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Original poster

Has anyone used Annie Sloan paint?

41 replies

mumblechum1 · 19/10/2012 10:36

Recently bought a kitchen dresser from ebay which was cheap because it was painted in brilliant white gloss. I'm planning on painting it, possibly in AS Paris Grey, with the back board in Emperor's Silk.

Any experience/horror stories/tips about Annie Sloan paint?

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Original poster

mumblechum1 · 19/10/2012 10:36

www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/United_Kingdom.html

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MontBlanc · 19/10/2012 11:39

It's great, perfect for the french painted furniture type look. You don't have to prepare anything, just paint it straight on and it has a lovely chalky finish. I put annie sloan wax on afterwards to seal it.

AitchTwoOhOneTwo · 19/10/2012 11:44

ooooh, i've never heard of this but i hear 'you don't have to prep' and i'm sold.

amazonianwoman · 19/10/2012 14:11

MontBlanc can you paint with it so that it has a 'solid' look?

I like the sound of no prep (painting a nice shaped bureau thing which has some horrid veneer bits which would require a specialist primer) but I don't want it to look distressed or French!

Dinnerdinnerdinnerbatman · 19/10/2012 14:16

Cherry Menlove was raving about this recently, painted a dresser I think. It looked good and sounded straightforward..

ChippingInLovesAutumn · 19/10/2012 14:18

Mumble - will send you a PM later on :) I have to go out now, but didn't want to forget lose your thread! -brain like a sieve at the moment

Chippychop · 19/10/2012 14:19

I don't like it as I don't like the solid matt chalky finish

Fizzylemonade · 19/10/2012 14:22

There are several videos on YouTube of Annie herself painting such as where she paints a chair I wouldn't have looked at twice before seeing this and how beautiful you can make it.

She does do the French distressed look but there are also other people using her paint too.

Ignore the CeCe Caldwell Vs Annie Sloan video, I don't want it getting any more hits, basically some American Company/woman called CeCe Caldwell has an American version of Annie Sloan and this reviewer just rants about supporting American products etc.

You don't have to paint in the slap dash way Annie does, just more regular painting for a painted piece rather than the distressed one. I haven't used her paint personally but have read lots of reviews and seen stupid amounts of some videos on YouTube. must get off ruddy YouTube oh and Pinterest whilst I am confessing all

MontBlanc · 19/10/2012 15:01

amazonian yes it will look solid if you paint it neatly on, it will just look matt, you have to sand it to get the distressed look. I think a bureau would look lovely painted in it.

amazonianwoman · 19/10/2012 15:13

Oooh exciting. I'm guessing I could paint my kitchen cupboards then (even more horrid orange pine)

Off to order some samples...

Thanks

amazonianwoman · 19/10/2012 15:13

And obviously wax/matt varnish them!

SunnyUpNorth · 19/10/2012 15:16

I have just finished painting a sleigh bed in AS Old White after I started a thread about painting furniture and someone recommended it.

It looks great and has been really easy to use. I searched on MN for threads about using it and a few people have had trouble with it as it is quite thick and dries very quickly. So you just have to go for it and slap it in rather than trying to paint it all neatly as per usual. I read somewhere that you can do a thick first coat and then water it down a bit for the second coat if one is needed. Apparently it sands really easily so you are better using wire wool than even fine sand paper as that can take too much off.

I've done two coats and am not sanding it as I wanted quite a clean finish. Just need to wax it now, think that step is quite important so it lasts.

Just wish there was a stockist near me so I could get more samples to try out but can't justify the expensive postage costs when I keep wanting to try different ones.

Good luck!

Ps I did no prep and it went on fine.

Original poster

mumblechum1 · 19/10/2012 15:46

Oooh thanks everyone! I loathe prepping so will go for it.

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fossil97 · 19/10/2012 18:15

I've used it. One thing to watch out for is that some woodstains can bleed through it - I had this trouble on a modern cupboard of stained and waxed pine. I had to use an oil primer first to seal. It went fine over an old varnished Ercol table.

It goes on quickly, quite thick and you can see the brushstrokes, but it actually looks OK waxed over. 2 coats give a flat opaque finish, you don't have to distress it. Probably better on big surfaces than small fiddly items.

I would use it again but I did read the threads about problems: it's not for every situation.

Not sure how durable it is long term, I guess things might get a bit of "character" but maybe it's easy to patch up. I doubt you could get away with scrubbing your cupboards with CIF.

DorsetKnob · 19/10/2012 18:32

Don't know about the paint but she is lovely.

Original poster

mumblechum1 · 21/10/2012 20:39

Well, went and bought Paris Grey and the clear wax from the Oxford shop yesterday (helpful, knowledgeable assistant). I only bought 1 litre though I thought I'd need 2, but it was more than enough.

I've painted it in two coats then roughly waxed and buffed it to get a bit of a distressed look and am very happy, but have decided to paint the back board in Emperor's silk after all and it's on order.

I love painting stuff

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ChippingInLovesAutumn · 22/10/2012 18:25

Mumble - any chance you'd like to post some photos??

How did you find it to use?

Did you buy one of her paint brushes - if not, what did you use?

betterwhenthesunshines · 22/10/2012 18:54

I have some furniture to paint - the knotting has stained through the current paint finish. Will this also happen with the Annie Sloan, or is knotting solution the one bit of prep I will have to do?

Original poster

mumblechum1 · 22/10/2012 20:15

chipping I've just taken a couple of photos but they've disappeared into the black hole that is my C drive! Will take another couple once I've done the red back board and have another go.

I found it easy to use, just used a normal 2.5 inch paint brush both for the painting and another, clean one for the waxing. I wasn't about to spend £16 on a waxing brush and the woman in the shop actually said just to put it on with a rag. I put the wax on v quickly and sloppily as i wanted to buff it up before it had a chance to dry on. I'm now going to slightly distress it so the white shows through a tiny bit, then re-wax.

better, you do need to put some knotting sealant on, I saw that on one of the online blogs.

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ChippingInLovesAutumn · 22/10/2012 21:01

Mumble - bloody C drives I'll wait with baited breath! It sounds lovely! I wouldn't bother with an AS brush for the wax, but I'm considering one for the paint as they're supposed to be luuuuverly and I thought it might give a nicer finish. Might borrow one to try first - it might not be any better than my other brushes.

Original poster

mumblechum1 · 23/10/2012 21:22

Ok, hopefully my photos will be on my profile now....

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ChippingInLovesAutumn · 23/10/2012 22:14

Thanks :)

It looks good in the Paris Grey - not too keen on the red myself either. I like the single colour, but if you want a contrast then I think either the Old White with a touch of Paris Grey or Paris Grey with a touch of Charcoal in it would look lovely.

Ginda · 23/10/2012 22:16

Mumblechum there is a fantastic professional master painter called Andy Crichton who posts on here sometimes, he has a blog called Traditional Painter where he has loads of tips and reviews, and among the brands of paints he rates is Annie Sloan (he also likes Mythic and Little Greene).

I have been decorating using his recommendations and it's all been great, so I say: if Andy likes it, it must be good! You can read his review of Annie Sloan paint [[http://traditionalpainter.com/category/paint/annie-sloan on his blog here]

Ginda · 23/10/2012 22:17

Sorry, with link working here

Original poster

mumblechum1 · 23/10/2012 22:49

chipping yy, I'm thinking I'll order a tester of charcoal and mix it with Paris Grey.

The paint goes way further than I expected; I'm not even half way down the 1L pot, after 2 coats, and one tester was more than enough to do the backboard.

thanks Ginda, I'll keep that in mind for my next project

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