Henrietta Chalk Paint® Bookcase

A client recently brought this me this bookcase and asked me to paint it for her daughter's bedroom.  I was excited when she asked to have it painted in Henrietta Chalk Paint® because I had not used this pretty hue yet.  

The bookcase started out as light pine, complete with tacky decals.  To prevent the knots in the wood from eventually bleeding through the paint, I applied a coat of shellac to the bookcase before applying the Chalk Paint®.

I painted the inside with two coats of Old White Chalk Paint® and the outside with Henrietta.  This color is so soft and pretty.  The whole time I was painting, I kept daydreaming about eating berries and cream.  I guess that is what Henrietta reminds me of.  

I used Annie Sloan Clear Wax to seal and protect the paint followed by a touch of dark wax along all the edges and grooves to add depth and enrich the color. 

I am happy that, after being a Chalk Paint® user for three years, I can finally share a Henrietta piece with you!

Grey-Washed, Oak Chest of Drawers

I found this solid oak dresser at the Santa Cruz Flea Market recently.  It had a worn, orange finish, but beautiful hardware and lovely details.

I love painting oak furniture with Chalk Paint® because its open grain looks beautiful peaking through the paint. The technique I used on this piece is called dry brushing.  I applied one light coat of French Linen Chalk Paint with one of Annie Sloan's fabulous, natural bristle, oval brushes. Using very little paint, I worked it in and blended it with the brush to get a very thin coat, allowing the wood grain to show through.  In the past, I have used Chalk Paint® thinned with water (a wash), to get this effect, but I prefer dry brushing because sometimes the wash is uneven and does not adhere as well to furniture with a shiny finish.

One Coat of French Linen, Before Waxing

After letting the paint dry, I applied Annie Sloan's Clear Wax and then Dark Wax to enrich the color.

After Applying Clear and Dark Waxes

I also dry brushed all the hardware and applied dark wax over them for a beautiful patina.  The paint and wax really brought out the details on the drawer pulls.

This finish is easy to achieve, and although simple, it really accentuates the beautiful craftsmanship of this well-built piece of furniture.