I decided to give the popular Annie Sloan chalk paint a try. It isn't the least expensive paint on the market, but promises to cover any surface with minimal prep. Because the dresser I have is laminate rather than wood, I figured I should use something that would stick to the surface better than paint. If using the paint with wood, you shouldn't have to do any prepping. I did sand the laminate a bit with a sanding block to decrease the "slick-ness" of the laminate and help the chalk paint adhere.
I chose the color "Versailles," which is a very pale shade of green.
You can see in the picture below, after the first coat, the areas that I didn't sand enough (see the inside of the lower left cabinet).
The second coat was much more successful - it covered the areas that the first coat missed.
After the second coat dried, it was time to move forward with a protective coat. The recommended product to cover chalk paint is Annie Sloan's soft wax. I chose to apply a polycrylic instead, due to the price difference between the two.
It's important if you use a polycrylic to choose one that is water-based. An oil-based polycrylic will yellow over time, particularly when exposed to a lot of sunlight.
This post from Jenniferrizzo.com is a great resource when deciding between a wax and a polycrylic top coat.
Because nothing can be simple, after I finished painting the second coat of chalk paint, I realized that the cabinet doors had two holes for a knob or pull instead of one. The strange thing about that, is the back side of the cabinet door only had one hole. Hmm...
So after coat two of the chalk paint was dry, I filled in one hole on each door with spackle, let it dry, and sanded it back down. I then applied a third coat of chalk paint to the front of both cabinet doors.
Wish I would have noticed that before starting. #fail
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| Two holes on the front, one hole on the back... |
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| Spackle it up... |
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| Sand it down... |
Thus ends part one of the dresser project posts. I still need to finish applying the coats of polycrylic (one more for the dresser and drawers, and 2 for each side of the cabinet doors.
Then I'll apply new knobs and "install" in its new home in the house!
Happy Monday! And if you have any additional suggestions or advice for this project, please leave a comment for me. I am learning as I go!
(You can see the final results here).
Until next time - -
Love the dresser. Makes me think of the green in our nursery. Very strange about the holes...could be lack of coffee, but I can't figure that out!
ReplyDeleteThat makes 2 of us! Maybe Baby Girl will feel right at home now in our living room :)
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