Tips & Tutorials – me & mrs. jones

blue willow…the obsession deepens

March 26, 2016 by Mrs. Jones Admin

show of hands, please…who remembers the feature in the original (print) version of domino called ‘turn this outfit into a room’? the editors would challenge an interior designer to translate the elements of a chic clothing ensemble into a scheme for an entire space…it was a fun concept. when i saw this knockout powder room in style blueprint done by memphis designer jenna wallis, it hit me – i wanted to interpret her amazing look into a piece of furniture. here’s a link to her swank home, featuring the chinoiserie bathroom, with photos by julie wage ross.

renee scored a sweet old chest of drawers with (key!) the original casters still intact at a yard sale. (fact: mrs. jones adores wheels.) it wore a coat of yellow paint that popped off in chunks anytime we looked at it, so it sat in storage until there was time to strip the old paint. revelation – soy-gel stripper. it’s fantastically effective, and safe to use indoors. (we fell for it so hard that we now carry it at me & mrs. jones, though you can also order it here.)

once the old paint was off, we sealed with white shellac-based primer…it took two coats to seal in all the old stain. the chest had an old attic-y smell, so i removed the drawers and used spray shellac to coat the inside surfaces, too. paint was next – two coats of a clean white, floated on thinly with a synthetic bristle brush, with a little water added to help the paint flow.

now, the fun part: stenciling! long-time readers know that mrs. jones’s all-time fave is willow pattern by stencil library. we chose a blue to replicate the china pattern. (when you’re using a distinct design like this one, it lays out best if you center the first repeat on your surface, and then work out and around, letting the pattern unfold.)

the lovely folks at modern masters asked me to takeover their instagram feed for a week this spring, and this project gave me the chance to use some of their terrific products as the final layers: first, a coat of satin varnish, followed by their two-step china crackle. the crazing is most easily visible on the blue painted areas. it gives depth and interest to the finish, and is a reference to the pattern’s origins. over that is a layer of modern masters’ tintable glaze with white pigment added. one more coat of satin varnish protects the finish.

on the hardware (from home depot’s online shop – fab choices! who knew?) we used modern masters’ metallic paint in olympic gold. (tip: use a metal primer first.) i was thrilled to find ring-style pulls with the diamond-shaped backplate – it echoes the pattern found in the fence on the stencil. we also used the metallic paint to pick out the bands on the legs.

we plan to paint the insides of the drawers, but are flipping between a bright, citrus-y yellow and a deep pink. thoughts?

a miss mustard seed-style mustard seed yellow dresser

October 25, 2015 by Mrs. Jones Admin

a few weeks ago, our dear miss mustard seed (marian parsons) posted this inspirational and informational – but most of all adorable – video:

which inspired us towards a similar style makeover of an old dresser we’d recently found out junking.

the body is done in mustard seed yellow milk paint, and the hand-painted details are in marzipan. (since i wanted to re-use the existing porcelain & brass knobs, we chose the white from miss mustard seed’s line that was closest.) meriweather did all the embellishments by hand with a small artist’s brush…she makes it look so easy!

the existing finish on the dresser caused just the perfect amount of chipping.

the top was badly water-damaged. after sanding it down, two coats of curio were applied. once the paint was dry, we used one of my favorite techniques to finish it: wet-sanding with oil. i brushed on a thin coat of hemp oil, making it as even as possible, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wiped back the excess with a paper towel.

taking a piece of 600-grit ‘wet/dry’ sandpaper, i smoothed the surface using long strokes in the same direction. (you’ll need to flip your sandpaper to a fresh side every so often, and wipe again with clean shop towels when things get messy.) more passes with the sandpaper burnish the paint and oil together, creating a smooth-as-a-baby, durable finish.

hemp oil needs a few weeks to cure – the same way other topcoats and waxes do – so be extra-gentle with those surfaces for 30 days or so. after a couple of weeks of dry time, a coat of wax can also be applied over the hemp oil for more shine and an extra measure of protection.

