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Annie Sloan developed her now famous Chalk Paint to answer the need she had for a paint
which would have many uses from acting like limewash to looking like old painted furniture
and that had a good range of colour that could be extended by the user.
This is The paint to use for the French and Swedish look on furniture where the paintwork
shows a patina of history. The paint is soft and easy to patinate taking wax to give it a
beautiful mellow and protective finish. The colours have been inspired by European 18 th
century furniture, and have been made bright and rich, bearing in mind they will be
darkened with wax.
On a practical note, the woodwork needs no priming, no preparation, as it will stick to
almost everything – old waxed pine, melamine and varnished wood included. Knots on
new wood need to be sealed with Knotting solution. Great coverage but does depend on
what you are painting, but a rough guide is 13 square metres.
The paint allows walls to breathe and is simple eco friendly water based paint. Wash
brushes out in water.
You can use the paint by diluting to show the wood grain, or layer it thickly as an impasto.
It can be used inside or out on wood, metal, stone, floors and walls!
There are 26 colours in the paint range from soft and pale to bright and strong. The range
of colours is not large but gives you the reins to enlarge it by mixing with Old White.
Use one colour, wax it, and then sand it. Particularly good where there is some interesting
molding. Or a second colour can be painted in parts, or all over, then waxed, rubbed back
with fine sandpaper and finished off with a coat of wax.
To get he best results it is important to ensure you have given the tin a good shake or stir if
you prefer.
Don’t paint in a uniform direction - slap it on in lots of different directions to create a
texture. If you prefer a flat finish use a synthetic brush and water down slightly ensuring
that you stir well. (A patchy finish usually means paint wasn’t stirred thoroughly). You will
probably need two coats if watered down. Brush in the direction of the wood to minimize
brush marks. (If painting in very hot conditions add a little more water).
Stippling
Use a middle tone a light tone and a dark tone, you could use Old White, Country Grey and
Old Violet. Stipple on the light tone and then the dark tone creates a marbled effect by
then stippling the middle tone. Keep working your choice of colours taking care not too
use too much of the dark tone and have a patchy finish. Finish with a clear wax then a dark
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another layer of clear waTo create an impasto finish layer the paint thickly
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painting in all directions and waiting for the paint to dry slightly between coats, in effect
you are layering and dragging the paint to create texture. Great for deep colours such as
Emperor’s Silk. To pick up the texture layer on the dark wax and finish with a clear wax.
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To achieve a crackled paint effect water down the paint slightly and apply, painting in all
directions but not too thickly. Dry with a hairdryer to create a crackled effect. Apply a
clear wax then work in a dark wax. If you feel the result is a little too ‘dirty’ looking mix
50/50 Old White and clear wax and go back over. (Any of the paints can be mixed with the
clear wax to create a tinted ‘glaze’.
To create a washed look mix paint colour with water 50/50. Can also be used after waxing
to give a softer colour finish. Wax again.
Tip
Old cotton sheets make great cloths.
Tip
A spray gun or roller can be used to apply paint just add 20% water – you can even use a
mister for those hard to get to bits!
Tip
If you over do it with the dark wax an application of clear wax will clean the surface.
Stenciling
The Stencil Library and Maison de Stencil both have a great collection of stencils online.
A mini sponge roller and tray is the best way to stencil. You can dribble one colour in one
side of the tray and a different colour in the other side using the stencil to create random
patterns. Best effects are then created by waxing, wiping and quite heavily distressing to
create a very faded pattern, fabulous for inside desks, the backs of dressers etc.
Tip
Use course sandpaper and then wax again – try over a stippled base.
The Colours
Pure
Quite simply a pure clean white – works well with Country Grey.
Old White
The colour of chalk and gesso, a soft white without pink or yellow in it. A colour,
whichworks with everything. For a quintessential French look use it over Paris Grey.
You can also add it to other colours to make them the exact tone for your room.
Original
A warm slightly creamy soft white – works well with Paris Grey.
Old Ochre
A soft warm neutral that can be dark waxed to make the colour of old French painted
woodwork.
Add Old White to make ‘Moon White’
Add 8 parts of Old White to 1 part of Old Ochre to achieve a luminous Moon White.
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Old Ochre works well with Scandinavian Pink and Chateau Grey.
