Chalk Paint vs. Milk Paint

When it comes to a competition between chalk paint and milk paint, there really isn't a winner. Both are good for what they are, and both give great rustic finishes for new furniture you want to appear old or old furniture you want re-purpose.

Milk paint goes on in a very thin white washing way. It crumbles off and crackles naturally.

Chalk paint goes on like glue, especially if you are buying the expensive stuff from dealers. This is both good and bad. But I hate using this paint because it goes on so weird.

This brings me to my next issue. While both chalk paint and milk paint have a limited variety of colors both are great at getting the job done. Milk paint is far cheaper than the name brand Chalk paint.

A couple weeks ago I took my brother and his wife into an antique shop to look at milk paint. I suggested it because the wax finish is the best...period. Everything else pales in comparison to Miss Mustard Seeds antiquing wax. That shit is amazing. No joke.

I have used both Annie Sloan, and Cece Caldwell, and while both are very nice, and possibly finicky, they are also super expensive. At 40 bucks a quart, my wallet hurts.

So I took my brother and sister in law into this store and proceeded to show them the colors available and the wonderful crack-like wax. The owner came out and started pushing Chalk Paint like it was her drug of choice. She launched into this spiel about how wonderful it is and how great it is to work with, how she can make a custom color (at additional cost...money grubbing...cough, cough back to the point.) and as she continued her tirade I got annoyed.

I told my brother about the new home-made chalk paint I'd recently been making. (3 parts paint of your choice, 1 part Plaster of Paris, to 1 part hot water, mix well, I suggest a wire whisk in a drill, it does wonders.)

Of course I got this recipe off of Pinterest, but I want to say this so that I'm clear....home-made chalk paint is AMAZING. And I don't mean like other chalk paints amazing, I mean blow the stupid expensive Annie Sloan shit out of the water amazing. It was that good.

 

 

So I say to my brother how great the chalk paint I made at home is, and how I can make it any color (at no additional cost) and he perks up.

The owner of the store Freaks.The.Fuck.Out.

She doesn't scurry off to hide in her hole, no she launches into an even longer tirade about how great Annie Sloan is, and how my home-made may be nice but it has more VOC's, yadda yadda yadda. Naturally she is correct but, here's the thing. The assholes who say they have no VOC's are lying. I know this because recently I started looking into Waterlox, a wood finishing sealer/stainer. The rule is in some states there is a law against a certain amount of VOC's, California is one of them, the thing is, if it is under a certain amount they are able to say there is none even though there is some because the FDA sucks.

I didn't launch into my tirade against corporate liars, I kept my mouth shut and listened and as she came to an end, or needed more air, I finally said the six words that pissed her off the most, (and I totally pat my own back for this one) "Tell him how much it costs?"

HAhahahahaHAHAHA

I'll skip my maniacal laughter. Her jaw dropped, like on the floor, she sputtered and didn't know how to respond, she said OH but the VOC's, and I said OH but the cost. My brother waited and waited, and waited.

Finally she said, and it was hilarious, "It's only $39.95 a quart."

My brother turned around and walked out of the shop without looking back.

What's the point of my story...don't let some Antique Store owner bully you into buying over-priced paint because they aren't saint's ya'll. They aren't doing this out of the kindness of their hearts...no they are doing this for one reason...profit.

Am I being cynical...probably, but the truth is all those shiny labels and boxes and promises of no VOC's are just polish, and that's what you're paying for. Latex and plaster of Paris is a finer, and tougher finish, it's incredible try it yourself. For four bucks you can get a sampler of paint at Lowes, buy an empty plastic or metal paint holder and go home, don't forget your plaster of Paris though. If you're anything like me you'll start making up reasons to make the chalk paint, its that good.

In the words of the Water boys mama...Annie Sloan's the devil!!!

But really, home-made chalk paint is WAY, cheaper, a finer finish, and comes in whatever color you want at NO additional cost.

I am however going to try out this new chalk paint that comes with different under coats that crackle etc. That shit sounds interesting, and oh yea the price is not stupid.

Milk Painted China Cabinet

Here is a rather blurry picture of the china cabinet before I got my hands on it. It was a purchase from one of the antique shops I frequent. I saw it for a few months before I got the nerve to buy it.

I paid way too much...almost $400.00 which is a lot for me. I usually try to find things that are around or under $100. I have to really like something to pay more for it.

In order to make myself feel better about this larger purchase, I did the layaway deal. A lot of the local antique shops allow you to layaway certain items for up to three months.

Eventually about the time I paid this off, I was moving into the new house. So we packed it off and took it to its new destination. For a while it lived in the garage.

