At Ramshackled Treasures, we believe in sharing the things we've learned in our home furnishing and repurposing journey. Every month we will be featuring a new DIY project to help you add an extra tool to your belt and share the exciting adventure of home decorating together!
Today, we will be talking about a few products in the Country Chic paint line. You can apply these principles to any chalk-based paint, really, but Country Chic is our favorite and is the paint we most readily use in the store.
We are obsessed with this product for so many reasons:
Health: Country Chic Paint is VOC free which means it has no fumes and isn't harmful to you or your family. This makes Country Chic one of the safest paints on the market today! Round of applause for health!
Odorless: I tested this one out myself with the ol' schnozz. Only a faint smell rather like cupcake frosting...or perhaps I was just hungry.
Easy to use & Dries Quickly: I'll speak more on this later.
The Rehab:
Years ago, my dad bought this antique vanity for my mom as an anniversary gift. They didn't have room for it anymore and have since given it to me. Clearly, it's in need of a little TLC and so I am trusting it into the hands of Country Chic!
Step 1 - Prep your piece:
I prepped the vanity by cleaning it with a damp cloth and then wiping liquid sander deglosser on the areas I planned to paint.
Step 2 - Choose your colors:
I chose Country Chic's 'Lazy Linen' color for this project. I love it because, like linen, it looks clean. But it is also a beautiful, country white, not a blah-first-apartment-white, if you get my meaning.
I also chose Country Chic's black 'Graphite' glaze for the distressing step.
The first thing I will say for County Chic paint is--wow it goes a long way! I only had a 4oz sample jar and I painted the base of my vanity and the base of this coffee table with two coats each!
P.s. no snide remarks about my cruddy brush, I've forgotten to clean it one too many times. :)
It also worked really well over the piece. It was smooth and didn't dry too quickly where it becomes unworkable in the first 30 seconds. When dry, the finish feels rather like an egg, dry, low sheen and slightly textured.
As I was squatting under the vanity, I bumped the top of my head against a leg.
Surprise! Free 'Lazy Linen' balayage!
Just kidding. I washed my hair over the sink and it came right out. Another brownie point for Country Chic!
Step 3 - Glaze distressing:
Glaze is a sand-free distressing method and by far the easiest distressing method I've tried.
Have a clean, dry rag handy and a cup of water. I dampened my brush many times prior to dipping it in the glaze because I didn't want the glaze to apply too heavily. Find all the cracks and crevices in the piece and brush it in. I was going for a 'lightly distressed' look. The nice thing about the glaze is it is really easy to work with and you can add and wipe away according to your preference.
Let it sit for a minute...
and then just wipe away the excess!
Side note: I opted to strip the top of the vanity instead of painting it. I used a Minwax Dark Walnut stain on the top, and two coats of Minwax poly to finish it. It still has really old scratches deep in the veneer that didn't come off with the striper and although it might drive some people bonkers--I love that about it!
Final step - Wax:
Finally, with a clean cloth, I rubbed finishing wax on the painted areas of the coffee table to give it a protective finish. I let the wax sit on the pieces for about 10 minutes and then wiped away the excess with a fresh cloth.
And voila! Isn't she cute?! And such an easy project.
Oh, and my mom called and wants her vanity back. This could get ugly.
The Country Chic paints, glazes and more are available at Ramshackled Treasures in Zimmerman, MN. If you have any questions about using County Chic paint feel free to call us at (763) 856-8700 any of our vendors would be happy to speak to you!
Have you ever tried chalk-based paint? What do you think of the glaze distressing method?
Let us know in the comments below.