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Paris Grey
This is a soft and slightly bluish grey, and is the colour most associated with painted
furniture in an elegant French Chateau and of an old Swedish Manor House.
It works like a dream with Old White of course or for something a little stronger try it over
Arles or Primer Red!
Add Old White to make ‘Tokyo’
Add 8 parts of Old White to 1 part Paris Grey to make this mellow warm soft grey. Called
Tokyo because it’s a colour you see in modern architecture but it’s also perfect for painting
French style furniture too.
Cream under Paris Grey is a very gentle and sophisticated colour combination for the
distressed French look.
Old Violet used as a base makes Paris Grey look much darker and can be enhanced by using
a dark wax.
Country Grey
This is a putty colour using greenish raw umber, and it is a really useful colour. It’s terrific
on it’s own and with white, or for distressing as a topcoat with Cream or Scandinavian Pink
underneath. It is generally seen as a more rustic colour good for a country look rather than
the chateau.
Another way to use it is to mix it in to another colour such as Chateau Grey or Duck Egg
Blue to make them paler and knocked back. It also works well with Aubusson Blue and
Emperor’s Silk.
Duck Egg Blue
A greenish soft blue reminiscent of Rococo French and Swedish interiors. It looks
wonderful and fresh with Old White. Try distressing it over Chateau Grey or Louis Blue.
Add Old White to make ‘Rococo’
Add 4 parts of Old White to 1 part of Duck Egg to make ‘Rococo”
Add more Old White to make ‘Gustav’
Add 8 parts of Old White and 1 part of Duck Egg Blue to create a pale blue green perfect for
the Swedish painted look.
Versailles
Soft delicate lightly yellowed dusky green that is sophisticated and gentle yet it works well
with modern pieces too. This is a colour, which picks up other colours well and changes
character accordingly. With pinks, creams and whites it looks back to the French Court of
Versailles but with turquoise blues, duck egg blues and chocolate browns it is a sassy
modern colour. Versailles also works well with Old Violet.
Cream
A soft pale creamy yellow the colour of clotted cream. Works well under Paris Grey or on
it’s own or perhaps with Old White on edgings and details. Also works well with
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Scandinavian Pink.
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Arles
Is a yellow ochre with a hint of orange juice, add Old White for something warmer and
gentler. Works well with Paloma and Chateau Grey or under Graphite or Old Violet.Looks
fabulous with a dark wax over.
Paloma
This is a beautiful sophisticated warm Taupe with a great deal of depth, made by mixing
two complimentary colours, purple and yellow with white.
Henrietta
A beautiful rich complex pink with a hint of lilac. It’s a sophisticated colour used in it’s full
strength but with Old White added it stays an interesting colour and without being too
‘cupcake’. Henrietta works well with Country Grey and French Linen.
Provence
Blue green shutters in the South of France are the inspiration for this colour. Set against
walls of any of the whites. Provence needs light and bright fabrics with a Mediterranean
and seaside feel. Other paint colours that work with Provence also need to have the same
freshness and strength. Of course a cupboard painted in Provence looks great against a
wall of Old White.
Add Old White to make ‘Cricket’
Add 8 parts of Old White to 1 part of Provence to create a soft English pale blue green.
Antibes Green
This comes from our palette from two sources – the neo classical palaces, such as the
Fontainebleau Palace and in Schloss Charlottenburg in Potsdam and from the villages
around Provence where countless artists have been inspired by the colours of painted
furniture, shutters and doors.
Emperor’s Silk
This is a bright pure red like the red silk lining of a jacket, great to use as an interior of a
cupboard or a drawer.
Add Old White to make ‘Frangipan’
Add equal parts of Old White and Emperor’s Silk to make a strong bright exotic flowery
pink.
Add more Old White to make ‘Malacca’
Add 3 parts of Emperor’s Silk to 1 part of Old White to make an Indonesian inspired Pink.
Emile
A warm soft aubergine colour with pink red undertones giving a rich complexity that makes
beautiful sophisticated lilac tones when Old White is added. It is a colour that adds a
contemporary facet to the palette being a colour used by the Charleston artists as well as a
colour used by Robert Adam in the 18th century after visiting Pompeii.
