One of our sister stockists inspired us to spruce up our shop by applying Iron Orchid Designs Decor Transfers to our front doors! This was such an easy way to totally transform the first thing our customers see in our shop. Typically, transfers are used over a painted, or even unpainted, piece of furniture, and then sealed. The IOD Sisters say they prefer using wax to seal their transfers…and so do we! On glass, however, no sealant is required! We are eager to see how the transfers will hold up through the New York winters, seeing as how they are applied on the exterior of our glass doors. So far, they have been on for a couple months and they look just as good as the first day they were applied!
One of the great things about IOD Transfers is they do not have to be used exactly how they are printed. That means, you can cut the piece of acetate the designs are on and place different areas in different orientations, which is exactly what we did on our doors! We used multiple transfers in multiple different ways….Here is a list of the transfers that were used:
The main transfer we used was Midnight Garden. We cut this transfer right down the middle, and placed one half on one side of the doors, and the other half on the other side! Then we used the other two transfers, Wildflower Botanicals and Ladies in Waiting as “fillers” for the remainder of the empty space on the doors. These transfers are great because multiple people could use the same transfer, but each project would look totally unique!
Applying Transfers to Glass: This application can take a little more patience than applying a transfer onto a painted surface. Glass is not as porous of a surface, so we had to apply a bit more pressure to allow the transfers to fully adhere to our doors!
Here is a photo of the finished product! See below for the full video on how we completed this project.
NOTE – some transfers, like the close-up shown below, are already slightly distressed! This allows for a naturally distressed look without having to sand….In those areas your glass, or paint color, will show through.
It was such a beautiful day and our sidewalk in front of our Macedon. NY shop, is anything but – we decided to try what we could to give it a facelift. So, we broke out the Old White Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan and painted a section of it. Chalk Paint® is an indoor and outdoor paint- so I can use it on my kitchen cabinets and ~ I can paint my front walkway. In fact, notice in the photo below the rectangular shaped black section near the curb? As a testament of how long Chalk Paint® will last outside- that was from a container of Graphite Chalk Paint® that fell from a shipment during being unloaded and leaked – like over THREE years ago. Although you can seal the Chalk Paint® with Annie’s Lacquer that is for both inside and out- I do not plan on doing that – and quite frankly- not sure I would recommend it on concrete slabs because moisture will be coming from the bottom up – and the Lacquer on top outside on the slab- I do not believe will fair well. So, leave the Chalk Paint on a sidewalk or outside concrete slab without Lacquer because of that.
PREP THE OCNCRETE: It needs to be clean. I did not power wash prior- although that is a great idea and if you do, let the concrete have a few dry days to really dry out. I did however, broom sweep the space to remove as much of the dirt and debris that was there.
PAINT: We then shook our can of Old White Chalk Paint® and applied a nice liberal coat using our Annie Sloan LARGE Paint Brush. Keep in mind- we normally recommend thinning the Chalk Paint® with water prior.
THINNING CHALK PAINT® WITH WATER: This is most important during your initial application of Chalk Paint®. You may ask why we recommend this. Concrete or cement is porous. That is why if you spill something on it – often- you cannot remove all of the stain since it has been absorbed into the concrete. Chalk Paint®- when thinned with some water – will permeate the concrete and get absorbed….. this will give you a better concentrated color and stretch your paint some. With a second coat – thinning is beneficial for ease of application too – but perhaps use less water.
WHAT TOOL TO USE FOR APPLYING CHALK PAINT®? The answer depends on what you are doing. If trying to cover a large surface area…I would use a foam roller. If doing these super large stencils- then I would recommend Annie Sloan’s Oval Brush. This brush is perfect for a big project like this because we wanted to cover quite a bit of surface area and it holds paint really well. Because of the architecture of the top of the bristles, it gets into the nooks and crannies of the concrete really well. I sort of cheated- I literally poured paint out on the concrete and then, spread it around. I made sure to paint within the lines…LOL I wanted to look crisp on the edges.
Painting is therapeutic and a lot of fun- so Hannah joined in on this. This project took about 40 minutes to do total and we used about 1 container of paint. The concrete is quite porous and did drink up the paint.
The crazy thing, was the following day we were hit substantial rain. The amount of rain we received was noted as 10 inches per hour by the newschannel and it rained for a solid 30 minutes. Somewhat unusual to have that much rain in such a short time in NY. Good news was- the rain did not hurt our Old White Chalk Paint® at all.
We had been waiting for a good time when we could add some additional color to the walk- so Hannah grabbed a large stencil we had by Cutting Edge Stencils. So far, we have decided to use Antibes Green, Florence and Aubusson Blue.
Using a little painter’s tape to hold the stencil in place- we applied the paint using a roller, a paint brush by Annie and also a flat head round brush (all are shown in photo above.) Personally, on the concrete – I liked the flat head round brush, but if we were painting on linoleum or smooth tile…I think I would have love the Annie Sloan 2″ Sponge Roller.