Later it made its way into the living room hole, as I call it. I know there are a ton of different dirty thoughts going through your mind, why do you think I call it that. Even I need a immature giggle on occasion.

Alright, so moving along, I went back and forth between what type of paint to use on this. I have used chalk paint several times, and recently started making my own, but I wanted an even older looking finish. This is an old very Victorian looking piece. It fits my house and my own personal love for all things old. It is the most decorative piece I own.

In the end I went with Milk Paint because it has a very "white washed" look. It also chips and crackles without aid.

Don't mind the blurry picture, eventually I'll have the honey take some good shots with his Nikon. Until then, this will have to do.

Family Tree

Hand-Painted family tree.


Because every picture...has a story to tell.

This was a project I re-did after moving into our larger home. In the old house, we had three bedrooms and only 1,000 crammed square feet. I painted the first tree on the hallway space above my first attempt at wainscoting. I had no nail gun, and borrowed the miter saw from my mother. Needless to say the end result was okay...but not perfect.

(OLD TREE)

 

 

As cute as it was. It was very small and would not hold very many pictures. The reason I hand-painted the tree to begin with was because all of the tree picture frames and large wall decals were really expensive. Being a frugal girl I wanted a cheap alternative. I've always been pretty good at drawing. I took a couple classes in school and was fairly good at shading. I can't paint for shit though, in all those years and all those classes I could never do a decent canvas painting. Give me paper and charcoal and I can give you something incredible. Give me a paint brush for a regular room and I'm good. Anyways the point is I didn't go into this as some great artist. I was okay, sometimes rather good but not with a paint brush.

 

The first thing I did to prepare for this project was study tree silhouettes. The easiest thing to paint is something solid. The less detail in shades the better. I studied and found a few youtube video's and then I started drawing.

 

STEP ONE:

 

Pick your design

 

STEP TWO:

 

Practice drawing your design on paper. (The more familiar you are the better.)

 

STEP THREE:

 

Draw your design as best you can on the actual wall. (I suggest starting with pencil than going over with sharpie, that way you can erase anything that doesn't work.

 

STEP FOUR:

 

Choose your color....and get painting.

 

STEP FIVE:

 

Pick similar frames for photos. I used wooden unpainted frames from Michaels. Not only were they cheap, but they were also without glass, backs, and super narrow.

 

My hallway is small and pictures were knocked off the wall before I replaced them with flat wooden frames. There is no glass, and the frames are less than 1/2 inch thick.

I nailed them at the top and bottom so there would be no swinging, or knocking them down. Here is the finished product. Or as finished as it can be, I intend to add new photos every year.




 

 

 

 

 

 

Brightening up a dark stairway!

This is a project I finished a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what made me decide to do it. All I know for sure is that I was sick of how dark and narrow my stairs always seemed. The color on the walls was pretty neutral. A brown/grey flat that was here when I moved in. I hate heights so repainting the stairs myself was never going to happen. I know that if I whined enough I could probably talk my crazy half/monkey mother into doing it. She will stand on a ladder with one leg and lean across the wall to get a high corner. She is insane.

Here is my stairway before the molding.

 

 

 
 
 







I love the silhouettes but it just needed something. The ceilings are so high the wall just goes on and on and on.




This is the first step to doing the shaker style molding. I measured the walls both above the rail and on the stair line, because they can be different and often times are.  I learned along time ago that walls are weird. They are never straight, square, perfectly level, or without imperfection. Walls are as flawed as the people who build them. As long as they are sound and safe, that's all that matters.

I used cheap MDF door trim found in the lumber/molding department at Lowes. Each piece was roughly a 1"x3"x10ft, I spent a total of maybe 60 bucks on lumber, and another 30 on paint, brushes, caulking etc.

The ledge was an MDF trim found in the same area that was half the size. 1"x1.5"x10ft

The saw I own was a hand me down of my grandfathers, and I borrowed my moms nail gun. Every DIY'er will tell you the same thing. Your project is only as good as the tools you use. Yes, molding can be done by hand without a nail gun, it's just a hell of a lot easier if you use one. I did a similar molding in my old home by hand and it took twice as long. So first get the right tools, find the right molding, always measure twice if not four or five times. Cut long so you can always shorten, but piecing is a pain in the ass. Use caulking, ask for help when needed and check pinterest, google, DIY network, and HGTV before embarking on any project you've never done before.

The hardest part about this whole process was the angles. I tried 30 degrees, I tried 45, and then 40. My wall and stairs hit right about 37-38. I fixed my saw made my cuts and attached the top and bottom pieces. Then I measured the distance between each board and cut my MDF trim boards at the correct angle.

