So my sweet friend Krystal wanted to update her oak kitchen cabinets in a big way. For like 10 years she wanted to update them. A decade of cabinet dissatisfaction is enough. That is why I was super excited when the chance to use Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan came my way. Today I am sharing how we seized the opportunity, using the Chalk Paint® in colors Old White and Graphite, in addition to the Clear Soft Wax to create the look she was after!
Annie Sloan Unfolded sent us the paints and wax. This paint is simply amazing. More about that later. For brushes, what to use depends on the look you are trying to achieve. We wanted texture and messiness, and we knew we would be distressing with sandpaper after painting, so we went with the cheap chip brushes you can find in the dollar bin at your local craft store. There is a wide variety of techniques to use and looks to achieve with these products. A fantastic place to start is with Annie Sloan’s numerous books on the use of paint in decorating.
Here you can see the oak cabinets before we got at them.
Not so great, right?
We decided to go multicolor, Old white on top, Graphite on the bottom.
We just removed the doors and started painting them and the frames.
NO PRIMING, NO SANDING.
This paint is amazing. It looks wonderful and takes no prep. Um, yes please.
It dried super fast. We did 2 light layers, letting dry about 20 minutes between. For a distressed look, we lightly sanded the edges and corners randomly on the cabinet doors. A little bit of distressing goes a long way!
After distressing, we applied the wax with a polyurethane brush. Super easy!
The coverage of this paint is unbelievable, really. I use a lot of different paints in my projects, and this is tops. Granted it is more expensive than other options, but the difference in quality is significant.
This entire project was about 24 hours in duration!
What a huge difference! Remember the yellow above the cabinets…
We painted it Old White and added crown molding. For more on how to install crown molding, see my first experience here!
I think the biggest surprise for all of us involved in the project is the countertops. That’s right. We were making plans to do a countertop transformation after painting the cabinets. We were just certain the new cabinets were going to make that totally urgent. We found the opposite! Somehow, the pinkish/mauve looks adorable with the Graphite and Old White! Did not see that coming at all.
If you want to transform your from outdated to rich and beautiful, this is a great option!
Find everything you need to get going here:
- Find a Retailer or Stockist
- Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan
- Annie Sloan Soft Wax, Fabrics and Books
- Annie Sloan Unfolded Facebook fan page, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube
