Painting a bench with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan

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I’m very excited to share my bench transformation with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan with Annie Sloan Unfolded. In my opinion, it went from drab to fab!      {Disclosure: I was sent Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan, wax, and a brush to review. All opinions are 100% my own.}Annie Sloan Chalk Painted Bench

I wake for Garage Sales. I told my husband that if I ever got a bumper sticker, this is what it would say. Before my kids started school, I didn’t ever set my alarm. Sleeping babies were my alarm. Years ago when my husband was in in grad school and I was a new mom, I didn’t allow myself to buy anything new. Not for me, not for my son. Our income was low, and I had to be responsible. It was then that I discovered the joy of the garage sale. A love for the art swelled within me, and for YEARS, I’d get up before 7am on a Saturday and scour the neighborhood streets for treasures. Of course I’d only take $10-15 dollars, so things had to be really low for me to invest.

When we moved into our first home, though we had a “real job” funds were still tight. I decorated our entire home off of garage sale finds, and this bench was no exception. The day I saw it, I was driving by slowing…you know, checking out the goods of the sale…there were several items on top of it, but it’s like the heavens opened, and it was calling my name. I was hoping it wasn’t just out there as a table to hold the stuff on top of it. When I asked the owners the price, she simply stated, $10 dollars.

Inside my brain, I was doing backflips, I was so excited! But I had to play it cool as I looked around the edges of it one more time, because $10 was still a lot of money to spend in one spot! It didn’t take long to pay the owners, and giddily lift it into my car. That was approximately 2004. I painted it the brown stain, and it’s been this was since then. Here is the lovely bench in our old home, right by the front door:

living room bench

 

In our new home, it’s also been close to the front door, and it holds all of our misc. blankets. When the kids build a fort, or just need some warmth, the bench gets dug into. It’s sturdy enough for sitting, too. For a year or so, I wanted to paint it another color because our front room is all BROWN, with the floor, piano, chairs and the bench. I thought I’d splash some color on the bench first.

I meant to do this project ALL summer. I knew it wouldn’t take long, the paint and wax cans were staring at me from across my office, but still, I just couldn’t seem to move my bench to the garage to paint it! I was very excited when I met a representative from Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan at a conference, and they sent me the color that I requested.

The most wonderful aspect of Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan is that it doesn’t require sanding or priming…you just slap the lovely stuff on the surface you’d like, and it makes the process MUCH quicker!   The color I used it called Provence, a light shade of blue.

My little one helped me prep the bench by dusting…

painted bench

And she even helped me paint some of it. Don’t have painting pictures, but it only took us about 20 minutes to cover the entire surface. I did let it dry and did a second coat, to make sure I got full, thick coverage. After it dried a second time, it was time for the wax layer. Chalk paint is…well…chalky on the surface. The wax layer is a protective coating, similar to polyurethane, but so easy. I used the Annie Sloan clear soft wax. I think the biggest problem with the wax is when people put on TOO MUCH, and it becomes tacky because it’s too thick. I painted on a thin layer, then ended up massaging it in with my hands to get it into all the grooves. Besides protecting the paint, the wax provides a richer color, and repels water, too.

soft wax Annie Sloan Soft Wax

I left some of the brown from underneath in some grooves, I like it showing through in some spots. I used the

My 4 year old took this pic of my below–isn’t she destined to be a photographer?  She may have gotten carried away and taken 30 or 40 of me waxing…

Annie Sloan WAX

wax over chalk paint

I really love how this project turned out, and I will definitely be painting again with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan. The paint is sold in smaller cans, and is more expensive than latex, but it stretches really far…I still have a ton left over. It was easy, and I like that. To see more about Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan and Wax, head to their site, and read more. There are certain colors, but can also be mixed for more color options. The paints aren’t t sold in traditional stores, but there are retailers in many major cities. Find a retailer HERE. There are also a great selection of books filled with creative inspiration.

Stay tuned for the room transformation!

You can also find Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan on:

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