Here’s how Annie Sloan updated a plain white cupboard with colors inspired by 18th-century Venice. From “Quick and Easy Paint Transformations: 50 Step-by-Step Ways to Makeover Your Home for Next to Nothing,” by Annie Sloan.
MATERIALS
• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue, Old White and Primer Red
• 2-inch paintbrush
• Small, soft bristle artist’s brush
• Medium- and fine-grade sandpaper
• Annie Sloan Soft Wax, both clear and dark
• 1-inch paintbrush
• Cloth for polishing
PROCEDURE
1. Sloan writes: “I painted the main part of the cupboard in Duck Egg Blue. Vary the color by dipping a corner of the brush into the Old White and applying it onto the blue, causing the colors to almost merge. The finish will be uneven all over — very light in some places and darker in others. Apply a coat of Old White to the panels, having taken the lid off the night before to allow the paint to thicken and give it texture.”
2. She continues: “I painted the inside of the cupboard, the cornice, and the edges of the inner panel in Primer Red to help define the shape of the cupboard… To keep the finish neat you need to use a small brush. Don’t worry too much if paint goes over the edges as this help to make it appear more hand-painted, and any excess can be rubbed away with sandpaper.” (In Colorado, the paint should dry enough to wax it in a bit less than an hour.)
3. “Apply a coat of clear wax all over the painted areas with a brush. Add some dark wax to a few places to deepen the shade in certain parts of the cupboard. Next, make a mix of one part clear wax to one part Old White to form a colored wax. Put a layer of this mixture on the surface with a brush to soften the piece and lighten areas that look too dirty. Rub the surface slightly with sandpaper and finish by adding a final coat of clear wax.”
Tip: “The hinges on the cupboard were black and particularly unattractive. Like all my pieces, I usually just paint over all the handles and hinges and then wax them. Some of the paint does come off, but this is better than seeing bare metalwork glaring at you.”
By Hand: Venetian-inspired cupboard
Here’s how Annie Sloan updated a plain white cupboard with colors inspired by 18th-century Venice.
From “Quick and Easy Paint Transformations: 50 step-by-step ways to make-over your home for next to nothing,” by Annie Sloan (photography by Christopher Drake)
MATERIALS
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue, Old White and Primer Red
2-inch paint brush
Small, soft bristle artists’ brush
medium- and fine-grade sandpaper
Annie Sloan Soft Wax, both clear and dark
1-inch paintbrush
Cloth for polishing
PROCEDURE
1. Sloan writes: “I painted the main part of the cupboard in Duck Egg Blue. Vary the color by dipping a corner of the brush into the Old White and applying it onto the blue, causing the colors to almost merge. The finish will be uneven all over — very light in some places and darker in others. Apply a coat of Old White to the panels, having taken the lid off the night before to allow the paint to thicken and give it texture.”
2. She continues: “I painted the inside of the cupboard, the cornice, and the edges of the inner panel in Primer Red to help define the shape of the cupboard… To keep the finish neat on the neat?? you need to use a small brush. Don’t worry too much if paint goes over the edges as this help to make it appear more hand-painted, and any excess can be rugged away with sandpaper. (In Colorado, the paint should dry enough to wax it in a bit less than an hour).
3. “Apply a coat of clear wax all over the painted areas with a brush. Add some dark wax to a few places to deepen the shade in certain parts of the cupboard. Next, make a mix of one part clear wax to one part Old White to form a colored wax. Put a layer of this mixture on the surface with a brush to soften the piece and lighten areas that look too dirty. Rub the surface slightly with sandpaper and finish by adding a final coat of clear wax.
Tip: “The hinges on the cupboard were black and particularly unattractive. Like all my pieces, I usually just paint over all the handles and hinges and then wax them. Some of the paint does come off, but this is better than seeing bare metalwork glaring at you.”
