Have you tried using Annie Sloan chalk paint yet? It’s without a doubt one of our favorite paints, and we use it on everything from small projects like frames to large furniture makeovers. If you’re new to chalk paint, these tips will help you get started.
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1. Is it really no-prep paint?
Annie Sloan chalk paint is often referred to as “no prep” paint. And while this is mostly true, keep in mind that your finish will only be as good as your base. Can you usually get away with slapping paint on and not doing any prep work at all? Yes, usually the paint will take to any surface you put it on with no problem. But if you’re working on a piece of furniture that has a lot of scratches and dings, you’re still going to see those after painting if you choose not to fill them. Also if your piece is dirty or greasy after years of use, the paint might not adhere as well as if you’d cleaned it. For every piece we work on, we clean the surface first. This is our favorite wood filler for filling dings and scratches. We also check for loose veneer and other damage, and if the piece has a rough or uneven surface we sand it smooth (this is our favorite sander). If we’re changing the hardware, we fill the existing holes if needed. Then we start painting. You could probably get away with not doing all these things every time, but to us, it’s worth the little bit of extra time to make sure you’re working on a nice, clean, even surface.
2. A little wax goes a long way
If you’re sealing your piece with wax, a little really does go a long way. Start by scooping a little wax onto a paper plate (we use a plastic spoon to do this). This way you won’t be dipping your brush directly into your can of wax and possibly contaminating it with paint or loose bristles. It’s easier to work off of a paper plate because you can dip your brush in wax, then dab it on the plate to remove the excess. Apply a thin layer of clear wax (you can use a rag, but a wax brush is worth the investment if you plan to paint a lot of pieces), then immediately wipe off all excess with a clean cloth. It’s probably going to seem like you’re wiping all the wax off, but you’re not. If your piece feels tacky at all, keep wiping.
I also want to note that you’re not limited to clear wax when sealing your surface. Wax is what most people mention when sealing chalk paint, but in my opinion, it’s not a very strong sealer. If you’d rather seal your piece with something stronger, you always have the option of choosing a different sealer. We often use General Finishes water based top coat on pieces that get a lot of use.
One more note, you cannot seal your piece with anything else on top of wax. It just won’t stick. Wax is always your last step.
3. Apply clear wax before dark wax
If you’re going to finish your piece with dark wax, you still need to apply a coat of clear wax first. If you apply the dark wax alone, it could stain your paint and you’ll have a hard time controlling how “dark” you make it. So when using dark wax, always paint first, then apply a coat of clear wax, then apply the dark wax. This works best if you use the dark wax immediately (or very shortly) after applying the clear wax. The fresh clear wax makes it easier to move and control the dark wax.
If you’ve put dark wax on and decide it’s darker than you want, rubbing clear wax on top of it will actually erase some of the dark wax. You can read more about our tips for using dark wax here.
4. If your paint is too thick, you can thin it with water
Annie Sloan chalk paint is a thicker paint and is made to show brush strokes. If you prefer to thin your paint a bit before using it (like I do), just add a little water.
5. You can even paint fabric
The technique is fairly simple. Add water to your paint so it’s a thin consistency. Spritz the fabric with spray bottle of water until it’s slightly damp (not soaked), then paint a thin coat on with your watered down paint. Let the paint dry, then lightly sand it with a fine grit sandpaper. Repeat with as many coats as needed. When you’re finished, apply a thin coat of wax then lightly sand it again. The fabric is supposed to feel like soft leather when finished.
Now I have to be honest, we tried this on a chair and the results weren’t great. The fabric felt like cheap pleather when we were finished. I’m not sure if we did something wrong or what, but I wanted you to know so you can do a little more research before taking a paint brush to your living room couch. Maybe we need to try it a second time to see if we get better results.
