My New Obsession: Annie Sloan® Graphite

I have a new color obsession to share with you- Annie Sloan®'s Graphite. Any fans of PrettyDistressed™ know I love me some Old White, Paris Grey, French Linen and an occasional Duck Egg Blue in her Chalk Paint™ line. In the past, I have shied away from using Graphite. It is the darkest color in the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® pallet, and I had heard it can be tricky to work with. But let me tell you now that I have used it, I am dying to paint something in my house with this color. It's so rich and unique. Then once you put the wax on, it comes to life!

I am so grateful for my clients, and the way they push me out of my comfort zone. She selected Graphite for this dresser I was refinishing for her son's room. She has an amazing old century home and has a lot of antique brass throughout the home, so we knew we wanted to do a brass cup pull on the dresser. I selected the Martha Stewart Bedford Brass Canopy Cup Pull from HomeDepot.com. Graphite is really the ultimate complement to the antique brass. The cool thing about it is it's not a true black but more of a slate like a chalkboard.

Duck Egg Blue Love

It's my favorite kind of day here at Pretty Distressed- a reveal day. I recently got to refinish this roll top desk and was totally grateful that my client let me come shoot it in her home.

I have been wanting to refinish a desk for a long time, and I literally jumped for joy when she selected Duck Egg Blue (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®) as her color. I have done accent pieces in this color all over my house, but have never been brave enough to paint an entire piece with it. I used Old White on the back of the desk to provide a little contrast and didn't wax it so it has a nice chalky look. The hardware was also painted with Old White and finished with Annie Sloan Clear Wax.

Why Buy New When You Can Make Craigslist Furniture Look this Good

A while back I shared an Antique Kitchen Table makeover with you that was painted with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan in the color Coco. This table was so beautiful, I was really bummed that I didn't get to do a proper photo shoot with it and the chairs I refinished to complete the set. Recently, my client was gracious enough to send some pictures of this beauty in her home, and I am super excited to share them with you.

Just as a refresher, here is what the table and chairs looked like before I started. The table was a true antique and the chairs where more modern and originally from Pier1. They were completely different colors and styles both found on Craigslist. By painting them the same color, we were able to achieve a cohesive set which is great news for you other flea market and Craigslist hunters.

Painting Fabric with Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan

By now, most of you know about my obsession with Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan. You can paint almost anything with this wonder paint, and the best part there is no sanding or stripping involved. For my latest project, I was lucky enough to partner with the folks over at Annie Sloan Unfolded to makeover an amazing antique settee with my favorite paint.

This beauty came my way when Angel from Angel Michelle Photography contacted me to breathe some new life into this piece as she was wanting to use it as a photo prop. The shape and detail of this piece was gorgeous, but the current upholstery choice- not so much. Upholstery work and fabric costs can skyrocket pretty quickly, so I decided to give painting this bad boy a try. I had read about this technique in Annie Sloan's book Color Recipes for Painted Furniture and More. I am pretty impressed with the results.

Modern Chairs to Aged Beauties

This week I finished up a set of chairs to go with my recent antique kitchen table I completed for a client. Another great thing about painting furniture is that you don't have to have a complete matching dining or kitchen set. These chairs are originally from Pier 1 Imports and had a black finish with red distressing coming through. I painted them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Coco to match the table.

Starting Small is Smart and Just as Fun

When you think about getting into painting furniture it is probably because you need a big change. You think your bedroom set would be perfect if you could lightened it up with some white paint. Or maybe you think, grandma's dining set you inherited because no one else would take it could really look great with a few coats of paint as well. While I agree with you whole heartedly, projects like these are a huge undertaking.

I have preached on here that starting small is always best. Get your feet wet and see if you like painting before you commit to painting a whole bedroom set or the like. I even tackle small pieces now and then to practice new techniques.

A client of mine gave me this little jewelry box to refinish for her daughter's room. It was the perfect opportunity for me to practice the modern finish I just learned from my class at Carter's Cottage. The best part of working with a piece this small is that if you mess up, it is super easy to just start all over again.

Using a Polycrylic Sealer with Chalk Paint®

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Update: I recently filmed a video comparing wax and General Finishes High Performance Top Coat that is comparable to Polycrylic. Check it out. 

I have another client reveal to share with you today. This is the second job I have completed for her, and again she brought me a gorgeous family heirloom. She grew up eating at this table. Now, she gets to gather around it with her own little ones and make some new memories.

Like I mentioned, this table has already lived a long life. So, the top was pretty beat up, and its finish was peeling in spots. Normally, I don't sand before painting, but I wanted the paint to go on smoothly since I was using white and it is a table top. I got my orbital sander out and used a medium sandpaper, 80 grit, to smooth it out.

The client selected Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Old White which I know you see a lot of on my site, but it truly goes with anything. It has so much more depth than your average pure white, and also really helps dark wood shine through when you are distressing.

Grandma's Tables Upcycled

These beautiful end tables were dropped off to me by a client several weeks ago. They belonged to her late grandmother who she spoke very fondly of and remembered her always loving the way she decorated. She wanted to pay homage to her by having these tables in her home, but their current finish wasn't meshing well with the rest of her decor. 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Video Tutorial #5 - Dark Wax

Today is the final installment of my Chalk Paint vlog series, and we are talking about dark wax. For those of you who haven't worked with it before, this stuff is amazing. It gives your piece a antique look in no time. If you love that lived in, shabby look, you will love dark wax.

The Making of a Makeover

In my last post, I revealed my recent sideboard upcycle. There were simply too many details to share with you in one post, so today, I am going to give you the nitty gritty on this makeover. 

This piece arrived via a client and is something that I typically wouldn't gravitate toward refinishing on my own. The client didn't really have a vision of how she wanted it to look and gave me free reign to let my creative juices flow.