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Louis Blue
A pretty pastel Madame de Pompadour blue, works particularly well when waxed with a
dark brown.
Add Old White to make ‘Pompadour’
Add 3 parts of Old White to 1 part of Louis Blue to make a graceful grey blue.
Add more Old White to make ‘Sophia’
Add 8 parts of Old White to 1 part of Louis Blue to make a soft grey Swedish Blue.
French Linen
A cool neutral khaki grey inspired by bleached deep neutral pieces of French and Italian
furniture. It works beautifully with gold’s and a range of rich and bright colours such as
Emile and Emperor’s Silk.
Chateau Grey
An elegant greyed green, this is the colour found in French woodwork.
Add Old White to make ‘Tamino’
Add 2 parts of Old White to 1 part of Chateau Grey to make a pale mossy green.
Add more Old White to make ‘Dorset’
Adding 8 parts of Old White to 1 part of Chateau Grey makes a pale lichen colour.
Greek Blue
This is a warm blue without any green in it. It is a colour found throughout the
Mediterranean, often faded and distressed on shutters and woodwork. It has a chalky look
about it yet it is a strong colour.
Add Old White to make ‘Nantucket’
Add 2 parts of Old White to 1 part of Greek Blue to get a good Cape Cod colour!
Add more Od White to make ‘Cornish Blue’
Mixing 1 part of Greek Blue with 8 parts of Old White makes a seaside blue like the blue
you find on traditional Cornish Blue striped mugs and old fashioned lighthouses.
Old Violet
Like deep Parma violets or blue lavender it is a wonderful 18 th century colour use for
colouring the inside of furniture – like the lining of a jacket – or for using as the base with
Paris Grey on top and distressed, it is of course wonderful on it’s own with Emperor’s silk as
a contrast or Duck Egg Blue fro a more toned and cooler effect.
Add Old White to make ‘Schinkel’
Add 2 parts of Old White to 1 part Old Violet and you get a greyed taupe, inspired by the
great 18th century German architect.
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Old White to make ‘Columbe’
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Add 8 parts Old White to 1 part Old Violet for a soft grey like the underbelly of a dove, in
French ‘Colombe’.
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Coco
A warm greyed brown, the colour found on old French woodwork – works well with Duck
Egg and Louis Blue.
Graphite
Graphite is a soft black made with purplish blues and brown and is not completely black.
When waxed it becomes a beautiful black like dark slate.
Add Old White to make ‘Gentleman’
Add equal parts of Graphite and Old White to make an elegant charcoal grey, reminiscent
of a Saville Row suit.
Add more Old White to make ‘Uffizi’
Add 3 parts Old White to 1 part Graphite to make a warm sophisticated grey inspired by
the Florentine Gallery.
Primer Red
Deep red ochre is a colour found in practically every culture from Venetian Palaces to
Vietnamese Temples. Red earths were plentiful and relatively easy to come by so the
colour is often associated with the colour used for priming furniture and as the base coat
for gilding. It is a wonderful colour on it’s own or as a base for other colours particularly
when distressing.
Add Old White to make ‘Venice’
Add 6 parts of Old White to 1 part of Primer Red and you will have the distinctive brown
pink of Venice.
Works well under Chateau Grey.
Scandinavian Pink
One of the traditional colours found in much Swedish furniture we use it underneath or as
a colour for interiors of cupboards and drawers.
Add Old White to make ‘Hydrangea’
Add 2 parts of Old White to 1 part Scandinavian Pink for the beautiful colour of dried
Hydrangea, a dusky chalky faded colour.
Aubusson Blue
This colour is named and designed after the beautiful deep grey blue found on the classic
18th and 19th century Aubusson rugs from France. It is an elegant colour that works well
with many colours as it is a dark neutral but in particular it works well with Paris Grey. It is
also a colour found in Scandinavian painted furniture.
New &Limited Edition Colours
Olive
Add Old White to make 'Lisbon'
Add 8 parts of Old White and 1 part of Olive for the colour of pale olive leaves which
reminds me of LISBON the beautiful capital of Portugal
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Antoinette
Old fashioned roses and the colour of old plaster. This is a soft pale pink with a hint of
brown in it so the pink is not too sweet.