6. Don’t use wax on outdoor pieces
Annie Sloan chalk paint can be used on outdoor pieces, but the wax doesn’t hold up well outside. Annie recommends you leave outdoor pieces unsealed, but in my opinion, a piece with unsealed chalk paint won’t hold up if left out in the elements. I painted the door going from our mudroom to our garage with Duck Egg Blue chalk paint and didn’t have time to seal it right away. A couple weeks went by with it unsealed and I ended up having to repaint the whole thing because it looked a hot mess. The paint tends to absorb dirt and fingerprints if not sealed. Indoors or outdoors, you always have the option to seal your pieces with something other than wax, and if I were painting an outdoor piece, I would seal it with a finish suitable for outdoor use.
7. What to do if your paint doesn’t seem to be sticking
Every once in a while we’ll be working on a piece and for some reason the paint just doesn’t want to adhere in places. This can happen for a few different reasons. Sometimes it’s because the previous just isn’t playing nice with your paint. Sometimes the piece has been cleaned often with Pledge (which also resists paint). And sometimes we have no clue why it’s happening, but the fix is usually pretty simple.
If there’s just one small section that’s being stubborn, we usually just spray that spot with Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac. This stuff works amazingly well at priming stubborn spots. It dries in minutes, then you can paint right over top of it. If the whole piece is resisting paint, that’s a bigger problem and I would probably sand and prime the whole piece with something like Zinsser Bulls Eye 123. The good news is that problems like this aren’t too common.
8. What to do if the wood is bleeding through your paint
Some woods, such as cherry, are prone to bleeding. Combating it is basically the same as for dealing with trouble spots that don’t stick. If it’s just a couple small spots, try Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac, or if it’s all over bleeding try Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 or any good paint-on primer. Just throw a couple coats of primer right over your paint, then continue painting when it’s dry.
(Ship Silhouette Chest Of Drawers)
9. You can paint over the wax
If you paint and wax a piece, then decide later you want to paint it a different color, you can paint a new coat of chalk paint directly over the existing wax. No stripping or sanding is needed so long as the wax is fully cured (which takes about 30 days). Note: this is true for Annie Sloan products. Other chalk paint and wax products may or may not work the same.
10. If you seal your piece with wax, you may have to re-wax it occasionally
I feel like nobody really mentions this, but the truth is that a waxed finish isn’t permanent. Especially if it’s a piece that gets a lot of traffic. For example, I have a waxed table in my formal living room that never gets used and it looks just as nice as the day I finished it. I also have a pair of end tables in our family room that were waxed about 9 months ago and they’re starting to show a lot of wear. I have multiple kids and those tables have drinks and toys on them all day long. It’s suggested that you re-wax your pieces occasionally to keep them looking fresh, but sometimes I’d rather use a more permanent sealer for high traffic pieces and be done with it. This is why we don’t always use wax to finish our pieces. While I absolutely love the look of a waxed finish, I don’t have the time or desire to have to reapply wax once I’m done with it. Also keep in mind that the wax takes 30 days to fully cure, so you can only use it “gently” until then.
11. Buff for a shiny finish
If you’ve waxed your piece and want more of a glossy finish, you can buff it. You can use a soft buffing brush or just a cloth to buff back and forth across the piece until it’s shiny.
Where to buy
Not sure where to find Annie Sloan chalk paint near you? Here’s a link to Annie Sloan’s Unfolded website where you can search for distributors and workshops in your area.
Looking for more?
We’ve received many questions from readers who are trying chalk paint for the first time. You can read about the most common questions asked and our answers here: Chalk Paint FAQ’s.
You can find all our furniture painting projects and tips HERE.
We hope you found this post helpful! Wishing you the best of luck with your painting projects!
Thinking about starting your own furniture painting business? Download our FREE customizable work order form. Plus get lots of tips of how to quote custom jobs. It’s all HERE.
You may also enjoy our tips for When To Prep Before Chalk Paint
Or our tutorial for painting graphics on furniture
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Wow Amy…this is a great tutorial!! I can’t wait to see the furniture y’all paint!! We love chalk paint 🙂
Thank you! We literally have half a dozen pieces of furniture waiting for some love. It’s so hard to choose colors!!
Podrias ayudarme no se mucho ingles y me interesa esta informacion en español gracias y bendiciones.
Hi. I am using chalk paint for first time on high chair for Granddaughter, but want to stain tray a dark walnut. Can I seal walnut stain with wax? Stain is min-wax.
