You are invited to join Repurposed and Refined for training using Chalk Paint™ products. Introduction to the Basics workshop will be held July 28, 2012. The training will include a brief history on the brilliant Annie Sloan, how to choose a brush, color combinations, four basic Chalk Paint™ finishes, and applying furniture wax.
We will provide a small project for you to practice your painting skills on as well as lunch. Fun and laughter will be offered at no charge. Our workshop sizes are kept small to ensure that all participants questions are answered and each person leaves feeling confident and secure ready to paint. We strongly encourage early registration due to the limited number of spaces. Come join us for a day of furniture painting fun!

We discuss Annie Sloan chalk paint in our blog quite frequently. We do not mean to forget another very important piece to repurposing furniture – upholstering! Upholestered furniture has and always will be a great way to give an old piece of furniture a new lease in life. A little paint and fabric goes a long way. Here is a newly upholstered piece that we have at our warehouse. We had our new friend in North Carolina make us some upholstered pieces. Come check out this delight and more at:

525 Northern Ave Hagerstown, MD 21742 – Open the 3rd weekend of every month (Fri-Sun).

6000 square feet of vintage finds!

20202 National Pike Hagerstown, MD 21740 – Open 7 days a week.

This location carries some of our vintage finds.

Annie Sloan chalk paint is perfect for repurposing and refinishing furniture. However, it can also be used to paint kitchen cabinets and give them a face-lift. Annie Sloan chalk paint works best on kitchen cabinets using at least two coats of paint and then three coats of Annie Sloan wax to seal it.

With Annie Sloan chalk paint your cabinets will have a worn and interesting character. The paint does not provide a plastic or ordinary look of some paints. The paint will work on all types of kitchen cabinets, even laminates. Some laminate cabinets have shine like glass, which the paint will stick too, but the less shin the better the adherance of the paint.

Is sanding or scuffing necessary before painting kitchen cabinets with Annie Sloan chalk paint? That is completely up to you. It is perfectly acceptable to sand the surface but not necessary. Make sure you wipe over with a damp cloth to clean any debris. After cleaning the surface apply two coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint. You can layer paint and add character with antiquing or faux finishing, just like you would when painting a piece of furniture. The wax is water repellent and strong, makes a good connection to the paint to protect your kitchen cabinets.

To maintain the new look you should refresh the wax every now and again as needed. A strong household cleaner can be used to remove splotches of wax and stubborn marks in case you want those areas rewaxed. The best benefit of Annie Sloan chalk paint is that the look is completely versatile. Want different color kitchen cabinets next year? Just paint over them!

We ran across a recent Annie Sloan interview with a local paper. Annie Sloan was in the U.S. to teach and also talk about her latest book, “Quick and Easy Paint Transformations: 50 Step-by-Step Ways to Makeover Your Home for Next to Nothing” (Cico). We thought the interview was great and Annie highlighted some of the reasons why her paint has become a darling of so many repurposed and refined designers.

As we mentioned before, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is versatile and simple, requiring no primer.  Annie Sloan invented the paint the carries her name. “I was painting furniture and walls, but I was finding it difficult because I liked one sort of paint, but it’s very expensive and had limited color range,” said the designer.  Besides talking about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint she went on to give DIYers some great advice on scoring secondhand furniture that is worth refinishing. Annie said that a good bargain is something with stained wood that sellers will think is too difficult to get rid of, so they sell it cheaply. Even furniture with veneer or damage can be painted over. Look at the big picture and the shape of the piece in order to imagine what your finished project will look like. Furniture pieces with damage and chips offer character.

Annie even suggests painting over old hardware instead of removing or replacing it. “You paint, wax and treat, and get it back into a room in one day,” said Annie Sloan. Taking off hardware is not necessary. Some ornate hardware may be difficult or not go back on the right way.

Chalk paint, as opposed to the usual latex paint, is a heavily pigmented acrylic paint that can stick to any surface: glass, furniture, wood, floors, ceramics, or else.