mustard seed yellow and curio are miss mustard seed’s colors of the month for november, so quarts are discounted all month long. come and see us!

a patina’d dresser

August 10, 2015 by Mrs. Jones Admin

a big treat for mrs. jones was attending a recent workshop at art & soul huntsville (yes – getting to be a student!), delving into some fun new products to bring home to our customers. though i’ve been using modern masters’ reactive metallic paints for a long time, our terrific prof melody brooks (of hoity-toity peacock) taught us so much more that the products can do and to develop really intense patinas using the mild acids that accompany the paints.

we decided to give the copper a try on this junk-shop dresser with cute details that jessica had rescued. the body is painted in a soft off-white and finished with clear wax. the dresser drawers are done in the reactive copper paint, with a little spatter of iron paint, too. then the patina solutions were applied generously, with the drawers level and upright, so the solution could sit in place without dripping. after drying overnight, the oxidation process was complete.

(here’s lindy, our super-science girl, putting the patina process into play.)

ivory ceramic knobs tie it all together.

the full line of reactive paints is on our shelves now, and this adorable dresser is ready for a new home, too…available at our germantown shop.

finally, here’s a snapshot of one of our students’ projects at our ‘l o v e patina?’ workshop last week…L – bronze, O – copper, V – iron & rust, E – copper & iron together:

we’ll be doing this workshop again soon. sign up for our newsletter (on the home page) to get the scoop first.

softly mottled finish

April 19, 2015 by Mrs. Jones Admin

our friend gracey smythe of smythe antiques scored a pair of beautiful tables at a warehouse sale, but the finish – left unsealed – was very delicate and the tops were damaged. katie and i ciphered out a match using a soft off-white as the base, and a greige as a very loose ‘wash’ (which simply means paint mixed with lots of water.) we stippled and spritzed the wash with more water, patting it gently with a linen cloth. when heated with a hair dryer, the paint cracks slightly, adding authenticity.

since gracey wanted a totally matte look, three coats of burnishing paste were applied to protect the new ‘old’ finish.

when in rome

November 5, 2014 by Mrs. Jones Admin

the jones boys recently helped clean a friends’ attic in exchange for a few pieces of furniture…a fantastic deal (for mrs. jones, at least.) one of the chests was something a novice woodworker had made, and after much puzzling, we found that each drawer only fit in one particular spot. when we finally had them right, i said ‘that’s it – we are numbering these drawers!’ to which charlie brilliantly said: ‘mom…what about roman numerals? that might look cool.’

so with a little help from my lovely friends at maison de stencils, roman number templates were soon at hand.

we used water-based paint in a deep blue, covered by a coat of dark gray…a buff off-white for the stencil, and then clear and dark brown tinted wax to seal the paint and add patina. this was a piece in progress when we held a waxing workshop at the studio, and the attendees challenged me to see how far a quarter-cup of wax would go…

using the best brush in my arsenal, i was able to get the whole dresser done with less than the allotted quarter-cup. (just ask…there were plenty of witnesses.) because the brush doesn’t absorb any wax – the way a cloth does – and the bristles are made to firmly but gently sweep the wax into the paint, you can use a very sparing amount and have an easier time of buffing with a totally gorgeous result.

after applying the clear wax, we rubbed the edges gently with 220-grit sandpaper, ‘easing’ the paint back for a bit of distressing…i had already softly distressed the stenciled pattern. then we brushed on a coat of dark brown wax to add more age.

