So time got away from me I suppose :-) I'm back and I would like to share this pine bench I refinished for the entryway. This was my first attempt at using Annie Sloan's graphite chalk paint. If you're not familiar with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint one of the common complaints is the lack of a true black. The closest thing Annie Sloan has to black is called graphite, and it is definitely gray and not black. There are two ways suggested to achieve the look of black with Annie Sloan: 1.) Use Annie Sloan Dark Wax on top of Graphite; 2.) Add a black tint (acrylic craft paint, India Ink, etc.) directly to the paint. This bench was my first attempt at using graphite with the dark wax to get a 'black' piece.
In the new house, the front door is right near the stairs. So coming and going everyone sits on the stairs to put on their shoes. I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have a bench here :-).
I found this really cute bench that even offered some storage. You can see, like always, I forgot to take a before picture until after I had already started.
This was not only my first time trying graphite with dark wax, it was
my first time using dark wax at all. I wasn't sure what exactly it was
supposed to look like. I was putting it on and when I tried to remove the
excess most of the wax was coming off and it still did not look black. So my answer?
You guessed it....add more wax.
Since then, I have learned that sometimes less is more and that I will just not get the black I was looking for with this technique. I do love how this bench turned out, though. Not what I expected, but I do love it.
And leave it to the BF to come up with brilliant ideas. He is the one that suggested painting the inside with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Florence. It adds such a fun element without being overwhelming!