Thanks, Sherri
Hey Sherri! I want to say yes, but I’m actually not 100% sure on this one. I’ve never used wax to seal stain, and personally I wouldn’t use it to seal a high chair. It’s not strong enough and I fear you won’t be happy with the results. I would seal it with something made to withstand lots of use and frequent wipe-downs. Min-wax has a spar-urethane that I’ve never personally worked with but I think it might be a good option for a high chair. A second sealer option to research is varathane high traffic formula-indoor use. Hope that helps and good luck!!
Such great tips, thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks, Katie!!
I would love to be able to pass out a=this tip sheet to the ladies at the Rohnert Park Home Depot Do It Herself Workshop (I’m the Workshop Captain)…could you possibly list these tips in a printable friendly format? If I print out the entire page, I’ll get photos and everything….and there is only so much ink in my printer….thanks so much 🙂
Hi Nancy! I’d be happy to put this into a printable format for you. I’ll email you later today 🙂
Thanks so much…..I really appreciate it. We’re doing an Ana White/Pottery Barn knock-off organization cubby project this coming Thurs evening at the DIH Workshop and I want to give the ladies several options for the finish: stain vs. paint.
Nancy- I just uploaded a plugin that should allow you to print the post easily and without photos. There’s a green button near the end of the post that says “print friendly”, click that. I’m not near a printer to test it myself, so I’d appreciate if you let me know if it works ok! Your workshop sounds like so much fun! If we were closer we would definitely attend! You can’t go wrong with Ana White. Have fun and let us know how the class goes!
Could you plzzz send me a copy too?? I am a newbie to this. Thank you!!
Amy…your Chalk Paint tips were a hit at last Thursday’s Workshop. You can see the Ana White cubby project the ladies made by going to the face book page. It’s Rohnert Park Home Depot Do It Herself Workshop. We did a group pic of the ladies holding their completed project. Was so proud of them–they used all the power tools and nobody’s finger had to be sewed on later. LOL.
I’m so glad! And bonus that no one lost a finger, lol! Headed over to check out the pic now. Thanks for stopping by to let me know!! 🙂
Is this the kind of paint you use to do chaulking on canvas Toms shoes? Where you draw one design on right shoe and another design on left shoe?
I’ve actually never heard of painting Toms until you asked! You can absolutely use chalk paint to paint your Toms but it wouldn’t be my first choice. You can get the same results with something much cheaper, like acrylic paint which you can find in little bottles at the craft store. You’ll probably need to add a fabric medium (also found at the craft store) or seal it somehow. You could probably even use paint markers to add detail. If you google it there were lots of posts with ideas. Have fun trying it out!
I was looking forward to your tips after you mentioned you would be attending the workshop. Excellent pointers and I especially like knowing you can use it on fabric. Thanks so much for sharing the tips you learned.
Thanks, Beverly! I’m definitely interested in seeing how it works on fabric too!
These sound like great tips! I’ve been dying to get my hands on some chalk paint. I have several furniture pieces I want to refinish.
Me too, Leia! I have several pieces ready for paint and I’m finding myself hesitating because I can’t choose a color! I’m the most indecisive person on the planet when it comes to paint colors! When I’m painting walls I usually pick 2 or 3 colors before I get it right.
Thanks for sharing these! I’ve only used it once, on my metal-top console table, and had a lot of frustrations. Pinning this now for the next project 🙂
Thanks, Emily! And despite the frustrations, your metal-top table turned out pretty awesome! 🙂
Thanks! While I absolutely love it and it’s one of my favorite projects to date, I’m still in recovery from it and give it a slight analytical stink-eye when I walk by. It’s a standard time period after each project 😉
I think picking colors for ASCP is so hard because there’s really not that many compared to regular paint, and they’re all quite different, so if you don’t like many of them, you really have to like one or you’re kinda outta luck. Oooorrrr you like almost all of them like I did 🙂
Haha! You’re hilarious. And yes, I agree it’s harder because the colors are limited and all gorgeous!