(we left the knobs ‘as is’ for contrast and warmth.)

one final hint…when waxing, it’s easy to forget to let the wax dry overnight and then give it a good buffing, or polishing. but that’s when you bring up the gleam and bring the paint to life! a nice buffing also helps harden the wax and melds it together with the paint.

crusty gray mirror frame

February 26, 2013 by Mrs. Jones Admin

here is a quick glimpse at a mirror frame done this week for a lovely client who has just finished a bathroom remodeling project. she loves her mirror for the shape, size and scale (and mrs. jones does too) but the existing finish no longer suited the renewed space.

a quick coat of gray paint was first. a spotty resist layer of vaseline and paste wax followed, applied with a chip brush, just to the higher areas on the frame. then, miss mustard seed’s milk paint in typewriter, lightened up with a dash of ironstone. the hoped-for crackling and peeling happened overnight as the paint dried, encouraged along with a piece of coarse steel wool this morning.

topped with raw-umber-tinted glaze to seal and mellow the finish out a bit, it’s ready to go home again. (onsite photos have been promised.)

reflections on shininess – a high-gloss tutorial.

February 5, 2013 by Mrs. Jones Admin

while mrs. jones adores and appreciates a low-lustre, matte look for painted furniture, sometimes the situation (or the client) calls for shine. not the gleam or sheen that comes with a waxed, rubbed, glazed or oiled finish, but a truly high level of lacquer-like glossiness.

there are only two ways that i know to achieve this look…both require an oil-based finish, and therefore a ventilated, dust-free work space and a lot of patience. these methods are at the farthest reach of the “ease of use” continuum that has chalk paint® on its opposite end. but when high-gloss is what you want, nothing else will do! so here goes a little break-down for you…

key to have on hand are the primer and paint (and possibly topcoat) of your choice – read on for more details! – sandpaper in grits from 120 to 400, wood filler or brushing putty, a japan scraper or putty knife, freshly laundered fabric drop cloths (the plastic ones attract dust via static and tend to scrunch up into your wet paint, plus the fabric ones are reusable), tack cloths, a vacuum, swiffer-type dusting cloths, a new air filter for your hvac system, and a very very clean brush meant for oil-based products.

first, this is the perfect time to switch your air filter out for a clean one…your furnace will thank you! then, make sure that the surface you’re painting is prepped and as smooth as possible. (because you’ll be sanding and priming, your piece will not need to be stripped.) fill any holes, gouges, or grain with wood filler or brushing putty. sand smooth with 120 and then 220 sandpaper. wipe down with a tack cloth to remove sanding dust. prime with a best-quality enamel underbody, such as the ones made by fine paints of europe or benjamin moore. sand again, moving to a finer-grit paper as you go, ending with a 400-grit rubdown.

when you are through sanding, wait an hour at least for all the dust to settle. (a longer wait is advisable, otherwise you will end up with “floaters” that settle in to your wet paint.) vacuum or replace your drop cloth with a clean, dust-free one, swiffer or wipe down your entire work area with a damp microfiber cloth, and put your doggies outside or in their kennel-condos. because you may have kicked up a little more dust moving things around, wait a little while longer, and then carefully go over the surfaces you’ll paint one more time with a tack cloth, removing every possible bit of grit. (when you take the tack cloth out of the package, unfold it completely and then gently bunch it up in your hand, re-bunching to expose a clean area every few passes.)

now you’re getting to the fun part…the color! you’ll be working with either oil-based satin finish enamel, such as benjamin moore’s impervo* (which will require a topcoat of high-gloss polyurethane), or fine paints of europe‘s hollandlac brilliant (after which you’ll be done.)

(when you’re looking at paint labels, the word you’re looking for in gloss is leveling. that means the paint, due to its solvent content, will even out or “lay down” and not hold any brushstrokes, giving a mirror-like finish. the high solvent content keeps the paint “open” longer so that it can level, but by making it much slower to dry, it’s much more vulnerable to dust, dog hair, and other little gremlins getting in to the wet paint.)

which to use? there is one important consideration: color. the high-gloss topcoat that you’ll need to use has a very distinct amber tone to it, and will dramatically alter lighter colors. if you’re using deep blue or green, or chocolate brown, or black, you’ll be fine using an enamel with high-gloss poly, and this has the advantage of being more readily available locally. but this topcoat over any lighter paint colors will result in a noticeably-yellowed finish. so, for lighter colors, i use fine paints of europe’s hollandlac brilliant. the hollandlac is expensive, but combines the two steps into one, and so saves you time (and the math works out about the same vs. buying both layers.)

