One day a couple of years ago a nice man walked in our store and asked if Mollie and I would be interested in an old mantle. Sure we would...how much? We didn't understand...he wanted to give the mantle to us. He had hopes of putting it in his home but his wife had other decorating ideas in mind. He even drove home and brought it back to us just to get it out of his way.
It was THE REAL DEAL.
It has that kind of time worn chippy paint finish that
comes with years of wear and repainting.
We don't know how old it is
BUT we love it!
We have other furniture and display pieces at Sticks and More
that are THE REAL DEAL.
We have lots of shutters, old cabinets and junk that have
layers of chippy paint and patina that
we can't reproduce with paint no matter how hard we try.
I am NOT an expert on anything...especially painting furniture.
I've never taken a painting class...just learned through experimenting and alot of reading. I don't follow all the directions on the labels of paint cans and if I don't like what I paint, I start over and repaint . Quite often, I get painting questions from customers. The most common questions are: where do I get all the stuff I paint and what kind of paint do I use.
Here's my answer to the latter...
I use all kinds of paint,
but I most often use
flat, exterior paint...and I use alot of different brands. I try to use what I have, blending paints I have to get the colors I want. Sometimes the best paint isn't newly mixed paint.
It's paint I've had for a while or cans of paint that I've left slightly ajar and it's become thick like "budda."
About a month ago I began experimenting with
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.
I ordered mine from Tammy from
Periwinkle Pass in Banner Elk,NC. She was the closest stockist to me at the time. Tammy spent time talking with me on the phone before I ordered and answered all my questions. I ordered the paint one day and it was there the next. It was $34.95 a quart.
I bought three cans.
If you like a distressed look and want to paint your furniture, it is probably one of the easiest paints I've ever used for 2 reasons....You don't have to sand and you don't have to prime before you paint. Did you understand what I just said?...NO SANDING OR PRIMING BEFORE YOU PAINT!!! Just start painting. I'll leave all the details about this paint to the experts. Just visit Tammy's website or give her a call or just search the Internet...you'll find plenty of information. Tammy's information is:
The Periwinkle Pass Studio
226 Periwinkle Pass
Banner Elk, NC 28604
Can Chalk Paint replace THE REAL DEAL? Absolutely not.
But if you don't want to wait years to get a distressed look, you should give Chalk Paint a try. Your paint finish may not be chippy,but it will look time worn. If you want to see a sample before you buy yours, stop by the store and we'll be happy to let you play with ours!
Happy Painting!