Amy…worked perfectly. Thanks again..think I’ll scan the tips and tuck them away in my “Projects” file. Yes, I wish you did live closer…would so love to have you come give a talk to the DIH-ers. Have a great week…looking forward to your next email!! 🙂
So glad it worked!! Hope you have a great week too!
I’ve used ASCP for a few years now and I love it more and more each time that I use it. I’m so glad that you guys learned a lot from the classes and I can’t wait to see the new pieces of furniture you have in store for us!
Thanks CoCo! It’s definitely a neat product! We’re looking forward to experimenting with it 🙂
I’m brand new. What is ASCP?
Annie Sloan chalk paint 🙂
Thanks for the tips, especially the one about distressing with the grain! I can get carried away with projects and miss something like that until it’s too late 😉
Me too, Mandi!! I was sanding the heck out of that thing and it honestly looked really good until I waxed it. I’m so glad I made that mistake on a scrap piece of wood rather than a piece of furniture I’d just finished painting!
These are such great tips! I have been eager top try it as well and now I have some helpful tips. Thank you! I cannot wait to see what you do with the chalk paint!
Thanks Emily! This paint is so forgiving and really easy to use for a beginner to painting/staining furniture (like me!).
Great tips! I didn’t know about the water thing… I might try that next time. Also – I’m super nervous to ‘sand’… I’ve been avoiding distressing anything for fear of messing it up…!
I understand your fear! I totally messed that piece up in class because I wasn’t sanding correctly. I’ll definitely be more mindful on the next one!
I absolutely love chalk paint. It is so useful to craft projects and it looks awesome.
Thanks for sharing the tips at Marvelous Monday link party on Smart Party Planning.
Me too, Catherine! It’s really hard to screw it up and I love the finished look too. Thanks for hosting MM, we love linking up with you each week 🙂
Great tips, Amy!! I just recently tried chalk paint for the first time and love it! But I didn’t know many of these tips! Look forward to seeing some of your projects, using it! Have a great week! Xo
Thanks Kendra!!
Great tips! Can’t wait to see all your finished furniture pieces! Thanks for the shout out as well 🙂
Thanks, Tara! And you’re welcome. I loved your chalk paint post.
These are amazing tips! I have seen a few brands of chalk paint lately but I didn’t know what the difference with Annie Sloan was. I know a lot of crafters seem to seriously love it.
Thanks Rachel! Annie Sloan chalk paint is the original. The other brands are jumping on the bandwagon now that they see how popular it is. If you work with any of the other brands I’d love to know what your experience is because I haven’t tried any myself.
You have convinced me to order some since I plan on painting my son’s bedroom furniture anyways. So I will test it out and let you know how they compare. I am guessing probably not as good as the original because so many people are wild about it.
I am featuring this tonight on Merry Monday! Hope you can stop by.
I’ve always wanted to try chalk paint but never really knew how to and didn’t want to miss it up. Thanks so much for sharing these tips. I can’t wait to see what you create!!
You almost can’t mess it up, Sydney! If you decide to use it and have questions just send me a message :).
i have been dying to do something with chalk paint for a while now…these tips are going to come in handy when i actually do! thanks so much – pinning for later!!
Thanks for sharing these tips. I have been wanting to try out Annie Sloan because of everything I have been reading so I will have to refer back to this when I do try it out. I would love if you linked this up to Totally Terrific Tuesdays! Pinning
Sharon
herorganizedchaos.com
Great tips Amy!! I haven’t used Annie Sloan paint yet; I feel like the last person out in Blogland to NOT use it! 🙂 I didn’t know you could paint it on fabric, cool idea!
Thanks Amanda! We’re in the process of painting our first two pieces of furniture and we love it so far!!
Awesome tips! I’m a huge fan of Chalk Paint and all the amazing things you can do with it! Next up is trying it on fabric!
Can’t wait to try fabric!! Yesterday we bought a chair for $6 at a thrift store just so we could paint the fabric :).
I have been thinking about painting a vanity with chalk paint, so of course I had to read your pointers. The one about the pledge is interesting and good to know!
Thanks, Carrie! I hadn’t heard of the pledge thing either and I’m so glad he mentioned it in the class!
