After stripping the French style chair of its Fabric and wadding it was time to get to work on painting and waxing the frame.
First off, I wiped the whole chair down with a damp cloth to remove the dust that had built up from removing the fabric.
I decided against using a primer as the original finish of the frame had been sealed with varnish so there was less chance of the dark colour bleeding through the new paint.
French-Style Chair Makeover – Painting & waxing the frame
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Painting the French style chair frame
For the first coat of paint, I used Annie Sloan’s ‘Duck Egg Blue’. Just a note about brushes here: Try to avoid using really cheap brushes. They will shed hairs in your paint and all over your lovely new paint job. Now I’m not saying you need to buy really expensive ones either. I tend to buy middle of the range latex and have always been happy with the results. For this chair, I used a 3-inch latex brush. You can find similar brushes here.
Starting at the top of the frame I gradually worked my way down – always brushing in the same direction and paying extra attention to the ornamental carvings to make sure everything was evenly covered. Chalk paint dries fast, which for me makes it the ideal choice for quick weekend projects.
When the first coat was dry, I brushed on a second coat of Annie Sloan’s ‘Old White’. Hmm, you say, what was the point of that first coat if you were just going to cover it all up again? Patience my friends, all will be revealed.
Waxing the chair frame
After the ‘Old White’ had dried, I brushed on a layer of Annie Sloan’s ‘Clear Wax’. For this job, I used a large round bristle brush which helped in reaching all the intricate little carvings. I have two of these brushes and I keep one for clear and one for dark wax. I made sure to wipe away the excess wax as I worked my way around the frame.
How to achieve the ‘Patina’ look
Next, I took a piece of fine sandpaper and used it to scuff up around the ornamental carvings and around some of the edges. You can see the effect from the photos. The ‘Duck Egg Blue’ layer shows through together with some of the original wood giving a kind of ‘patina’ look. Now I love this look but if it’s not your thing, you could also just paint one (or two) coats of your chosen colour, then apply the wax and leave it there.
So anyway, that was the frame completed, it was time to clean up my brushes and get everything ready for Part Three – Upholstering.
Missed Part One? Here it is again!
French Style Chair | Part Three – Upholstering
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Elaine Watkins says
Okay Jayne.
I’ve got a few questions.
1. What is “chalk” paint?
2. What does the wax do?
I don’t know anything about this area, but I would LOVE to do this to a dated glider rocker (from my 1st pregnancy) and a side table (from my grandparents).
Thanks.
Jayne Westerholt says
Annie Sloan made the original chalk paint over 25 years ago and she doesn’t let anyone in on the secret of the mix. These days though, other manufacturers have jumped on the band wagon. There are lots of tutorials around for homemade chalk paint using a mix of plaster of Paris, latex paint and water but I haven’t tried any of them myself. The paint is really quick to dry and has no smell. You could easily finish a small project in a day. It’s also easy to distress for the ‘shabby’ look which is really what it’s all about. The wax seals the paint and protects it making it easy to clean with a damp cloth. This would be perfect for a rocker Elaine. In fact, I’ve used it on a rocker myself and I love it!