I received a ton of e-mails, comments, requests and pleas for a tutorial on how I achieved the paint treatment used on my trumeau mirror and reupholstered French chairs. Well, I aim to please, so here it is!
For the chairs, I started off with a thin coat of Light French Grey by Behr. For the mirror, I started off with a base of Georgian Revival Blue by Sherwin Williams. It's OK if there are some brush strokes or places where the wood shows through. Just watch for drips and keep this coat light and thin. Allow it to dry.
For the second coat, I used a "dry brush" (meaning it doesn't have a lot of paint on it) and lightly brushed on French Grey Blue by Deco Art. (This is an acrylic paint that can be purchased at a craft store.) Work the paint with the grain of the wood.
While the paint is still "workable", drag your brush in a cross-hatch pattern to soften the second coat.
Allow this second coat to dry.
Sand the piece, revealing the first coat of paint and raw wood. Wipe the dust off with a cloth and then apply an antique glaze. I like a very dark brown glaze (most come out too orange for my taste), so I had some custom mixed. I'm a little crunched for time today...it's my son's birthday, my husband is sick, I had to work on an HGTV project and I have youth group tonight...so, I'll share the custom mix with you another day.
The key with applying a glaze is to get it into the nooks and crannies and wipe off the excess with a damp paper towel. This will give the piece an aged look without it looking like you just finished your first faux finishing workshop. (I'm going to cover some paint techniques through video tutorials in the future, so hang in there.)
The result in this picture looks a little more streaked than it does in person. It's really very soft.
Now, I must give you a warning before you go try this on your own. There is a point in every single antiquing work I've done where I think it looks like crap and I'm going to quit and just paint it white. Every single one. For some reason, finishes like this are like organizing a room - it looks terrible before it looks better. Just stick with it and keep working your paint. Play with it until it looks right to your eye.
I'm off to play with my big boy four-year-old son and some of his new toys.