What a great set of tips, thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Thanks Skye!
So much information. I’ll have to look more into it as I get started. Thanks for sharing with Turn it Up Tuesday.
Thanks for stopping by, April!
Great tips! Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. xo P.S. did you see my new giveaways?
Thanks Katherine! I haven’t seen your new giveaway yet, but I’m sure it’s something amazing! I’ll go check it out 🙂
Great tips!! I use ASCP a lot, but these tips helped refresh my memory. Sharing on my Facebook page!
Thanks so much, Heather!!
Perfect tutorial and tips. Thank you so much for linking up to On Display Thursday.
Finally, that’s what I’m looking for! I almost paid the fee for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Class from adult school but, I found yours from Turn It Up Tuesday 🙂 It saved my time to read your tutorial! Anyway, thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad you found it helpful! I definitely liked the class, but you can totally do without it! Thanks for stopping by!
These tips are a Friday Favorites over at http://notatrophywife.com! Thanks for sharing and please stop by tomorrow night! Enter our giveaway if you want some quick cash!! laura
Thanks so much, Laura!
SO happy I found these tips! I’ve been wanting to paint my living room set with chalk paint, but have never painted anything before! This will for sure help in my experiment 😉
http://www.littleblackshell.com
Hi Karen! Please forgive my huge delay in responding to your sweet comment! I don’t know how I missed it! I’m glad you found the tips helpful. I say just go for it with your living room set! Painting seems super intimidating when you’ve never done it but it’s not nearly as hard as it seems :).
Thanks for these tips! I’ve never done an official Annie Sloan piece but now I’m ready to try! Thanks for linking up to Something To Talk About and for all your help!!
Very nice tutorial!! I used chalk paint for the first time a few months ago, but I wasn’t very happy about it… I painted a small Ikea bench for the receiver, where we change our shoes. For this reason it gets dirty quite easily, specially now with so much rain, and it is not easy to clean… Also I felt it was ver delicate! There are some areas where it came off… So I wonder if this is normal? Should I sand it and try another coat? Should I put more wax to avoid dusty marks? Or maybe use varnish instead? Thanks!
Hi Elisa!! Most chalk paint manufacturers say their wax will harden to a durable finish, but I don’t think this is always true for pieces that get a ton of heavy use like your bench. You can actually use a water-based polyurethane finish (polycrylic) over chalk paint to get a much more durable finish. You cannot apply a polycrylic over the existing wax though. Here’s one option you can try: wipe the piece down with mineral spirits to help remove the existing wax. I’d also give it a quick coat of Zinsser Shellac after the mineral spirits wipe down too. Repaint the piece with chalk paint, then do 2-3 coats of polycrylic. No wax. Keep in mind if you’re painting your piece white, polycrylics can sometimes dry with a yellow tinge. If you can find Varathane Crystal Clear Water Based Polyurethane, it has a great reputation for drying clear and not yellowing.
Interestingly, I’ve also read that new Ikea pieces often have a mildly oily surface that chalk paint doesn’t like, and it’s sometimes necessary to wipe the piece down with mineral spirits or sand it before painting.
I know it’s a pain to re-do a piece you’ve already painted. If you decide to do anything with it, I’d love it if you shared your results with me. I’m still learning too and it would help me to know what works or doesn’t work for you.
Wow, that was a long response :). Hope you have a good week, Elisa! Good luck with the bench!!
Thank you sooo much! I will definitely give it a try!
This is perfect! I am mulling over using chalk paint to redo my hutch in my kitchen and with this is great information I think I can!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you found it helpful, Dianne! You can definitely do it!
i have just recently gotten into Annie Sloan one step chalk paint. I love it because it’s an easy process and extremely forgiving. I cleaned my wooden dresser with vinegar. And then I painted it and waited about an hour and put my dark wax on it, (unloading the brush a lot each time) it came out great. I wanted a light antiqued look so I was easy on the wax. I haven’t even buffed it out yet and it’s been two weeks. It looks great. I’ve done a brass lamp the same way. I’m looking forward to trying a lamp shade next. Thank you for the tips, they are great! Angie sloan paint rocks!
