Caxton magazines staffProduction manager Carla Wolber tries out her painting skills with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
I’ve had this chest of drawers for many, many years now. As a student, pine suited me just perfectly, but now that I’m married and trying to put together schemes that will look good in our house, pine just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.
Here’s a photo of the chest of drawers before I revamped it. Please note the missing knobs that have fallen off (luckily, I stored them away for safe keeping to get fixed). The best solution was to paint the chest of drawers, but the thought of having to sand it put me off doing the job for three years.
About two months ago, the team came back from an event – the launch of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in South Africa. “Who and what?” were my exact thoughts, but I listened carefully as they told us about the products. I focused on a few words they kept repeating: no sanding and no priming. Yes, please!
I went straight onto the South African website to find a stockist and also looked at a few blogs with befores and afters. I loved the look, colours and the fact that it was so easy to use.
A week later I went to Just in Time in Bryanston to buy my paint and wax. The fact that I didn’t have to sand the chest of drawers saved me a lot of time and effort. All I had to do was paint over the varnish and that was it…a few days, two coats of paint and a layer of protective wax later, it was finished (pictured below). The Chalk Paint really was incredibly easy to use and the fact that it’s chalk based means that any drops or spills on the floor can be easily cleaned with water. Also, the drying time is a lot quicker than conventional paint.
Interested? Here’s some more info on Annie Sloan Chalk Paint:
Created by Brit Annie Sloan in 1990, Chalk Paint is a versatile, decorative paint that allows you to create many paint techniques such as lime wash and distressing, and has a matt finish. What’s more, it’s eco-friendly and odourless.
It can be used to paint furniture, floors and walls and can be used on almost any surface, including wood, concrete, metal, matt plastic, earthenware and much more.
The palette of 32 shades (pictured below) is based on 18th-century decorative and historic colours which are bright, rich and on-trend. The waxes come in clear or dark, and can be used for protection and to give painted surfaces a mellow matte finish.