if you don’t have a fpe dealer close by, just call emmett fiore, their colorist. he will send you the appropriate amount of hollandlac brilliant, tinted to the color of your choice. he and his cohorts are as fabulous as their paint, and can match any hue in any fan-deck. no other brand has the depth of gloss that fpe does. (and mrs. jones does not receive so much as an extra stir-stick for this endorsement of their product…having tried everything out there for gloss, this is my unbiased, un-compensated opinion.)

(*putting a high-gloss topcoat over an acrylic or latex enamel has not been successful for me…but i would love to hear other thoughts on this! i’ve always ended up with a base coat that crinkles up once the topcoat is applied. heartbreaking, and worse – starting over! )

with a clean brush (i love the shortcut from wooster…but this is a chance to break out your best purdy or omega, too) and thoroughly stirred paint, lay the color on, avoiding excess brushing but finishing each section or surface with long, smooth strokes. a brush that does not carry enough paint to the surface will result in a skippy, orange-peel looking finish, but over-loading your brush causes “sagging“, so take care to get a nice, moderate amount of paint on just the tips of your brush bristles…dipping the bottom 1/2 inch into the paint should be just right. as you apply paint, brush from an unpainted area back in to the wet paint you’ve just put on…this is important, so that you won’t over-brush the paint or thin out what’s on the surface:

when you have finished, clean your brush with the barest amount of mineral spirits possible, leave the room and don’t come back until the next day. i’m serious about this – you’ll just stir up dust by walking through, and the piece will look so beautiful you’ll want to touch it…don’t. the products you’re using will require at least an overnight dry in between coats…walk away.

once the paint is completely and thoroughly dry, give it a light sanding with 400-grit paper. (in our memphis humidity, drying can take up to 72 hours before you can safely sand again.) this will smooth out any little mistakes and will give the second coat a little “tooth” to hold on to. once again, wait for the dust to settle. vacuum or swap out your drop cloth, run the swiffer pad around, and wipe down the piece with a tack cloth.

apply a second coat of paint, same way. if you’re using hollandlac, once your piece is dry, you’re done! if not, now you’ll follow the same instructions as above for your topcoat: light sanding with 400, clean up all the dust, tack the piece. with a clean, dry (no solvent/cleaner dripping out) brush, apply the high-gloss poly, taking care to make sure that you’re covering everything smoothly and evenly. clean your brush, and step away overnight. you may need to repeat these topcoat steps…use your judgement when everything is dry. if you’ve missed places or it needs more protection, add another coat.

so, a quick review: sand & fill, clean & tack, prime. sand, tack, paint. repeat. repeat again for polyurethane topcoat.

now, put the hardware on, put the drawers back in, and enjoy!

from glum to glam

January 13, 2013 by Mrs. Jones Admin

this cute but time-worn nightstand is making the transition from a grandmother’s attic to a a very stylish 9-year-old girl’s room. before any of you mahogany/walnut/cherry-lovers out there rush to judge mrs. jones, please keep in mind that this piece was in dire need of refinishing…and isn’t it better to have it back in use, rather than hidden away in a hot, humid attic? i truly think so…but know that there will be other opinions. (which i hope will be kindly expressed.) all that aside, here is the before:

my lovely client requested a high-gloss silver finish to work with lillian’s grown-up new lilac and gray bedroom scheme. (on-site photos with the cute back-ordered crystal knobs have been promised.) in the meantime, here is the pre-delivery after:

this piece required a little sanding to smooth out the surface. as you know, with a glossy finish, the smallest imperfections are magnified…that little speck of something or another can end up looking like a boulder. so, sanding and tacking away all the dust and grit is really important.

