kind things you said!! Thank you friend!! xo
Oh and I just had to laugh when you said ‘why take the easy road when you can complicate things”….lol that is SOO me!!! 😉 I knew there was some reason I really liked you! We do have quite a lot in common!
Hope you have a great weekend~
Nancy
Thank YOU for being such an inspiration! I still have tons to learn about this chalk paint stuff, but it is fun playing with it! 🙂 Have a great weekend, friend!
~Abby =)
Love it! Really came out great!
Thanks so much, Allyson! Have a great weekend!
~Abby =)
Beautiful, I love how this hand-me down trunk turned out so beautiful! what a great transformation Abby and thanks for telling us how you did everything! love your story and how you were not sure about it, it happens to all of us; scared that we made a mistake! 🙂
again, you did a great job my friend! 🙂
wish you a beautiful weekend!
Somehow I missed this sweet comment, Ingrid! Thank you so much for your kind words! I am always second guessing myself with these things, but somehow they usually work out, lol! Hope all is well with your family!
~Abby =)
That turned out so well. I love the colors too! Have a great day.
Thank you so much, Heidi! I’m so glad you stopped by! Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Looks great! I have been wanting to use some Annie Sloan paint, but haven’t wanted to hand over the dough yet, ( I am extremely novice at refinished furniture). Awesome job!
Thanks, Bethany! I hear ya…that stuff is not cheap! I enjoyed working with it, but it will probably be a little while before my next ASCP purchase, too. Thank you so much for stopping by!
~Abby =)
You did a fabuluous job!! It turned out fantastic!! Love it!1
Thank you so much, Crystal! You’re so sweet! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
It looks so beautiful and professional! I love it between those pretty striped curtains too!
Thank you, Kelly! I feel like I still have a lot to learn, but it has been a fun process! Hope your week is going well!
~Abby =)
Awesome find on the trunk. Love the blue touches you added to the front. Beautiful!
Thank you so much, Audra! Have a wonderful 4th!
Love all your Paint Projects! i would love for you to come link up to my PAINT party everything Thursday, it goes live Wednesday Evening! Hope to see you there
https://startathome.blogspot.com
Brooke
PS
I will follow on my way out!!!
Thanks for the invite, Brooke! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Looks great, Abby! Love how you did the blue outline! Thanks for linking up at Give Me the Goods Monday! Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof
Thanks, Jenna! Thank you for hosting such a fun party! Enjoy your weekend!
~Abby =)
Your trunk looks fantastic! Thanks for giving your step-by-step directions.
Thank you! It was a fun project! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
I just tried a project similar to this a couple of weekends back. We got an antique dresser and nightstands for our master bedroom in our new house and after a bunch of blog research came to the chalk paint concept. I must give a lot of credit to those who do this regularly because there is a bit of a technique to it. After several hours of painting and many coats, we just couldn’t get the chalk paint to cover evenly and ended up using it as a primer coat and getting a few cans of spray paint to finish out the project. (I will note that, of course, the one Saturday we decided to do this project ended up being the only 80+ degree day in February, so it was truly way too hot to be doing this kind of painting project which could have been the cause of some of our issues).
On a previous set of bedroom furniture I have done, I have used spray chalk paint that I got at Michaels and had a lot of success with that. Much faster than using a brush or roller and gave a nice consistent layer. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants the chalk look in a quick apply format.