Annie Sloan chalk paint can give an old antique look to an piece of furniture you’ve been wanting to restore but just didn’t have the time to, and it can add an accent to anything you wish to decorate. It can even give a pottery barn finish to an old picture frame.

What’s more amazing about chalk paint is the varieties of things you can do with it while only having to take minimal steps. There’s no sanding, stripping or priming the surface beforehand–you just brush on the chalk paint, wax it and wait to dry.

Annie Sloan chalk paint comes in 29 color choices that can be mixed to create a variety of looks. Another benefit from this paint is the drying time, which is fast compared to other paints, and combined with the fact that there are very few steps, Annie Sloan chalk paint makes it very fun and less time consuming.

Can’t decide on a color choice of Annie Sloan chalk paint? Sample sizes of Annie Sloan chalk paint will be available to buy from our two brick and mortar locations, as well as through our online store. Visit our online store for Annie Sloan chalk paint products. We are taking pre-orders! Until we have the product added to our website you can order via a contact form on our website. Email us your paint color choice and we will email you an invoice via Paypal. You can make a safe payment via Paypal so that we can ship the product.

We love hearing from Annie Sloan fans. You guys have been a tremendous source of support when we launched Annie Sloan paint products at the Beaver Creek Antique Mall location. We warned Jimmie and Sean about faithful Annie Sloan paint fans. The paint cans have been flying out of the store! We have had to re-stock the shelves twice in two days. It is amazing so see so many individuals willing to give Annie Sloan paint products a try. We always know they will become huge fans of the product.

Our fans are amazing and we truly appreciate them. We also think our fans would love to try new Annie Sloan chalk paint colors and step out of their comfort zones. The best way to do that is by selling Annie Sloan chalk paint sample size cans! Our plan is to help our customers experiment with new projects and colors by selling sample sizes of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. The samples of Annie Sloan chalk paint will be 4 ounce containers for $12.99.

Sample sizes of Annie Sloan chalk paint will be available to buy from our two brick and mortar locations, as well as through our online store. Visit our online store for Annie Sloan chalk paint products. We are taking pre-orders! Until we have the product added to our website you can order via a contact form on our website. Email us your paint color choice and we will email you an invoice via Paypal. You can make a safe payment via Paypal so that we can ship the product.

You will be able to buy Annie Sloan chalk paint samples at the following locations:

525 Northern Ave Hagerstown, MD 21742 – Open the 3rd weekend of every month (Fri-Sun).

6000 square feet of vintage finds! This ltle slice of vintage furniture heaven carries Annie Sloan Chalk Paint products.

20202 National Pike Hagerstown, MD 21740 – Open 7 days a week.

This location carries some of our vintage finds and our Annie Sloan Chalk Paint products.

 

Creating a rustic, shabby chic look for a room in your house is inexpensive. There is an unspoken charm to furniture and decor that look old, weathered and pieced together. Shabby chic techniques include adding cracks, antiquing, wearing off paint in areas, rubbing off paint, and distressing paint. Annie Sloan chalk paint allows you to create a shabby chic look to just about any piece of furniture in your home. The best part of painting with chalk paint is that you do not need to prime.

To create a shabby chic look follow these instructions:

Paint the surface in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint using a color of your choice. Remember you don’t have to sand, strip or remove previous paint when you use this revolutionary paint system – or you can choose to distress the surface if you desire a more worn look.

Allow to fully dry.

Depending on a type of distressed look or interest you desire, paint with a second color and let dry.

Distress your piece by sanding with 220 grit sandpaper or a wet terrycloth sponge or washcloth.

Play with Annie Sloan chalk paint! You can rub off some of the paint to add another layer of distressing, or add strips of paint to areas. You can also use stencils, markers and other furniture refinishing tools for extra interest.