i primed first with stix, a great water-based undercoat, and then painted on two coats of modern masters’ metallic in silver.

after another sanding and wipe-down, two coats of high-gloss polyurethane went on, for the depth, shine, and durability that lillian’s mom asked for. the poly does have an amber tone to it (which in some environments may deepen over time) but i really like the way it mellows out the silver and warms it up a little. it’s tricky to use this topcoat over light paint colors, but over metallics it gives a nice softening effect. i think that the brighter look really plays up the cute details on this piece.

wash & wax, please

December 15, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

my lovely clients had this pair of nightstands made a few years ago. the finish was fantastic, but in the wrong color scheme for their current look, and they were ready for something new. hope wilkerson is working with them on a brilliant re-fresh and renovation, and their new master suite will be much more modern, lighter and cooler, in shades of white and gray.

here is the circa-1988 before:

and the beginning of the after:

the finish was done using matte paint and wax. the base coat is a bright clean white, with a wash of gray. how to do a wash, you ask?

my favorite method is to take a brush dampened with water, dip it into the paint, brush it quickly across the surface, then wipe back gently with a clean cloth. the wash settles into any texture. with the right paint, you can tweak the wash endlessly, spritzing it with water, using a damp cloth to remove more, brushing again to add back in…just get it the way you like it, and then step away for a little while.

after the paint is good and dry, seal the surface with clear wax. (if you haven’t done this before, it’s a simple process: apply the wax with a brush or cloth to one section of your piece at a time, working it into the paint, and then wipe back the excess right away.)

the final touch my client requested was a bit of tailored detailing with pewter gilding wax. using low-tack painter’s tape to create the “boxes”, i used my finger and a soft cloth to add the lined details.

the nightstands still await their new chunky, square crystal pulls, and their new room is not finished yet, so final photos will not be ready until after the holidays…i hope you’ll check back in a few weeks to see all the details.

{so many different color combinations make for a beautiful washed look…come by and see our samples sometime…or better yet, come to a workshop and create your own.}

hybrid farm table

July 6, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

here is another table created by my neighbor, gary (the salvage king), from around the corner at gary’s antiques. using a set of reclaimed legs, he built a table for me to use in the classroom at the studio. (it also comes in handy when friends come to lunch.)

here is the before:

kim used a dark gray as a base coat on the top, and did a fabulous job on the apron and legs with off-white and a dark tinted wax. i added a little water-spotted wash on top using a soft blue, to give a sort of weathered zinc appearance.

to create this look takes a little bit of trial and error. working one plank at a time over the dry gray paint, i brushed a mix of 50% blue chalk paint and 50% water across the surface, using a 3″ chip brush and long strokes. where the ‘wash’ layer needed a little more softening or blending, i pulled it with a soft t-shirt rag, giving a strie look. in some places, i spritzed the wash with water, allowed that to sit for a minute, and then gently patted those areas with cheesecloth, absorbing the excess water and creating spots.

kim finished it off with clear wax, some streaks of brown wax, and a good buffing.

scullery table

June 20, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

do you remember the feature in domino – “turn this outfit into a room” – where the editors would choose a stylish ensemble and challenge a designer to turn the elements into a room? well, this ad from elizabeth locke has been at the top of my tear-sheet stack for a while, and so i decided to play a version of the domino game with it.

this sweet old table came from one of my favorite junque-ing stops, gary’s antiques. it was perched out in his parking lot, missing its leaves, and had a broken faux-brass foot. the top was in terrible shape, with the old varnish coming off in huge flakes. with rain headed our way, gary was willing to make a quick bargain, and the deal was done.

here is the before:

kim and i decided this would be a perfect chalk paint™ project to team up on, and that it might be fun to follow the look of the ad and go a little over-the-top feminine, since this is often where an impromptu sort of tea party happens when clients or students are at the studio. (it’s also where you will find the wine or the gin & tonic bar at an evening event here. take note.)