When I got it right, it was fantastic, when I got it wrong luckily caulking hides a world of flaws. I nailed in my boards and then measured 10 inches between each board. The good thing about a project like this is you make your own rules. You decide how long, how much, and how far. That makes it pretty nice and pretty easy to let things like mistakes go.

I would not suggest this for someone who has never done molding before. The angles themselves are a headache. I have a entry way project that would be much better for any newbie to try out.

 

This is the finished product. After caulking the gaps, and covering the nail holes I painted two coats of bright white enamel. I like enamel because it is a little stronger than regular latex and its satin finish is very close to a regular latex eggshell. The job of course wouldn't be done without the other side.

 

During construction:

 

 

 Finished Product

 

 

 

I kept seeing the numbered stairs all over Pinterest so I said why the hell not. I took wood numbers from hobby lobby painted them chalkboard black and attached them with double-sticky foam tape. It's less permanent then glue or nailing that way I can remove it if I get bored.

 

File Cabinet re-do

I have been seeing these suckers everywhere. I walk into hobby lobby and see them lining the walls with their colorful rusted edges and high price tags. My youngest son's room is decorated with metal and motorcycles, and I salivated over every metal drawer and rusty scratch. I wanted to purchase one, but the price was just too high.

So I went to my favorite antique shops (the Consignment down the street, and Grandmas's Attic) and dug through the towers of suitcases, and beat up chairs until I found this. (photo above)

Not only were there a lot of different choices but there were also a lot of high price tags. Tall four drawer metal filing cabinets ran anywhere between $80-$120 dollars. Worst part is those four drawer tall filing cabinets, yea we tossed one a few years back...before the craze started. (waahh) I wish I'd checked pinterest first but then again this was before pinterest was embedded in my life so deeply. Damn site is like a tick. I can't go one day without looking at it.

Anyways...I took this beast of a rusty filing cabinet with a door, which was absolutely the perfect size and I bought it for about $40 bucks. That's still not super cheap but it is when compared to the $200 dollars I'd be paying at hobby lobby.

I sprayed on a coat of colorful paint.

Which I liked but didn't love. It was too bright, and too perfect looking it needed that rust I'd so painstakingly covered with paint.

I added some numbers, and sanded the edges and various other spots. Then I flung paint on it like it was on fire. Here is the end product.

 

I think its a repurposing gem, but then again I like old things. Don't be afraid of old things a little paint, sand paper, and more flung paint can go a long way.

 

 

Projects.....New/Old Hutch

When I am not writing, or reading, or doing countless other things, I am usually doing some sort of project. Projects can be anything from putting up molding in a room, to repainting, or redecorating, to repurposing some beautiful old and worn piece of furniture I found at the local Consignment shop for cheap.

This love of all things old and decorating came from my mother. A few years back I had the lucky misfortune of volunteering to help her renovate her newly purchased older home. I say misfortune only because that six months only made me more obsessed with projects. Before the reno, or pre-reno I should say,  I led a perfectly normal small project life. I didn't put up bead board, or tackle wainscoting. I knew nothing. I was green, I had no idea how to use various saws, or nail guns.

Now post-reno, I know more than I ever dreamed. Sure I wanted to know how to do those things, I just didn't have the balls to try. I figured that if I wanted anything heavy-duty done I could call my mom, or ask the honey and miraculously without doing any of the work myself, that lovely remodel would be done. Bam!! like magic.

So now here we are however many months/years later, and my projects have grown quite a bit. At the moment I am gearing up to do my kitchen. It is by far the biggest project outside of my mothers entire house that I have taken on. But until that project starts, I'm going to start sharing my older projects. Some of them I failed to document (or lost pictures) of the starting process, but I will do my best to give you an idea of what I'm working with. So without further ado...here is my first tiny share.

 

This is a hutch I bought at a local antique shop at a close-out price.

 

 

 

I like buying antiques for two reasons:

 

1.  Solid wood. New furniture is often times veneered and partical board. As a person familiar with  MDF I totally appreciate it when doing certain projects...but when its my furniture I want heavy solid wood, you just can't beat it.

 

2.  Price. Not only is old furniture built better (most of the time) it is cheap too (most of the time.) I'm not talking about Queen Anne, or Louis the IV furniture I'm talking the homestead, pioneer, farmhouse furniture, the hidden gems. The piece below I bought for the low price of $149.00.

 

 

 

 

Because I am impatient I did not get a true before picture. I started painting it before I thought to take one...boo me.

 

 

 

 

After a few coats of white enamel paint, this is what I was left with. I like it's simplicity and old hardware. I love its dark wood table top, and wire doors. It speaks to me.

I also sanded parts of it to give it the beat up look that all older well-loved furniture seems to have.