Seal the complete piece by massaging Annie Sloan Soft Wax for a beautiful soft glow, remembering to wipe off excess wax, and buff to desired sheen.

A couple of months ago we blogged about a hutch we were painting with Paris Grey over Old White and several of our readers requested a picture. We kept meaning to post pictures as many had requested but the piece sold and we had no pictures. As a new blogger, we don’t know what we are doing and we forget to add photos, and we are the worst at before and after. Anyway…..

We found a beautiful old desk at an out of state auction that was scratched and had some minor issues. We could see past all her imperfections and knew what was on the inside. So, we brought her back to Maryland and decided she was a perfect candidate for Annie’s Paris Grey over Old White ( we would duplicate our steps on the desk that we had used on the hutch).

We cleaned the piece with a damp cloth. We opened our Old White and applied the first coat. We weren’t worried about full coverage as we planned to distress the piece. Once the first coat was dry, we applied the coat of Paris Grey. While the paint was drying we mixed our glaze (this is a mixture of Annie’s dark wax and low odor mineral spirits). Before beginning to apply the glaze, I took a 220 sanding block and hit the edges and ornate areas. Some of the areas we sanded until we could see the dark wood, and other areas we sanded until the old white began to peek through. Once we had all areas distressed we brushed on the glaze. This process is so easy and quick. Once the glaze was applied, we took a cheese cloth, and wiped back any excess. Now the piece was dry so we could begin to buff with an old white t-shirt (this was my favorite way to buff until recently, we now have a secret weapon that we will share with you soon- stay tuned).

Here is the finished piece, be sure to let us know what you think. Now, we have to apologize because we are new to this blogging and that means the pictures are not the greatest quality but we promise to get better…. What do you think?

Think you are not creative? Think you cannot refinish your own furniture and give it new life? Well, think again! We are going to teach you that is not true! Anyone can learn to repurpose their furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and waxes.

We offer a “Learning the basics of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop.” You will spend the day learning the basics plus some additional information. You will learn about our clear wax, dark wax, mixing waxes, crackling the paint, applying a two color distress finish, color wash, liming technique, and the silky smooth Modern Finish technique (which is one of our favorites). You will learn hands on with sample boards and we will provide you with a project that you will paint during the workshop. Allowing you to work with the paint while we train you will allow you the opportunity to ask questions as we go along.

Not only will you learn about the amazing Annie Sloan Chalk Paint but you’ll make new friends and have lots of laugh.

So, what are you waiting for? Our workshops fill up quickly.

Hugs & Brushes,

Denise and Bobbi

We are undoubtedly the biggest fans of Annie Sloan chalk paint and products. We often chat with first-time users of Annie Sloan’s paints and hear all the compliments. Our customers love the fact that Annie Sloan’s chalk paint works with the artist. It is easy to manipulate, wash, detail and distress however and whenever desired. You can be a novice or a furniture refurbishing pro – the paint simply helps you get the job done!

It is hard for us to narrow down only five benefits of using Annie Sloan chalk paint. We can think of about a thousand reasons why you should give it a try. Anyone can learn to repurpose their furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and waxes.

• Chalk paint has a matte finish. You can easily manipulate the luster or finish of your furniture by buffing.
• Paint and waxes are versatile: You can manipulate by using clear wax, dark wax, mixing waxes, crackle the paint, applying a two color distress finish, color wash, liming technique, and the silky smooth Modern Finish technique (which is one of our favorites).
• Brush strokes disappear as the paint dries to a smooth finish. The strokes of your brush allow you to create a time-worn look on furniture.
• You do not have to use a separate primer! You can also use a furniture wax to seal the paint.
• Annie Sloan chalk paint lasts! We often hear of one can being enough to complete more than one furniture repurposing project.

We can think of many more benefits of using Annie Sloan chalk paint on furniture, kitchen cabinets and other materials. Would you like to share with us your favorite techniques and discoveries? We’d love to hear it!