I receive questions about the proper process to apply Annie’s Clear Wax over Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™. I hope this analogy helps in your understanding of how thin to apply it.

When you wash your hair and put conditioner on it- what do you do next?

You wash it all off. And why is that?

Because your hair absorbs only what it needs. If you leave extra conditioner on your hair thinking it is going to make your hair better, what does it actually do?

It gives you a lousy hair day. This same concept applies to the wax. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ will absorb the wax that it needs. All excess beyond that- will just sit on your piece and make it feel tacky, gunny, or even sticky.

Now- some of you may be thinking- how do I know if I have too much wax?

A. When you apply the wax- if you can run your finger across it and see a mark or a ridge left behind- YOU HAVE TOO MUCH WAX on it! : )
B. Your project was a small side table or short shelf unit and you used a half tin of wax. guess what…YOU HAVE TOO MUCH WAX on it!

Keep in mind- even if you applied too much wax it is not horrible if you like the look of your piece! So, do not worry about it! And move on to your next project- be more aware or present when you apply the wax.

But again -you know you have too much wax or your wax is uneven when you see streaking in the wax. But all is not lost if this is your situation! And again- we want you to LOVE your piece and want to prevent you from using too much wax because it causes more work for you and wastes your product.

So… to remove excess dried wax:
1. Take a clean lint free rag (an old undershirt works great)
2. Grab your low odor mineral spirits (I have found that the “GREEN” mineral spirits do not work well for this application) and put your cloth on the mouth of the container and get 2 dabs of it on the rag. DO NOT SATURATE the rag with mineral- we do NOT want a wet rag dripping mineral spirits.
3. “Wipe” the excess wax off your piece. Do not scrub- and do not work in a small circular motion- you want to remove the wax evenly. So wipe from side to side.

Another option- in case someone has a smaller piece and does not want to bother with the mineral spirits- is to:

1. Let your wax totally dry
2. Sand lightly if surface seems uneven
3. Blow or wipe off dust
4. Re-paint with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ right over what you have done! No stripping or priming necessary!

But- let’s try to avoid this! I don’t want you to waste your time or product.
If you are local to me- I would invite you into my shop for a free quick demo on waxing! : )