By the way as a side note I’m considering doing my horrible yellow oak cabinets with Annie Sloan chalk paint. That one scares me a bit but I’ll do my research first and for sure take a course in it. Just concerned about how it will hold up under the constant wear and tear of a kitchen and the grease. But I’d love to hear if anyone knows about a kitchen being done.
Hi Norma! I agree, chalk paint rocks :). We actually painted a couple lamp shades a few weeks ago and they came out great. I know people can and have done kitchen cabinets, although I’ve not done it myself. I would also be a little nervous about how well they would hold up. If you seal them with clear wax, I would probably do 3 coats, letting it dry for 24 hours between each coat. I know with high traffic areas like cabinets, you may have to re-wax them each year. Some people use a water based poly to seal instead of wax, and I know people who swear by each of them. I’ve only ever used clear wax to seal and I think if you do it right, it works well. The end tables in my family room take a daily beating and they’re holding up great with clear wax. Good luck with your future projects, and thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
Hi…Do you distress your piece before you wax it or after the waxing has been done..Thanks for the help..getting ready to try my first project..mary
Hi Mary! Technically you can do either, but I always distress before waxing. I think it’s easier to distress when there’s no wax on the piece, plus the wax tends to gunk up your sand paper if you wax first. Some people like distressing after wax because there’s less dust, but I’m just not a fan. The paint sticks in the wax as your sanding which tints the wax, so if I have a piece that’s white with black graphics, some of the black paint dust will mix with the wax and smear into the white areas. Also, if you choose to distress after waxing you’ll most likely need to add another coat of wax to cover the distressed areas, and it seems pointless to me to wax first just to have to do it over again. So that’s my super long answer but I wanted to give you my reasons why wax is always the last step on my pieces :).
Hello! I have painted my kitchen benches (chairs) with a water based enamel paint, then used Annie Sloan dark wax directly onto the paint The result is stunning! However, when I buff the benches, a small amount of dark marks come off onto the cloth…do I have to continue buffing until no dark marks come off?
Michelle, forgive my late response! You do not need to continue buffing until the stain stops coming off. I’m not sure if that’s even possible, as the dark stain will continue to come off so long as it’s not cured. You just need to let your piece cure and harden completely before use. Hope that helps!
I was thinking about painting a piece of furniture with two different colors..a light grey with a light khaki over it to give it some depth…do you have any pointers for that process?
Hi Leisha! If I layer colors I usually do one of 3 things..Do a full coat of layer 1, then a full coat of layer 2, then distress it with a sanding block to let the 1st color show through. OR do a dry brushing technique. Basically, you’ll do a full coverage of your 1st color. Then dry brush over it with your 2nd color. To dry brush, you’re going to use a dry brush, put just a little paint on the end of your bristles, then pounce it onto a paper plate to remove most of the paint, then lightly brush the little bit of paint that’s left on your bristles onto your piece. OR do a wash (this one’s probably my favorite). To do a wash, you’ll again fully paint your piece with the 1st color, then water down your 2nd color (there’s no right or wrong amount of water..more water=lighter paint, less water=darker paint). Or you can simply dip your brush in paint and into a cup of water. Brush the watery paint on then use a damp rag to immediately wipe it off. The more you wipe the less paint will be left. I did a wash on this piece and went into details on how to do it: http://canarystreetcrafts.com/how-to-age-furniture-with-paint/. And if you put “coastal desk makeover” and “ship silhouette chest of drawers” in the search bar on the right, I did a wash on both of those pieces if you want more of a visual. Hope that helps! One last piece of advice…just experiment! You can’t mess up paint. The worst that will happen is you have to do a little repainting, but you may end up coming up with something really awesome too :). Best of luck with your project! ~Amy
Before I discovered the wonderful world of Pinterest I used chalk board paint. Now, I want to remove or cover it up. With my lack of experience/no pinterest with this paint i put it on thick. Do you all have any suggestions to help??
