Refurbished Buffet Table

Another rainy day project that just took a weekend from start to finish.   The buffet below was a thrift store find for only $35.00.  It was very dark mahogany in need of a facelift to fit into my Country French collection of furniture.  I stated, as usual, cleaning the entire buffet with mineral spirits to take off any grease, dirt, or grime.  That is the beauty of chalk paint as that's the only preparation you need. 

Step 1  I used crackle paint by Annie Sloan and painted the entire piece.  Let it completely dry.  Normally you put crackle paint on top of your first coat of paint to show that color thru the second coat of paint; however, I wanted the wood to show thru the layer of paint so doing the crackle first was an experiment and it worked to achieve the result I was looking for.  Crackling techniques 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBuvy4RfN0M

Step 2  I put Annie Sloan Duck egg blue, Paris Gray and French Linen, and olive on a paper plate(do not mix)  I put my brush in all three colors at once and began painting.  This creates a mixture of colors.  I let this dry completely.  As it began to dry, it crackled and the wood showed thru which created a very distressed look.

Step 3  I painted the sides and bottom of the buffet with the same procedure as step two only using Country Gray and Old World.  They crackled as well.   All by Annie Sloan.

Step 4  I used a technique called Frottage only on the drawers. I painted the olive on the dresser drawers and while it was still wet, I crumpled a brown paper bag good and tight and unfolded it and just gently worked it into the wet paint.  It creates a look like a drawing on your paint.  Dry completely.

Step 5  I always mix dark wax with white wax.  The reason behind: you can always make your wax darker but it is much more difficult to go lighter.  I put the wax on with a good wax brush and then buff it to a nice finish.  I cut my husband's old white tee shirts to use as my polish cloth. You can also use just Johnson and Johnson wax; however, it will not achieve that distressed look.   This sets everything.  Add a coat of varnish if you wish for added protection.  I find Gator Hide by Dixie Belle to be an excellent product and if I do not want the look of waxing to create an old look, I just finish with the gator Hide.  

https://www.blueskydesignsupply.com/how-to-frottage-with-chalk-paint/

If you have any questions, please comment below, as I have a lot of tips and short cuts for you.