after sanding the top to remove the peeling varnish, we began to apply old white…but the stain, having been released from its vigilant old topcoat, bloomed through. (which is something that has happens on occasion with pieces of this vintage, and with all other sorts of paint too – casein, alkyd, acrylic…it’s a stain issue, not a paint thing. and if it happens to you, it’s not because you’re doing anything wrong.)

two quick coats of clear shellac sealed the stain back in its place again, and after another light sanding, the old white went on without further fuss.

using arles and the large allover brocade (one of my favorites from royal design studio), i added a little pattern on the top.

kim painted the pedestal base in old violet, a nice complement to the arles, and i ran a stripe of it around the edge of the top, too, as an undercoat for a band of distressed gold leaf.

waxed and buffed, it’s now in service in the scullery at the studio, and gary can’t have it back. ever.

come on in.

March 11, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

when you arrive at 889 south cooper street, (and i hope you will, soon!) you’ll step in through a wrought-iron front door (freshly painted in behr’s rhino, #710e.30) to a small hallway that is paneled in that plastic-y stuff – you know, the man-made faux wood – popluar, i think, in the ’60’s. there have been so many remodelings over the years to the little 1922 cottage and former beauty parlor that now houses my studio & shop that my (adorable, agreeable) landlady and i are not sure when this was added. but we knew that it would be easier and much less expensive to try to camouflauge the damaged, un-fabulous walls than to float them and start over. here is what it looked like before:

so, the fix for now: prime. fill all possible holes, gaps, and dents. paint. (sherwin-williams’ origami white, #7636.)

and then: use project as an excuse to indulge my obsession for blue willow yet again, enabled by a fabulous helen morris-designed stencil, willow pattern. register, paint, repeat.

(if you’ve never stenciled an all-over pattern that has a definite “story”, like this one, here’s a tip: begin by placing the stencil in the center of the wall, and then work out and around.)

to further distract you from the shape the walls are in – and to evoke the origin of the pattern – the next layers were two-step craqueleur to give a crazed porcelain effect. step 1 is applied quickly with a foam roller, while step 2 is brushed on (also quickly.)

depending on how heavily step 2 is applied, the crackle is tiny (thin layer, as on the birds) or big and alligator-like (thick layer, on the tree.)

the craqueleur dries clear, and only shows where you rub a pigmented glaze, thinned-down paint, or tinted wax over it. (fun to play with – kind of like invisible ink.) so, a waterborne glazing medium tinted with raw umber went on next, and was softened up and pushed into the cracks with cheesecloth.

once that was dry, two coats of varnish were brushed on to protect the finish….flat so as to further disguise imperfections…the bonus being that it gives the look of old wallpaper.

the interior door is original to the house, but had been covered in more of the ill-advised burnt caramel paint that coated every surface of the shop:

as i scraped back and sanded the door, i found that it had been blue, under the caramel, white, and red.

my lovely landlady is thrilled that we are now back to a shade close to the original, when her grandmother lived here. (i used a favorite blue, farrow & ball’s oval room blue, #85, for the door and the stenciling. the door is done in hollandlac brilliant tinted to match – thank you, emmett! – while the stenciling was done using part of the contents of a sample pot.

please check back soon for the final version of the hallway. it’s about to get even yummier, i hope. or better yet, drop in and see me at the coop.

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crowning touch

February 22, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

another project for rodgers menzies’ lovely client…a long-time member of a carnival memphis crewe, and (to me, at least) local royalty, it totally fits that a crown is her favorite motif. after a remodeling of her bathroom, she requested a wall treatment that included soft stripes and gold crowns.

for the right stencil, mrs. jones went straight to helen morris. who else but she, reigning stencil-designing queen of the united kingdom and beyond, could create a better diadem?