Placement for the stencil is something you should think about prior to starting- and since we are using multiple colors, think about where you want colors located.
Trish always shares, “first- if you have a local stockist- go visit them and build a relationship with them. Go to them with your questions and project issues.” BUT- if you do not have a local stockist- we invite you to try our customer service!As for buying any of the products we mentioned earlier in this post- I hope that you select The Purple Painted Lady® to be your one stop resource! We have two locations in western NY. Check out our Information tab and come and meet us! Otherwise- if you are not located near me- the following information may apply to you. This information is directed to those who do NOT have a local stockist. Because if you do – go and meet them, shop from them and build a relationship with them. The guidance, information and knowledge they share with you – will be invaluable. Get inspired by their shop that they lovingly curated – just for you! Enjoy that one on one experience! But for those who are in a location where there is no one selling paint products- and you must buy on-line- consider us. With that said, visit www.anniesloan.com to find a stockist near you. We are here to help you, our customers! We want you to be successful! SOME OF THE REASONS WE THINK THE PURPLE PAINTED LADY® CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE BEST: * We love our customers and it shows!* Ordering online? If you order before 3 pm EASTERN TIME any day Monday thru Friday – we will ship out your package that SAME day. We ship orders out every since week day all over the US. (THIS IS DIFFERENT than SAME DAY DELIVERY. We do not offer that)* We offer low flat rate UPS shipping cost so if you are one town away or 10 states away- the shipping cost is the same.* We have awesome follow up customer service, too!* We sell Chalk Paint® for $34.95 SHOP ON LINE HERE : ) And I will be here to help you as you progress through your future project! And if I do say so myself- we offer the BEST customer service that you will ever experience! Lastly- if I was helpful to you- ….please consider leaving a positive review on my Facebook business page sharing your positive experience or thoughts about The Purple Painted Lady®. Here is a link to my Facebook page=> http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Purple-Painted-Lady/291882785710 This really helps me! (wink, wink!) XOTrish
The Purple Painted Lady® ~ the serial no. is 86/641,416 with the US Trademark Office
INTERESTED IN USING A SPRAYER FOR YOUR CHALK PAINT® in Liters?: Seriously- if you are planning on painting your kitchen cabinets and are looking to get a smoother finish- using a sprayer is a great option. Or, painting furniture but especially wicker or dining room chairs and again, you want a smooth finish – this sprayer is a total game changer and will expedite the process!
The Purple Painted Lady likes to use the Wagner Home Decor Paint Sprayer. We retail it for $90. A cool feature that makes this accessible for anyone, is that you do not need an air compressor and this little tool is the bomb! The learning curve is not bad and it is really super easy to use.
Before using the sprayer – make sure to thoroughly clean your cabinet doors. We like to wipe the cabinet surfaces down using Krud Kutter and a paper towel or a Scotchbrite Scrubbie. After cleaning the door, use a fine mist spray bottleand spray the surface with fresh water and wipe away any residual cleaner with a rag or paper towel.
Once the surfaces have been cleaned and you have given them enough time to thoroughly dry, then you can begin painting. This is the fun part!
If painting cabinets, I like to remove the doors from the cabinet and also – remove the hardware. Put the hardware from each door into its own plastic baggie and label it so you know door which they coincide with.
Prepare your surface you want to paint by cleaning as described above.
Prepare your paint for the sprayer by warming the paint can in a hot bath – literally while the paint container. This actually helps a lot. See our photo immediately below. Fill the container with super hot water and then place the container in it but make sure that the water level stays at least an inch below the top of the can.
Next, pour some paint into the Wagner container – it is important to thin your paint with very, very warm water or use paint extender will also work.
AGAIN- you should use very – very warm water for both the bath and thinning your paint!
So, pour some the paint in to the pot of your spray gun….. but do not fill more than 50% because you still need add to water and/or XIM. There is not a set recipe ….most will be around adding about 10% to 20%. (start with the less water, because you can always add more paint if you add too much water, but try not to waste your paint!)
You know you have the right consistency when the “worm casts” fall from a stir stick and just blend in to the paint versus leaving textured ribbon on top. What are “worm cast?” Think about when you have cake batter and it is thick. If you pick up your spoon and the batter that drizzles off, sits on top of the batter ….that ribbon of batter is a worm cast. You know you have the right mix of paint to XIM or water when you do not have worm casts. You must make sure also- the consistency is the same all through out the pot so mix it well! The tricky part is NOT making it too thin- so experiment with less paint to not waste it in the beginning.