Hey Dawn! Is the chalkboard paint that you want to remove on a piece of furniture or something else? If the chalkboard paint adhered well, you don’t technically need to remove it. If it’s super thick and has brush strokes you can smooth it out with a sander. Or if it didn’t adhere well to the piece, use the sander to remove it completely. You can use chalk paint to paint over pretty much anything as long as the base is stable. And don’t feel bad about using chalkboard paint. It’s actually a really common mistake! Best of luck with your project!
Thank you very very much for the speedy reply and great advice!!! I apologize for leaving out the most important detail…. The paint is on a wall, 2 walls actually, half way up both. LOL!! Should i sand the whole area or just around the edges?
Ahhhh, okay! Is there a visible seam where the chalkboard paint ended? If so I’d probably sand the edge or you might still see that seam when you paint over it. I’d probably throw a coat of primer over the whole wall before fresh paint too, just so it paints evenly and to cover the (I’m assuming) black chalkboard paint :).
Thanks for the tips!
One point you made about not being able to apply anything over wax (end of tip 2): I have found that Artisan Enhancements Clear Topcoat Sealer works well on top of wax IF the wax has fully cured. That is the caveat: If the wax has cured. I learned this from experience when I couldn’t quite get a smooth, even finish from wax on a dining room table project. I had applied several washes to the top before waxing and despite my best efforts, the wax wouldn’t go on super smooth and I was left with some spots of dullness. Afraid to overwax, I did some research and lucked up on this product and it works beautifully IF wax is cured. Also works well as a primer to avoid bleed through and is not as offensive in the odor department as some shellacs.
Thanks for the tip, Melissa! I’ve never worked with that product but will definitely check it out. I appreciate you stopping by!
Love all the great information. I was thinking of using Chalk paint on the bricks of my fireplace. Any tips you can give me?
Hi Julie! We’ve actually never painted brick but I know it can be done. You should have no problem getting chalk paint to adhere to the brick without primer. I’m just not sure what the best topcoat would be. Chalk paint is very porous and tends to hold onto dirt and stains, but maybe on brick that wouldn’t be an issue? I absolutely wouldn’t use wax to seal it, but maybe research different sealers to see which would be best. Other than that I think it should be a pretty simple project. Best of luck!
Hello
I’m a first timer – while waxing my chair the wax was very flakey…I’m realizing that I may be using to much but could not lay any on without this happening…any advice?
Anita
I haven’t been overly impressed with AS chalk paint. I’ve done several projects, including a bedroom suit that wasn’t lacquered, nor was it very shiny with a poly coat. The paint wouldn’t take and I ended up sanding and priming. Chalk paint works well on some things, but I don’t think anyone should think it’s an end to all prep work on all things.
Hey Jami! It’s definitely not for everyone and not for every project. And I totally agree with you about chalk paint being the end to all prep work. That’s why I wrote this article: http://canarystreetcrafts.com/when-to-prep-before-chalk-paint/
I am using graphite paint on kitchen chairs. I want a dark finish, so was going to use dark wax. My retailer advised that I don’t need to use the clear wax first since I want a dark finish. Do you agree?
Also, will the dark wax stain clothing of people sitting in these chairs?
You don’t have to use clear wax first if you want a dark finish, especially over a really dark color like graphite. I don’t think the dark wax would stain clothing once it’s fully cured, but I’ve never used it on chairs and it wouldn’t be my first choice for sealing any type of kitchen furniture that gets a lot of use. Alternatively, you could use dark glaze then seal with a water based poly. It’ll be a stronger finish and no worry about staining.
I chalk painted a headboard on a bed that was in a tweedy type fabric, then waxed. It became similar to leatherette and matched my bedroom perfectly. I did it 18 months ago and it is showing no wear at all, as good as the day I did it!
I love hearing that, Caroline! It sounds beautiful!
Please Please consider using black ink on your website. I cannot read light gray on a white background. You have some black showing highlights…it does not have to be that bold dark but please use black.
