The Ultimate Before and After... with Chalk Paint™

Whew! What a project. I do LOVE me some Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan! I was on a quest to try it on as many surfaces as I could. I pulled items that I had in and around my house(I'm an Interior Designer by trade, so I do have more things to play around with than the average homeowner!). After painting each item, I either used Annie Sloan soft wax or Annie Sloan Lacquer and some I left unsealed. I only painted half of each item so you could see the "before"(well, except for the paper book in the first photo). Shall we start?

Here we go.

Group #1:

The basket is in Emperor's Silk, unsealed. The paper book with burlap bow was done in Coco, unsealed(a $1.25 project by the way! I'll post a tutorial on it soon. Stencil used was "Scroll-all-over" by Royal Design Studio). The book cover is in French Linen and Old White, sealed with clear and dark wax(Martha Stewart stencil). The rope was painted in Primer Red, unsealed.

Group #2:

The pumpkin was done in Graphite, sealed with dark wax. The terracotta pot was painted in Olive, sealed with clear wax. The pinecone was painted in Barcelona Orange, unsealed. The plaster frame is in Napoleonic Blue, sealed in clear and dark wax. The stick is Scandinavian Pink, unsealed. The rubber handle is in Antibes Green, sealed with clear wax.

Group #3

The mirror was done in Provence, unsealed(stencil is "Springtime in Paris", again by Royal Design Studio).The piece of pottery was done in Florence, sealed with clear and dark wax. Metal platter was painted in Antoinette, sealed with clear and dark wax. Cork was done in Henrietta and Cream, unsealed(how cute would a whole cork board painted like that be?! Stencil by Martha Stewart) . Glass mason jar was painted in Duck Egg, sealed with clear and dark wax. The plastic horse is painted in Emile, sealed with clear and dark wax.

Group #4

The granite was painted in Louis Blue, sealed with clear wax(I've passed up some beautiful cocktail tables at Salvation Army because of ugly stone material tops. No more!). Cement was done in Arles, unsealed. Marble was painted in Versailles, sealed with clear and dark wax. Porcelain was done is Chateau Grey, sealed with Annie Sloan's Lacquer. The stone sample was painted in Greek Blue, sealed with Lacquer. The brick was painted in Country Grey, left unsealed.

Group #5

Cardboard was painted with Napoleonic Blue, 3 coats, unsealed. I always use cardboard to make my chalkboards! I grab a frame, paint some cardboard(allow to dry), rub chalk all over it, wipe it clean, and staple it to the back of the frame. Super easy! Wood flooring is Paris Grey, sealed with  Annie Sloan Lacquer. Laminate flooring was painted in Old White, also sealed with Lacquer(you can paint laminate furniture also! Seal with wax). Vinyl flooring tile was painted in Aubusson Blue, sealed with Annie Sloan Lacquer.

And last but not least...group #6:

The wood chair was done in Pure White and Paloma, sealed with clear and dark wax. My chair happened to be unpainted(only stained and sealed), but Chalk Paint™goes over previously painted furniture also! Remember, NO PRIMING, NO SANDING. What a beautiful thing. And then there's fabric. Yes, you can paint fabric, also leather. It doesn't even get crunchy! The above fabric was also painted in Pure White and Paloma, sealed with a mixture of clear and dark wax.

Chalk Paint™ also goes on walls! I didn't have any spare drywall to paint a sample of, but believe me, it looks amazing. Velvety and smoooooth.

So why did I do this? To show all of you how truly amazing this paint is. Period.

Now it's your turn. Go create something beautiful, even if nobody cares.