4. Having your work space and the cabinet doors (or whatever it is you are painting) heated to about 70 degrees is important. Work in a reasonably warm space. And this is not while you are just in it painting. Meaning- you heat your garage while you are working in it and then – turn the heat off when you are done but leave your painted piece and sprayer there. The space should be kept at this temperature consistently prior and for the entire cure time!
5. We suggest playing around with the sprayer’s spray pattern settings. We like to go back and forth horizontally. If painting cabinet doors, we will paint all four sides of the door, then do the flat top surface.
6. Start with a Test spray on a wall. Hang a drop cloth up or use large sections of cardboard.
7. Begin painting with super thin coats. We will actually apply 5 or 6 coats of paint with the sprayer overall, but keep in mind- we build the coverage up gently. Each application is super fast and again- is applied thin.
8. The paint will self level quite a bit! You will be surprised at how it does this. But if you apply it too heavy- you can get an orange peel look. Give each application ample time to thoroughly dry. I would suggest to be safe- wait an hour between coats.
8. Start with a Test spray on a wall. Hang a drop cloth up or use large sections of cardboard.
9. Hold the gun anywhere from 6 to 12 inches from your surface. (Play with this distance based on your sprayer)
10. Once you begin spraying your cabinets, get a line of paint sprayed down and then start your second row and cover the previous about 50% to have a uniform outcome.
In the video below we are using Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan in the color named Original. It is Annie’s warmest “white.”
11. The paint will look a little stipply. But since it has been thinned- it will settle and smooth out. After about an hour or two (if you are in a damp area time may take longer)….you can apply a second coat.
12. Finish your cabinets by sealing them with Annie’s Clear Wax or Lacquer. (by the way, Lacquer can be sprayed too!)
Additional IMPORTANT Sprayer Information for Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan:
Experiment to get the right results when spraying with your particular model. The most important thing to know is that there is no ‘magic’ ratio of paint to water and you will need to tweak it every time you spray, as site specific conditions mean that results can vary. With that said, Annie Sloan Interiors recommends that you add 10% to 20% warm water as a starting point.
ADDING A PAINT EXTENDER OR WATER:
An extender will thin your paint and by adding it, it will assist to get a smooth finish. The Purple Painted Lady reached out to Annie Sloan Interiors and they shared that they have used XIM Latex Extender with good results in the past. Don’t let the name XIM Latex Extender fool you – since the word “Latex” is noted. Although there is no Latex in Chalk Paint®- this product is meant to work with any water based paints and Chalk Paint® is water based. The container in the picture below is the brand Annie Sloan Interiors referred us to use, but others are available. Their spray consultant guys tell them that the main ingredient of these extenders is propylene glycol and that you can effectively make your own extender using this ingredient. Personally, I would just suggest purchasing the product pre-packaged and ready to go.
Even though you have added water as stated in the previous step – you still dilute with water AND add the extender – if you find it’s too thin to spray you can always add more paint. Don’t get too hung up on the amounts – the spray guys we work with just eyeball it! Using an airless sprayer is not recommended – the high solids content in Chalk Paint® will damage the nozzle. You will want to warm your Chalk Paint® because it will spray and settle better. Place your container of paint in a bain marie of very hot water for 15 minutes. Bain Marie is a container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow warming. After 15 minutes, When we have taught this in workshops in the past, we used a large crockpot as a bain marie. It doesn’t really matter how much water is in there just make sure it is not too high that when you set your containers in- that the water overflows into your paint!
CONNECTING THE AIR COMPRESSOR TO THE SPRAY GUN and TIP ORIENTATION:
When connecting the air compressor tube to your spray gun, make sure tube from the air compressor bows in a direction that makes sense. So, if you are right handed – have it bow away from your hand. The hose should not be bowed down toward the ground.down. Also, make sure the tip of your spray gun is in the right setting. You want your paint to come out spraying wide versus condensed. Think about using a garden hose and water flowers. You spray them versus having the water come out in a solid, florcefull stream.
First- if you have a local stockist- go visit them and build a relationship with them. Go to them with your questions and project issues. BUT- if you do not have a local stockist- we invite you to try our customer service!As for buying any of the products we mentioned earlier in this post- I hope that you select The Purple Painted Lady® to be your one stop resource! We have two locations in western NY. Check out our Information tab and come and meet us! Otherwise- if you are not located near me- the following information may apply to you. This information is directed to those who do NOT have a local stockist. Because if you do – go and meet them, shop from them and build a relationship with them. The guidance, information and knowledge they share with you – will be invaluable. Get inspired by their shop that they lovingly curated – just for you! Enjoy that one on one experience! But for those who are in a location where there is no one selling paint products- and you must buy on-line- consider us. With that said, visit www.anniesloan.com to find a stockist near you. We are here to help you, our customers! We want you to be successful!
