Today the lovely Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect and I are taking the floor on each other's blogs. We're not talking about just anything, though. We're sharing some of our best painting tips with you, so you can see how we do things the same or different. You're going to get a lot of information in both of these posts, so get ready!
Here's Shaunna!
Well, I can't believe I'm over here at Miss Mustard Seed's. I've admired her work since I began blogging a little over a year ago. That's me up there, and I am pretty much Marian, only I'm from Alabama. I paint furniture, blog, my husband works with youth, I've got two adorable and busy toddlers...you see the similarities. :-)
Let's talk paint, shall we? There are a million and a half ways to transform your furniture and household items with paint, and if you've never given it a shot...go for it! There is nothing more rewarding than this process of creating. I say all the time that painting furniture is more an art than a work.
My Style and Favorite Techniques
As with any artist or creative, we all have a style. That's one thing I love about Marian...her style is so her. I find huge inspiration from Wisteria, and nothing makes me happier than a layered treatment. I do lots of white washing and dry brushing...and LOVE all things coastal, cottage, and French. My style is quite eclectic, never pinning down to one specific spot on the map of design, and honestly, I love that.
The same goes with my furniture. I go through phases of creativity, one quarter of the year over half my projects will be painted white and distressed, and the next they'll all be quirky or layered pieces only painted with a brush. For now, I'm in a layered treatment wonderland (as shown above) and I'm hanging with my brushes a lot.
I use Purdy brushes, my favorites being the 2 1/2 inch angle and the XL Cub. I do own a sprayer...it is a Wagner Power Painter Max with Optimus. It really is a wonderful alternative to an expensive brand. Fill it with paint, plug it in the wall, and you're good to go. I really can't say enough good things about it.
Favorite Paint, Sealer, and Finish
I love Sherwin Williams. I mean, really heart them. That's the ProClassic you're looking at above (and clearly I take special care of all my cans). Because I use so much white, I keep gallons of the ProClassic tinted to Benjamin Moore's White Diamond on hand. The formula is SO durable, and really works almost as an enamel...meaning less coats and higher quality work in the end.
I seal mostly with Minwax Paste Finishing Wax right now. It has such a lustrous and hand-rubbed quality. It is also absolutely fool-proof...you just can't mess it up. It wipes on with a cloth, and you buff after 10 minutes...voi la!
After staining, I do love using Minwax Wipe-On Poly in a Satin finish. I lean toward a Satin finish most of the time, but semi-gloss is not so different. A little luster on your furniture is more forgiving of scratches and scuffs.
Distressing
I love a piece to look as if it's worn over time, so I really stick to distressing those spots with a medium grade sanding block. It's my favorite tool...I use it to buff my furniture in prep work (unless re-staining...then I'll strip it down), smooth in between coats, and to distress in the end.
I also distress with paint by dry brushing quite a lot when working on layered pieces. It's a refreshing change to see a color peeking through.
Go-to Pieces
I, like MMS, love all things French. I'm also drawn to coastal and modern cottage style. Sometimes I find random pieces like the plant stand I painted gray, and sometimes we like to build our pieces, like the daybed you see. We took the doors from my childhood home, and built and painted that bad boy. It's one of my most treasured pieces now. I sort of go through shopping phases, too. For a while, I'll pick up all the good deals I can find and then I'll slow down a bit to catch up. I sell my pieces strictly online via the blog, so there is no shop to fill frequently. I now take on mostly client work, which allows me lots of time to work on the blog and my eBook.
The Skinny on Glazing
I don't glaze every piece by any means. When I do, I usually use one of three products. Valspar's Antiquing Glaze is my favorite for glazing. If I need lots of workable time, that's my go-to. If not, I love using an ebony stain to cool down a piece (like this chest above) or a dark walnut stain to warm something up.
For hardware, my favorite places to shop are Hobby Lobby, Lee Valley, and Ebay. I do buy in bulk from Lee Valley, so this keeps my costs down. But, if I could shop Anthro all the time, you better believe I would.
In addition to the work I do, the painting frenzy makes its way into almost every room in our house. It truly is a freeing thing...knowing you can change everything with a little paint and time. The art of painting furniture has become such a passion of mine, and so has the blog. My sweet readers kept asking me to write something more comprehensive, and through their encouragement and support, I began my eBook last August. Seven months later, it's almost finished.
My eBook, Creating Your Masterpiece, will release next week. It'll have all the skinny on my painting techniques, sitting at just under 200 pages and full of photos and video. It's been such a blessing and something I can't wait to share. If you'd like to know more about it, you can see some sneak peeks here and sign up for the email list to get the discounts. :-)
Alright, so that's me: wife, mom, and furniture painter girl, in a tiny nutshell. Thanks so much, Marian, for having me; I'm completely honored to be here with you guys. Hope y'all will stop by sometime!
:-)
Oh my...don't you just love that day bed? And some of her finishes are perfection. It was interesting for me to see how many of the same techniques and products we both use. To see my answers, visit Perfectly Imperfect today!
