Pages

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Trying a New Type of Paint

It took me a long time to finally put paint to furniture.  I read blogs, and watched videos for several months before taking my first stab at reloving a piece of furniture.  I decided the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint products made the most sense for me....and so it has been.  However, I like the look of black painted furniture, and as you may already know, ASCP's Graphite is not a true black.  I've been able to add color to get it to a truer black, but when I started seeing pieces in General Finishes Lamp Black, I knew I had to give it a try. 

In my usual RPK fashion, I read, studied and asked questions about this product.  It is because of Suzanne at The Painted Drawer, Cassie at Primitive and Proper, and most especially, Chrissie at Chrissie's Collection, that I found the courage to give it a shot.  

We've all seen these lovely serpentine styled dressers....


I acquired another one similar to this one (sorry no before picture).  As always, I stripped and sanded the top, which revealed a lovely mahogany, with no issues!  Yay!  Dark Walnut stain, and several coats of poly finished off the top beautifully.

Next was the prep work for this new product.  I sanded the piece down well, probably more aggressively than when I use ASCP.  But everything else was the same....clean it really well and start painting.

When I opened the Lamp Black, it definitely had a blue hue to it....Hmmm...well, let's give it a good stir and see what we get.

The shade of black was perfect and the application of the paint was a breeze.  It is different than chalk paint...so much more smooth.  I found my technique in applying it needed to be adjusted (much easier to have drips with this paint), but two easy coats gave the piece full coverage.

There is a longer drying time (especially in this cold weather) so that is a small factor to consider.  I like to sand in between coats, and it sands beautifully.  Although the finish is not chalky feeling, I still opted to wax it.  I love MissMustard Seed wax, and it took the wax nicely.  A good buffing provided a lovely, soft sheen.



The hardware got a good cleaning and polishing, which revealed those stunning brass pulls.


I still sigh when I can restore the top of a piece....



I consider this a success and will be trying out this paint on other future projects....I love it....

Thank you, Suzanne, Cassie and Chrissie for sharing your knowledge!

And in case you are wondering, I have not be compensated in any way for this post!  I just wanted to share my experience in case someone else was wondering what this "new" paint is all about!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Linking up at:









24 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Aw, Reeves, thank you! I really should have given you a mention, too, because I have stalked your site, and studied your work until my eyes are blurred! :)

      Delete
  2. Turned out so pretty and that top is gorgeous! I don't think I've ever gotten my hardware that nice by cleaning it - what did you use? :)
    Stephanie

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh i love it! you know i love lamp black! :) thank you so much for the shout out- gorgeous as always, robin!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is just gorgeous! I am loving black with dark wood right now and the brass puts it over the top! Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kathleen! The crazy thing is I never know what the piece is going to end up looking like when I first start a project...but over time, it starts to reveal itself! They really do take on a life of their own! :)

      Delete
  5. Robin, that piece is stunning. You do amazing work. That top - wow!!
    Thanks for mentioning me in your post. You are so sweet!
    Cheers, Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm not sure what paint you used here. I love the look, would really appreciate knowing the brand of paint and what you used on the brass pulls. Thanks sooooooooooooooo much!!
    Joye
    joutlar44@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joye! I used General Finishes Milk Paint, color Lamp Black. As for the hardware, well that was just a whole lot of scrubbing! :) I am glad you liked the way it turned out!
      Robin

      Delete
  7. Very nice! I've been looking for the perfect black finish...sounds like this might be it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marie,
      If you decide to try it, I hope you'll stop back by and share your thoughts on using it!
      Thanks for taking a moment to comment. I really do appreciate it!
      Robin

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. Hi Lisa, I am in Southeast Virginia (Norfolk, Va Beach area)....This classic piece has already found a loving home. Thank you so much for the interest!
      Robin

      Delete
  9. Thank you, Martina! I appreciate your taking the time to comment!

    ReplyDelete
  10. The dresser looks gorgeous. I've never used General Finishes. Did you have to add boding agent and it looks like it already comes mixed. Would love to hear more about it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lamp Black is my first choice for black too. It never lets me down. Just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sharon and thank you so much for including me in your features this week!

      Delete
  12. Beautiful job, the lamp black is gorgeous with the natural finish top. I would love to hear more about this paint too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Candy, I will do a better job of outlining my steps on my next project with the General Finishes Milk Paint...and maybe even remembering to take a few pictures along the way! Ha!
      Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  13. I love this transformation! I have a buffet that looks almost exactly like this, but it has cabinets on the bottom instead of drawers. I have been trying to decide what to do with it. I have a question though. You mentioned that you sand things down even with chalk paint. I thought the purpose of chalk paint was that you don't need to sand things down. With the paint you actually used, did the directions say you have to sand it, or did you decide to do it on yoru own. I was just wondering. I love the finish on this, it is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  14. you are certainly a master at this furniture painting gig Robin. this is so beautiful and i love how you restore the tops. That black is fantastic. I'm also about to try a new (australian) black out.
    fiona x

    ReplyDelete
  15. I haven't tried General Finishes paint yet, getting some samples. But my favorite black chalk paint is Old Town Paints True Black. Not a fan of some others I tried before.

    ReplyDelete
  16. nice article, using great equipment to renovate a house will fasten your work, besides it will produce you with smooth result!

    ReplyDelete