SOME OF THE REASONS WE THINK THE PURPLE PAINTED LADY® CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE BEST: * We love our customers and it shows!* Ordering online? If you order before 3 pm EASTERN TIME any day Monday thru Friday – we will ship out your package that SAME day. We ship orders out every since week day all over the US. (THIS IS DIFFERENT than SAME DAY DELIVERY. We do not offer that)* We offer low flat rate UPS shipping cost so if you are one town away or 10 states away- the shipping cost is the same.* We have awesome follow up customer service, too!* We sell Chalk Paint® for $37.99 SHOP ONLINE HERE : ) And I will be here to help you as you progress through your future project! And if I do say so myself- we offer the BEST customer service that you will ever experience! Lastly- if I was helpful to you- ….please consider leaving a positive review on my Facebook business page sharing your positive experience or thoughts about The Purple Painted Lady®. Here is a link to my Facebook page=> http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Purple-Painted-Lady/291882785710 This really helps me! (wink, wink!) XOTrish
The Purple Painted Lady® ~ the serial no. is 86/641,416 with the US Trademark Office
Sometimes when you cannot find the right floor cloth for a space in your home- you just have to take charge and make it yourself using the one and only, original Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan!
Check out this beautiful handmade floor cloth created using a scrap piece of linoleum from a local floor store and Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan by our friend and customer, Stacey Goodspeed and her daughter Áine. In fact, Stacey is such a fan of Annie Sloan – she helps us out at The Purple Painted Lady festival and other large events sharing her knowledge with customers.
Stacey and her daughter do a lot of creative things together. This is Áine, in the photo – and she helped with this incredible transformation!
She started out with a scrap piece of linoleum she purchased at a home improvement store…this is what the linoleum looked like before (not very pretty at all, but Áine sure is!) —>
PAINTING THE FLOOR CLOTH:
Stacey started this project by covering the entire piece of linoleum with 2 coats of Cream Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan.
Cream Chalk Paint® is a soft buttery yellow. She chose to use a roller to apply the paint to make it a little quicker and easier…AND so that she would have a smooth finish on her mat without any brush strokes!
It is VERY important when rolling Chalk Paint® that you add water to your paint! You can add up to 20% water. This will allow the paint to apply smoothly and not pucker as the roller pulls away from where the paint was applied. If your paint is too thick when using a roller, the result left behind could look a bit like “hammered copper” or puckered.
To prevent this- you need to use a foam roller – NOT a nappy roller like you would use to paint your walls with latex paint. Annie Sloan makes GREAT foam rollers that are available in a 2 inch size, as well as a 4 inch size! The 4 inch size would be the recommended size for a floor cloth.
STENCILING:
After rolling 2 coats to completely cover the linoleum, Stacey and Áine started using a stencil that they purchased from Michael s Crafts, to create the pattern. Annie’s Stencil Brush would have been the bomb to use though!
They used small artists’ brushes to paint the design with the Chalk Paint® colors Honfleur (the milk chocolate brown color) and Arles (the sunflower yellow color). It is important to make sure the stencil is lined up and is straight, so the pattern isn’t misaligned! Measure twice before starting!
Check out the variety pack of detailed brushes made by Annie Sloan HERE!!
The pattern they used almost reminds me of a Mediterranean-style tile.
SEAL YOUR FLOOR CLOTH:
To seal their floor mat, they needed something that would hold up and would protect the beautiful pattern from wearing away…so they chose Annie Sloan’s Lacquer! We ALWAYS recommend lacquer when painting floors with Chalk Paint®. Lacquer can be tricky to use….we have a very detailed post on how to use it HERE! BUT….I will go ahead and give you some of the highlights –
ALWAYS use lacquer at room temperature – moisture and humidity can cause it to look hazy, rather than clean and crisp.
NEVER over-brush your lacquer – this will also cause it to look hazy.
The varnish is quick drying, non-toxic, low odor, and non-yellowing. The lacquer will give you a very durable scuff resistant finish. Note though, it is not recommended in areas where there will be a lot of water. So, if using in a bathroom, plan on toweling up wet floors so there is no standing water for long lengths of time. After it has dried, it is VERY protective and will hold up extremely well even on floor that are constantly being walked across.
Stacey’s floor mat should hold up for a very long time, which is good because it is so beautiful!
Stacey shared with us, “This was so easy and fun to do!!!! It’s been 4 months since it’s completion and I am still in love with it. So easy to clean and it handles my 13-year-old and 10-year-old boys plus a party!“
Another customer of ours, Beth Stark also loves to create floor cloths as gifts for her family and friends. Here are some of hers:
If you do NOT have a local stockist- know that we are here for you!
If you place an order- be confident in knowing that The Purple Painted Lady has everything in stock! What does this mean in the end? With the team we have in place- your order ships the same day you placed it – Monday through Friday. (note however, this is as long as your order came in before 3pm EASTERN TIME, because UPS picks up our packages around 3:30pm)
