I am sorry I promised this post last week and between birthdays and the flu- Life happened!!

This post I write because it is one of the top email questions I get all the time!! It started when I posted a picture on facebook of this custom table I did for a client.  And I did a couple more just like it from that little picture!! Now this look may not be for everyone but it was exactly what the client was looking for.  Heavily distressed but- more of a distressed look from all the paint layers, wax, and such.  Her table was quite new and from a big brand company we all love but the top was flaking off.  She wanted it to look old and aged.  Wanted a stained top but not solid.  So with lots of tries and working through different techniques this is what we came up with!! And when she LOVED it- I was so thrilled!! It is labor intensive to say the least to do all the chairs and legs like this but the top- well that’s easy and I will tell you how!!

At the time I was using Annie Sloan’s Chateau Grey as the base and I used Minwax Dark Walnut for the stain. Below is the table with one coat of stain lightly washed on.

On this top I let the first coat of wax thoroughly dry.  The second coat of wax was almost dry when I then applied dark wax- this drug a bit off allowing some of the paint to show through.  I applied 2 coats of dark wax and one clear wax coat.  Allowing each coat to completely dry- this took a week all by itself.

I did another table much the same.  It was a great little table set that just needed new life!! You know the light maple with hunter green accents… Well bye bye 80’s!!

When doing this set I originally planned to just stain over the sanded down table top but it didn’t have the depth that the client was looking for. So we sanded down the stain and painted it with Annie Sloan Coco and applied Minwax Jacobean to the top.

and then we beat it up a bit to make it not so perfect. Sanded in some places allowing the dark stain from below the chalk paint to show through in spots and it really developed a layered rustic look.

For this one Because the stain was so dark and the layers were perfect I used wipe on poly only.  With Annie Sloan’s wax you cannot apply an extra protectant to the top or you will have it “sitting” on you wax.  You have to use a penetrating wax if you want to apply an extra protectant to it.  This family uses this table everyday.  And where they want the distressed look they don’t want it scratching and failing on them sooner than they need!! So it has been protected with a couple of coats of Minwax Wipe on Poly.

Which then leads me to the latest project where everyone wanted to know if it was stained or painted… Well both!!

But not as heavily as the others.  I loved the color of the new Le Craie Chocolat. 

I also wanted to show you that you truly want to correct any damage you might have in a piece because with stain even when using a chalk-based paint below you will see the imperfections slightly  more!!

So with this piece I painted only one coat and stained and found myself with my sander correcting the spots that I didn’t when I had originally painted it with latex a year back… {I know, I know… but it’s mine and I didn’t have the time}

See- I sanded it all down nice and smooth and it’s all better!! Take the time to do it right the first time… is what I need to listen to even when it’s for me!!

Now on this one I did 2 coats of the Le Craie Chocolat. It’s like Hershey’s chocolate {I promise I didn’t taste it to see!! }  I applied 2 coats of our Antiquing Dark Wax after the stain was completely dry, okay it was almost dry!! No extra protectant on this one but if you have heavy usage you can absolutely apply a wipe on poly over our wax!! It’s penetrating and it dries in 20 minutes or less!! LOVE this wax!!!

And there she is all finshed up.  I distressed the edges just a bit to let the cream come through. 

Thank you for stopping in!! I hope that you will come back soon and leave a comment if you have any questions!!