::Marcie and My DIY Chalk Paint Review::

PSSSST...I'm no longer blogging here!

You can now find me at

www.acottagegirl.com

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I'm learning fast that most pieces I pick up to flip are gonna take more time than I expect.

When you're working with old, character-filled, vintage furniture they are just about always gonna need some TLC.  Those that don't are the exception.

Case in point: I picked up this beauty for $5 at a yard sale (had already begun filling holes, and hubs had re-glued the bottom....notice the redneck bungee cord clamps?)

Unfortunately, after all the hard work he put in repairing the broken parts, when it dried we realized our lack of measuring meant the bottom drawer would not go back in....you can see it sticking out a bit in the pic above.

Which meant this:

A big, fat do-over. (sad face)

Hubs was a trooper, though, and I was finally able to finish her up for the sale this past weekend.  In my hurry to finish her, she didn't get a proper photo shoot, and I only got the one pic at the top of the post. Thankfully one of my Maven's snapped this pic from that day.  This is Marcie:

I used DIY chalk paint in a creamy white and a pale blue gray, and distressed her.  Sprayed the original handles white.  She sold to a gal who came back 3 different times :)

So, speaking of DIY chalk paint....I've fiddled with several recipes from Pinterest.  They all work fine, as I mentioned in THIS POST, but my favorite is simple calcium carbonate with a bit of water mixed into a quart of Sherwin Williams Color to Go.  I had been adding equal parts primer and sample paint as the samples don't have all the bonding stuff that regular paint does....but it dilutes the color a bit....for instance the grey drawers on Marcie is 'Comfort Gray', but diluted with the primer.

I just redid a desk using just calcium carb and the sample, and it worked just as well.  So I think I'll skip the primer, at least with SW sample quarts.

I use Diane's recipe from In My Own Style, and honestly that post can tell you anything I can but better. :)  She did a great job.

If I had unlimited funds for painting furniture, I would only use CeCe Caldwell and American Paint Co. products (and maybe milk paint too).  I'm finding that working with latex almost everyday leaves me worried about the toxins.  I'm susceptible to migraines, and in the heat, I've had to be careful.  I also worry about all the latex going down my drains when I clean my brushes......and DIY chalk paint doesn't distress or take wax quite as well as a the boutique brands.  Not enough for most to notice, but I do since I work with it so often.

Since I don't have unlimited funds, I'll continue to make my own, and purchase the boutique brands when I have some extra greenbacks floating around.  My hope is that I'll begin seeing enough profit from selling pieces (and using up the DIY and other products I'm not crazy about) to begin to use CeCe and APC exclusively.

What fun all this playing with paint is for me!  I'll have a review of Shabby Paints up later this week.

Marcie parties at: Mod Vintage Life, The DIY Show Off, Artsy Chicks Rule, Knick of Time, Farmhouse Porch, A Stroll Thru Life, Cozy Little House, Coastal Charm, Three Mango Seeds, The Charm of Home, Fluster Buster, Elizabeth & Co., Green Willow Pond, Domestically Speaking, City Farmhouse, Lilyfield Life, No Minimalist Here, Stone Gable, Start At Home, The Vintage Farmhouse, The Koenigs, Common Ground, The Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Jennifer Rizzo, Redoux Interiors, Mustard Seed Interiors, Craftberry Bush, Liz Marie Blog, My Repurposed Life, The Cottage Market, DIY Vintage Chic, Funky Junk Interiors