Hi Alberta! I’m sorry you came across some posts that were hard to read! A charcoal colored font was built into my original website design. Some of my older posts still have that charcoal font, but after realizing some readers were having trouble with it I switched to black several months ago. I do hear what you’re saying and just wanted to let you know it’s something I’ve already worked to change and all my newer posts are written with a black font. 🙂
Hi there,
Thanks so much for posting these tips! I’m new to chalk paint and this is a great list of basics. I really like the look of the dark wax on furniture – over a color (specifically the abusson blue), but I want my desk to be more “sealed” than just wax. Is there a topcoat you would recommend (with a slight sheen – not completely flat) that would still deepen the color a bit – so not the completely clear one? Hope this makes sense… :o)
Thanks for your help!!
I really liked the look of that first cabinet! The chalk paint was the perfect choice for it and gives it this perfect antique look. I love to paint and so my wife is always giving me more projects to work on. Maybe one day I will be able to work with chalk paint! Thanks again!
Hi,
Love your work!
I love the look of chalk paint on furniture finished with a dark wax. BUT, I believe very strongly that a waxed finish is not durable enough for furniture that gets lots of everyday use. How can I get the waxed look with a polyurethane top coat? I tried using watered down graphite paint that I wiped off. Either all the paint wiped off or I ended up with drips. Not exactly the look I was aiming for. Any tips?
Thanks.
Hi Cathy! Try using a glaze. You can purchase pre-mixed dark glaze from many chalk paint lines, or you can buy clear, tintable glaze from the hardware store or Amazon and mix in any paint or stain color to create a custom glaze. It’s a very similar look to dark wax. I apply it by brushing it on and wiping off excess with a cloth, and you can poly over it.
Hi I have a very old China cabinet.its warn pretty bad on the lower can’t part and that part Alone has been painted with urathane,clear.my concern it that the top and bottom having a different paint finish will look different.how can I cover up the clear urithan on the bottom or put it on top orWHAT
Hi Carol! As long as the finish on both the top and bottom is clean and smooth, it should match just fine once you paint them. When you say the bottom is worn, if it’s bumpy and rough you’ll want to sand and/or fill the bad sections before painting to make sure you have a smooth surface to work with.
Can you use chalk paint the place vinyl over top?
That should work fine! I’ve made signs with vinyl lettering and it sticks to the chalk painted boards perfectly.
Hi,
Loving all of your info and tutorials since I am going to be distressing my first piece in the next couple of days!
I want to do my dining room table and I would love the top to be gray with almost a white washed finish. Do you have recommendations as to what color needs to go when? I would assume the gray goes down first, but than should I be using a white wax to get the white washed effect? I want the gray to be the primary color.
Thank you for your help!
Hi Jessica. Yes, the gray would go down first since it’s the primary color. You can absolutely use a white wax but I wouldn’t personally use wax on a dining table. I would just use white paint thinned with some water. Working in sections, brush it on then use a rag to wipe off the excess. You can leave as much or little of the white paint behind as you like. Hope that helps!
Hi! I’m new to chalk paint 🙂 These are great tips. I’m going to be paining a bed headboard and dresser. Both are finished with some sort of clear shiny coat (not sure if it the seal). I was wondering if I need to prep the wood, such as sanding the wood first, or do anything else before I start? Please, any tips are welcome 🙂 Thank you again for these awesome tips!
Hi Martha! I wish I could give you an easy answer! Every piece reacts differently and without seeing it it’s difficult to know if yours might have an issue. What you can do is clean it well and paint a test patch. Let it dry well then scratch it with your fingernail. If it peels off you have an adhesion problem and need to prime or sand. If it’s stuck on there pretty well you should be good to go. Or, if I have a hunch a piece might have issues I just go ahead and prime it. There’s nothing worse than painting an entire piece then realizing the paint isn’t adhering properly and having to take it all off. Keep in mind, if you’re planning to distress it and you use a white primer, you’ll see that primer when you distress the paint. On pieces I plan to distress I use zinsser bullseye shellac because it’s clear. Good luck with your project and thank you for stopping by!
Wow, thank you for all of this information! I can’t wait to give it a shot this weekend. I appreciate the tips!!
Thanks so much, Courtney! Good luck with your project :).
Hi! When painting fabric before second coat of paint should i spray fabic with water as before The First coat?
Very helpful, just printed the PDF. I could do without the pop up ads here but thanks for the info. 🙂