painting an old dresser with Annie sloan old white chalk paint and it's not living up to its hype

[shirleybasseyslovechild]

i have read all the old threads and would appreciates any new advice.
old wood dresser with some fairly intricate carved bits.
Annie Sloan paint, mixed very well, diluted a bit ( set globby immediately otherwise)
left to dry several hours between coats but still each new coat starts to lift up the old one - I'm trying not to overpaint with more than one brushstroke per area ,
also tried subsequent coats with a dry brush and sort of stippling it in.
not looking that good though.
help!

What's was the original finish on the dresser you're painting? Was it shiny? Did you sand it?

I've never used Annie Sloan so can't be much help, I understand it's meant to cover everything but if this happened to me with other paint I'd assume the issue was with the original surface, if that's what the paint is lifting to reveal. Is it varnished / painted in oil-base / dusty / wet / greasy / has PVA glue on it?

Might be a question for Piglet John though!

Did you thoroughly sand and prime the dresser?

The whole point of Annie Sloan is that no sanding or priming is required, I thought??

Gosh I didn't know that! In which case, you need to be asking for your money back.

AS should go over anything, with no sanding or priming needed. I've even used B&Q chalk paint on cheap veneered wood with no difficulty.
Was the surface properly cleaned before starting?
I wonder if you diluting it caused some difficulties? In other words, adding more water lengthened the drying time and perhaps you started subsequent coats too early? Several hours doesn't sound long enough in this instance tbh, I always leave at least overnight. Maybe leave a day or two, sand away the bobbly bits and start again.

Old dark wood dresser was probably shiny once but very scuffed. Chose AS because it claims no sanding or priming required. Just cleaned and dried thoroughly. Tried undiluted but just far too gloopy - diluted a bit went on ok but you can only do one brushstroke in each place because of you over brush it either goes sticky/ draggy or just starts lifting off the first layer. It was 100% dry between coats. Lots of online stuff says paint second coat just about straight away.i tried that too. Hopeless

I'm hoping some of the folks who swear by chalk paint can advise ! I'm quite good at painting normally , do loads of stuff for family and friends

Any AS experts know about wax? It sounds like it might've been waxed and I wonder if that's why it's not sticking.

I doubt it's anything you're doing wrong.

Hi had exactly the same problem when I used AS on a dark wood table
I just kept slapping it on for bloody days, eventually it did cover, I think AS works much better on light colour
wood & if painting dark wood, despite the blurb you really need to undercoat, so in short my advice keep slapping on very light coats or start again & use a primer/undercoat & imo do think its not that easy to use & im like you op quite an experienced painter.

Was the surface sound to begin with?
It shouldn't need priming, but the existing surface does need to be sound with no lifting/ peeling varnish or whatever on it!

You should use one gloopy coat first undiluted. It sticks better to the surface & when dry, the 2nd coat should be mixed with water to single cream consistency. Work fast & if you want a flat finish, use a foam mini roller for 2nd & subsequent coats.

yes wood very sound and not waxed.
Evelyn I tried that but it was setting in the brush and giving a terrible uneven finish

I was given the opposite advice re: diluting - first coat very dilute, subsequent ones also dilute but not quite so much!

Fwiw I think AS paint is a triumph of style and marketing over substance. It doesn't stand up to the wear and tear of everyday life and is PITA to keep clean. I painted lots of things with it last year and gave had to repaint this year with satinwood or eggshell.

Haven't had a problem with it not adhering in the first place though. Something on the dresser (wax?) or dodgy batch of paint. Have you tried painting something else (spare bit of wood?) to see what happens?

I've found it to be variable. Sometimes finishes of a certain age seep through. Either stick a coat of primer on or just keep going with more coats. However, I've also had a problem with a dodgy batch. Try googling the problem.

In addition, I always either sand between coats or 'polish' it with a rough cloth. I don't like the brush stroke look.

It is worth it in the end but I've never found it quick/easy.

I have had the problem of the paint drying on the brush, so I dip the brush quickly in a pot of water between brush strokes rather than diluting the paint.

Also I have sometimes let a coat dry, light wax, buff with a clothe and then second coat.

thank you very much for your advice.
I'll keep going.
I'm just a bit disappointed that the no sanding / priming thing has turned out to be a whole other box of tricks at the other end of the job

My friend has converted to Little Green intelligent egg shell paint, it looks lovely, she was told there was no need to prime and it doesn't need waxing!