an ebay bargain gets a makeover with Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan

I loved how my first Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) turned out (see the laundry basket make over here) and I was very excited to test the paint on a piece of furniture.  I needed clothes storage for the girls room at the cottage, on a budget of course, so I hunted down this lovely ebay bargain.  $57 for a cute dresser with ample drawer storage and a cute mirror as a bonus.  Now it's transformed into a gorgeous dresser which is one of the star's of the room.  With Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) it was easy.

It didn't start out lovely, it was a tired cream with gold handles and detailing on the mirror.  I was specifically looking for a piece with elaborate detailing to try and get the french provincial furniture look once the piece was finished.  

I chose to mix my own paint colour, equal portions of Old White and Paris Grey.  Paris Grey on its own was a little to dark.  The result is a perfect French grey, cool but not cold, slightly blue but still grey. This is the French grey I have been searching for for years, and wasted countless tester pots on.  I am thrilled with it.  

The paint went on like a dream.  The best thing about Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) is there is no prep, no sanding back or priming required.  You can get straight onto the fun stuff right away.  Two coats of paint was plenty and the whole piece was fully painted in an afternoon.  I used the Annie Sloan paint brush which is lovely and soft and really gets into the crevices of an old piece like this.  

Getting the distressed look on the drawer handles and mirror detail was also simple to do, see the lovely results below.  After I had painted each drawer I used a soft cloth to gently rub the paint on the handles away.  If I took off to much by mistake I just repainted and did the process again.  Honestly it was easy and the result is very professional.  I love the way the gold glints through the grey.

I finished the dresser with a few coats of clear wax to protect the paint and the furniture.  Don't skip the waxing, it doesn't take long and it definitely is the final step in lifting the project from home painted to professional finish.  I could not be more delighted with my $57 investment.

A word of warning, painting the drawers can make them stick as they pull in and out, it makes them just that little bit thicker than they were before.  To prevent this I sanded the drawer edges back a little before painting, it made them slide better anyway and was worth doing, won't take long with the electric sander.

I highly recommend you give these paints a try.  If you have a piece of furniture around the house that could use being reloved, pick up some Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) and give it a go.