Wednesday 10 August 2011

I'm Convinced!!

You may remember my post last week when I told you I was a wee bit disappointed with the Annie Sloan chalk paint after using it for the first time to paint the dinky shelves my Stepdad made me?


I did say that I would reserve judgement until after I had painted a larger piece - yesterday I tackled our sideboard and I can now tell you I am a fully fledged member of the Annie Sloan Appreciation Society - I love it!!


I think the fact I wasn't blown away by it after painting the shelves was partly due to not having the right tools - I have since got some better brushes and sanding blocks - and also the shelves are a made a little rustically and so were perhaps not a good piece to form an opinion on.


The sideboard was originally (several years ago) from a charity shop for £10. All the veneer was peeling off the top so I removed it and painted it with regular emulsion.


Before:



After:


I painted it with Duck Egg, did the top in Old White and then dry brushed some Old White on before waxing with clear wax and then distressing using foam sanding blocks - these were much, much better than the sandpaper I had previously and the distressing was much easier.


I love the colour but it's not exactly what I would call "duck egg" - not enough blue

One of my concerns over the AS paint was the price (currently around £16.95 for 1L) but when you consider I painted the above with one coat, whereas normal emulsion would probably have needed three then I think it doesn't actually work out as expensive as it may seem.

The chalk paint dries so quickly that the whole thing was done and dusted in around 3 hours too.

So, after initially feeling a tad disappointed I would now wholeheartedly recommend this paint and I shall be buying more colours for sure!!

hugs,

S x

Linking up with: The Shabby Nest








13 comments:

  1. Sarah you are so clever. I once attempted a transformation on a chest of drawers and it was a disaster. Hubby caught me shoving the drawers in bin liners and we still laugh about it!
    Dx

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  2. This is gorgeous. I actually really like the colour. It looks darker than duck egg, but it makes it a tad more distinctive. x

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  3. Love the colour of the sideboard!

    Ashley xxx

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  4. Ooo I'm glad to hear this- another blogger had recommended AS paint to me, but I wasn't sure as I knew you weren't too keen initially.
    Looks lush.
    Will definitely investigate if I find another Charity shop piece in need of some love.
    Xx

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  5. Glad to know it ended up working out for you =)

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  6. A wonderful transformation! Well done Sarah, you did a fab job.

    :)

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  7. So glad this worked out for you Sarah. It certainly sounds like you have been painting up a store and you furniture piece looks lovely. I'm glad you are feeling better and able to bustle about doing the things you love.
    Have an absolutely wonderful day,
    Anne xx

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  8. I love what you did with the dresser! I am a new follower from Australia and I have enjoyed your blog. I look forward to visiting again soon.

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  9. Hey Sarah,

    I was going to say the exact thing about your first piece...possibly too rustic for a good application of chalk paint. So happy you have discovered the true beauty of Annie's paints.

    It is such a time saver!

    Love your painted piece...such a lovely color

    Janet xox
    http://theemptynest-janet.blogspot.com/

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  10. Oh I love it! You are a very clever girl, have just shown my husband what you've done to the sideboard (we've just spent a lot of money on a sideboard in that very same colour today) and I think he's disappointed in me now that I'm not capable of doing the same thing! I really love it, it looks gorgeous and your photo frames all look lovely too.

    Come on, show us some more bits around your house - it looks fab.

    Nicki xx

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  11. Sarah, I've was wondering why I didn't get your posts and I've just realised that I've not been following your blog - what an idiot am I! This has now been rectified, thank goodness.

    Love your sideboard - excellent job. Duck egg blue is a funny one. We've got Dulux's version in our kitchen and it's positively turquoise - most odd.

    Can't wait to see what you do with your tea trolley. xx

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S x