DIY & Chalk Paint Review

Back in April {yes, April}, I was given this cute little stand, along with some other treasures.

Remember?

Well, I finally got the thing painted. It only took a couple of months. I had been wanting to try Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint for quite some time now and thought this was the perfect little project to start with. I picked up some Pure White & Duck Egg for colours and opted to paint the stand Duck Egg.

I read lots of reviews & tips & watched some youtube videos before starting.

This paint really is all it's cracked up to be. No sanding, no priming. Just slap it on and you're seriously good to go. I wiped the piece down with a wet cloth just to clear it of any dirt & dust, and then once it was dry I got to it. I ended up doing two coats and still have more than half of the little container left. I will say that I did thin the paint out slightly with a small {and I do mean small} amount of water. I simply poured a bit of paint into a separate container and added the water that way. I read up on this before hand. If you've never used chalk paint before I'd recommend reading some reviews for tips and/or watching some youtube tutorials. Not because the paint is hard to use, but because there are a lot of great tips out there :)

As you can see I opted out of filling in cracks etc. on the top. I thought that I'd leave it and it would add to the character of the piece. I'm glad I did!

Other things I loved about this paint?

It didn't smell {I painted the piece in my apartment}, and it dried so fast.
Once the piece was painted I used the Annie Sloan clear wax on the stand to finish. I did let it sit for a week or so before setting anything on it. From what I read it's recommended to let a piece cure for about 20-30 days. However, the little stand I painted doesn't really get a beating, so after about a week I put it back by our sofa as a catch all for books & coffee mugs.

I really love how it turned out and I like the colour it adds to our living room! Like I said, it's a great little stand for holding books, remotes, or drinks. Plus, it fits perfectly in the little nook by the patio door.

So tell me, have you painted anything with chalk paint? Have any tips to share?

I know that I'll definitely be using it again!