Barcelona Orange
Think of a large ripe orange and this is the colour of Barcelona Orange. Apply dark wax and
the colour becomes a luscious burnt orange. Its warmth and vivacity is a great
accompaniment to neutral tones such as our greeny sludge colour, Chateau Grey or to the
cool silveriness of Paris Grey as well as Aubusson Blue, its deep complementary partner. It
is perfect for many interiors but particularly with the 1960’s vintage look.
Florence
This is inspired by the colours of the copper green mineral and semi-precious stone,
malachite, and from the same family of stones as azurite and turquoise. In the 17th and
18th century it was used as a colour made with verdigris but as it is a very fugitive colour
turning black with time so we are not aware of how it was used on woodwork in many
houses. This rich bluish green is also used in North Africa and the Middle East and in
particular Morocco.
Burgundian Red
A rich deep warm red the colour of dark cherries. Most of my colours are 18th and 20th
century inspired but this one comes from the 19th century when the discovery of Alizarin
Crimson made this colour possible for the first time to a large number of people. It is now
one of the classic colours used in particular for neo-classical painted furniture.
English Yellow
This clean yellow was particularly popular in English 18th Century decoration inspired by
hand painted Chinese wallpaper and the development of Chrome Yellow pigment. It was
the first non earthy yellow and a first would be very expensive. In the 1950s this yellow
became popular as a strong primrose. It can be mixed with Antibes Green to make lime
green.
Decoupage
Plain Decoupage
Start with a dry painted surface not waxed
Paint on a thin layer of decoupage varnish and lay your chosen cut out image on top
making sure there are no bubbles or creases. If the image that you have selected is large
then dampen it slightly before laying it onto the glued surface. Paint a layer of glue all over
the image and across the surface that you have already painted
Leave to dry and then repeat this 3 -5 times.
When completely dry wax all over using clear wax. For an aged finish use the dark wax and
then a final clear wax. Leave over night and buff to shine the following day.
Coloured Decoupage
Start with your painted surface and glue over.
Lay your image again checking for bubbles and creases. Paint over another layer of glue.
Next dip your finger tip into a colour and lightly smudge it into your image where you
would expect to see a flourish or blush of a colour being very frugal as you work. If you find
that you have used too much paint then you can wipe it or dab it back to lighten.
Then again glue in layers 3-5 times.
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When
all over using clear wax. Again if you wanted to age the piece then use dark
wax over the clear wax with a final layer of clear wax to seal. Leave on overnight and buff
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the following day.
Crackle Glaze
This is a 2 stage process using 2 pots of craquelure.
Starting with a clean dry painted surface and paint on a thin layer of step 1 craquelure.
Leave it to dry then paint over a thin layer or step 2 craquelure. Now for the fun bit, dry
with a hairdryer that is on a medium heat. After it has dried leave to cool for a couple of
minutes.
Now work dark wax and watch as your cracks appear. Leave to dry and then apply a final
layer of clear wax. You can also make a coloured wax if you didn’t want to use the dark
wax. Mix a drop of paint with clear wax and apply to your prepared surface. Again finish
with a clear wax to seal and then leave overnight, buffing the following day.
If you want a crackle glaze finish on a piece that you have decoupaged you would apply
steps 1 and 2 before you wax.
Gilding
We are just looking at Brass leaf and Aluminium leaf here. You can of course use gold leaf
which comes in many shades and does not need to be waxed, as unlike brass leaf it does
not tarnish. It is of course a great deal more expensive.
For the best effect gild over two coats of paint, sand lightly and apply two layers of leaf if
desired. Primer Red is fabulous with brass leaf.
Paint the Gold Size wherever you would like the gilding to be, (it is like liquid Sellotape!).
Don’t over-brush as it dries very quickly, it will become clear when dry.
Brass leaf: crinkle slightly and then dab down gently with a dry brush over-lapping if
necessary. It doesn’t matter which way up you have the leaf. Brush away any overlap
brush all over to create a smooth finish and then clear wax, keep waxing for a more aged
look. Buff the next day.
Aluminium leaf: works better if completely smooth and with a dark wax over. Lends itself
to a slightly more modern look.
Talcum powder is useful to stop your hands sticking to the leaf.
For Up To date Information don’t forget to follow us on
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01329 835 255 or email us at [email protected]
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