rodgers asked for glazed stripes on a ground of benjamin moore’s powell buff (# hc.35.) here is part of the room, before:

when our first stripe choice, standish white (# hc.32.), wasn’t quite light enough, i added a little glacier white, # oc.37. after taping off six-inch stripes using my trusty laser-level and 3m’s delicate-surface tape, i used a chip brush to apply the white glaze strie-style. (a process note: to make things feel nice and symmetrical on areas like the ones here around the bathtub and the water closet, start with a stripe in the center and then work out in either direction.)(and yes, you too might have to put little bits of “reminder” tape into stripes that are not to be glazed. then again, you may be younger and more clever than mrs. jones.)

rodgers and i gridded out the spots for the crowns with little re-used bits of tape.

they went on first with modern masters olympic gold. after the paint dried, i re-stenciled each crown with water-based size, and then brushed on gold leaf. (each sheet of leaf covered 3 crowns.) a gentle burnishing to remove the excess, and they were done.

this elegant old home has some of the most fabulous fixtures…i adore that our lovely client refused to change them out. gold dolphins, baby mermaids, beautiful marble, crystal towel bars and more are all at home here. behold:

(did i mention she likes crowns?)

fast-forward black cabinets

October 4, 2011 by Mrs. Jones Admin

for those of you loyal readers waiting patiently to see our bathroom re-do“afters”…those are coming very soon! construction was indeed finished by labor day as frank promised…except for one key feature, the mirror. we are now awaiting installation attempt #4. it’s one of the simplest and least expensive elements, and yet (apparently) so difficult to get right. as soon as it’s in and paint is touched up, i will be happy to share images and all the details with you.

in the meantime, the cabinets are done, and i thought you might want to see them. in a room where mrs. jones (vainly, and in vain) will employ all manner of treatments and products attempting to slow down the passage of time and its toll on herself, it felt right to speed up the appearance of the passage of time on the vanity. there you go…a little irony for your tuesday.

here they are going in:

and getting started on the finish:

after staining with minwax american walnut in their water-based formula (both for depth and to reveal color where the paint is distressed later), the next layer is annie sloan’s chalk paint in old white, thickened to what annie describes as an “impasto”. to suit our 1940 home, and to contrast with all the sleek and cool marble and tile surfaces, i wanted the cabinets to have the look of having been painted and repainted over the years; to be crusty, warm, and slightly worn. the impasto layer gives the look of old-school gesso, showing brush strokes (in a good way), and leaving some desirable (for this project) gookiness in the corners.

the plan was for the subsequent layers to be in ascp graphite, but even after tinting it with more lamp black, and raw & burnt umber, i just couldn’t get the exact black that i was after. graphite is beautiful, and will definitely be the shining star in an upcoming project, but – in search of a quick solution – i turned to the tried and true milk paint that was already on hand.

{edit…2.25.12…knowing what i know now about chalk paint®, i would be able to tint it properly…but milk paint worked just fine.}

mixing it and letting it sit overnight gave the paint just the right slubby, brushy texture. after two coats of black, the next step was to scrape a little tiny bit back off at the corners, on the edges, and near the knobs. using more of the water-based stain on a sea sponge to soften up the paint and a putty knife, i chipped a few little spots away to reveal the layers beneath. (mrs. sloan also recommends using sandpaper to rub back, but for this project, i went with the more surgical nip-&-tuck-type technique.)

finally, two layers of annie’s wax: clear (which has a gorgeous mellowing effect on the milk paint), and then dark brown (to complete the finish with warmth and toning, and to seal the paint up tight), with an overnight dry (memphis humidity!) in between. while the dark wax was still tacky, rottenstone was tapped in (a la richard martin, see photo just below) especially to the grooves and corners. the rottenstone gives an extra touch of age and grittiness, and – as a super-fine abrasive – also aids in rubbing out the wax. several old-t-shirt buffings later, the cabinets have the yummy polished gleam of old furniture.

a drawer before and after the wax is applied and buffed (or, after and then before – sorry!):

and then, just add snazzy hardware: the gado gado pulls i craved, that selena mcadams tracked down for me.

