I haven't shown on this blog very many of my DIY redo projects, but I should find the time to do that. I just finished these candlesticks today, so thought I should post about it while it is fresh on my mind.
Here are the victims. I found this pair of 22" candlesticks at Dillard's on the 50% off shelf. I'm sure they were there because nobody else wanted to pay $100 for them. My husband says at half off they still made money. You know how much I love white, but these were high gloss lacquered white which was a little too stark for me. I wanted to knock the brightness down a little bit.
I am going to use various paints on these as I want an aged look not a distressed look. First, I have taped off the zinc tops. I am painting these on a piece of newspaper on my kitchen countertop. I am using two Annie Sloan Chalk Paints to start out with.
First a coat of Chateau Grey which looks green. I use a #12 artist's brush to paint with as a chip brush is not comfortable for me.
Here is a close up of the Chateau Grey going on. I order the Annie Sloan paints from The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing in Jackson, MS since there is no local dealer in my area.
Here's what this stage looks like.
After two coats of the green dries, I put the second layer on which is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint's Country Grey color which is a beige.
I am not a fan of distressed shabby paint finishes. I prefer aged finishes. The reason I am putting the green under the beige is not to distress the layers with sandpaper or a sanding mouse. The green is underneath as a building layer to give the upper coats cohesion and if they do get knocked around and some green shows later in their life, that is okay. It is just not my intention from the beginning. I see so many paint projects on blogs where they are so heavily distressed where they would never have naturally over time lost their finish in those areas, that I think they look horrible.
The next layer is a coat of legno gesso from Amy Howard at Home. You can only purchase this after taking her workshop to learn how to use it. This will give the candlesticks a texture of plaster. I do give this a sanding with 400 grit sandpaper to knock off any rough places.
The next step is to blot on with a dampened small piece of natural sea sponge a coat of Country Living's Caromal Colours color Putty. When that dries, I will add various blobs of gray paints that I have on hand from other projects.
When those paints dry in about 20 minutes, I then add King Gold gilding wax from Gedeo of France. I just highlight the edges in a rough form, not covering the area, but just rubbing a little on with my finger.
This is what the gilding wax looks like.
This is how they fit in with other objects on my table. After a few days of evaluating them, I might go back and sponge on another color. Here, I am considering adding a darker beige.
If you are not already comfortable with taking on these kinds of projects, I do hope you will give it a try. You can always paint them again.
Summer
Photos: Swede