now, to gush for just a moment: i am a huge new fan of annie sloan and her chalk paint® (which has been around in the uk for years, but has only recently become available in the united states). for more inspiration directly from the source, take a look at her books, such as creating the french look (which actually instructs in so much more than that. the french look, i mean.) several finishing studios around the country are selling her complete line and offering classes and online videos on her techniques…something you will want to investigate further. her palette, the ease of use of her products, and the authenticity of the many different looks you can acheive make her line very unique. the fact that you can skip over a lot of laborious prep-work? annie is staging a most welcome british invasion.

mail call

July 18, 2011 by Mrs. Jones Admin

with the young joneses away at camp, mrs. jones has been optimistically checking the mailbox…alas, no notes yet. (and, now that we’re looking at it, a fresh coat of paint on the box while they’re gone might be a good idea.) but a couple of great product & process questions have arrived via the comment-box here, and just in case you may want to know the answers, too, here you go:

first, regarding this railing project, from my friend deborah at the beautiful blog boxwood terrace: did you just rub the wax onto the railing and then seal it? i have a boring wood banister/balustrades–basically round dowels–on my staircase and wonder if I could duplicate the look…?

answer: using gilt wax (in this case, over black paint) is even easier than that. for that particular look, i applied small amounts of each color, putting it on in streaks with my fingers. then, using a tiny bit of penetrol on a soft brush, blended them just a little. when the wax is good and dry, a quick buffing with an old t-shirt hardens the wax and seals the finish.

next, a query on these glazed curtain rods, from lori: i plan on doing a similar finish (prime + paint + glaze) on an old dining room set. because the furniture will be high-use, i’d like to use a hard oil-based paint; will it need to be flat/low sheen in order to properly accept the glaze? i’d like the high-sheen look of your white corner chairs with glaze in the nooks and crannies…but don’t want the inevitable yellowing that would come with a polyurethane topcoat.
any suggestions or guidance is much appreciated!

this answer requires a bit more detail…: high-use furniture can indeed benefit from oil-based paint, but the newer acrylic enamels are truly durable, easier to work with, and (obviously) more environmentally friendly. and when you’re going to apply a wax or topcoat, having that oil-based finish does not matter nearly as much. just remember that preparation and the right primer are key for durability.

paint-wise, for a project like this, i especially like benjamin moore’s aura line, but can also highly recommend behr’s “premium plus” interior enamel. whatever paint you use, an eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss surface is best for glazing. flat or matte finishes tend to “grab” too much glaze and give you a shorter working time. and, of course, oil-based glaze will adhere to either oil-based or acrylic paints, while acrylic or water-based glazes only work over waterbourne or acrylic base coats.

now, as far as a topcoat, you are absolutely right about the yellowing – a problem with oil-based varnishes that simply can’t be avoided. on lighter colors when a very high shine is required, i use fine paints of europe’s hollandlac, or two coats of bowling alley wax over the painted finish, buffed to the highest sheen possible. for deeper colors, where the amber color in the varnish won’t be a factor, a coat or two of benjamin moore’s polyurethane in high gloss does the trick. (i have not found an acrylic high-gloss product that is anywhere near good enough…if anyone out there knows of one, please leave a comment! the acrylic topcoats dry very quickly, leaving ropy brush marks, while the oil-based formulas have time to level out, giving that mirror-like gloss and – just as crucial – depth.)

remember when applying a high-gloss finish, every little flaw will show, so again, your preparation is key. using a fine-grit sandpaper (280 or 400) followed by a throrough vacuuming (with your brush attachment) and then a careful going-over with a tack-cloth before you topcoat, and in between every coat, is super important here for a good result. you’ll also want to make your workspace as dust-free as possible, and turn off your fan and hvac system while you’re working, and until the piece is dry, to prevent any dust floating around that might mar your finish.

feeling confident that you all will be better correspondents than my children: please send photos of your projects when they are done, i can’t wait to see how beautifully your things turn out. good luck!