Shabby Coat Hook How Too

Another quick step by step today. Our move is getting closer and closer and working on smalls is about as much as I can do at the moment. 

 I picked up these lovely coat hooks a little while ago and thought it was about time I did something with them. 

 Here is what you will need.

Decoart chalk finish paint and varnish

Coat hooks. 

Off cut of wood. 

Electric sander (not essential but makes life easier). 

Decoart chalk finish stencil. 

Brushes. 

To start with I painted the board with Decoarts chalk finish paint in Escape. 

Once dry I painted over the top with Decoarts Lehacy. 

Once dry a quick sand starting with a medium grade sand paper and working down to a fine grade paper to leave a beautifully smooth surface. 

Once you are satisfied with your level of distress. You want to find a happy medium of bar wood and both colours coming through. It's time to add the stencilling. Take some time to make sure the stencil is straght and I find it best to tape it down. This helps keep it in lace and helps stops the paint from getting under the stencil. I use a stencil brush and stipple the paint. This gives the paint some texture. When dry take a fine grade piece of sand paper and gently sand back to smooth out and distress the design. I used Decoarts Enchanted for my stencilling. 

Finish off with a couple of coats of varnish. I used the satin varnish to give a nice soft sheen. 

Measur and mark where you want the hooks and attach them to the board. 

Thanks for stopping by xx

A Candle Stick Make Over Decoart Chalk Paints And Mixed Media Fluid Acrylics Step By Step Ageing

Afternoon all, I hope you are keeping well. With today's post I have done my usual stupid thing of not taking a before pic so I have improvised and found a picture that shows roughly the colour and finish of this wooden candle stick holder that I picked up in a charity shop, It was originally from Debenhams.

Ok, not the same but mine was the same dark brown colour and this is just to give you an idea of where I started ;)

Step one.

 The candle stick was given a good clean, with the Decoart Chalk Finish Paints you just need to make sure the surface is clean, the only sanding or prep work you would need to do is if the surface is flaky and lose.

Once clean I gave it two coats of Yesteryear to get a nice solid finish, The first coat can sometimes be thin and streaky especially if the surface is a high gloss, don't worry the first coat goes on and once dry gives the surface some tooth ready for the second coat.

A coat of Decoart's clear wax was then applied to seal the surface.Decoart's wax is a cream wax and non solvent based unlike many other chalk paint manufacturers so you can use it indoors with out getting headaches.

Step 2

I wanted a more aged look to my candle stick and using the Dark Wax from Decoart is the easiest way.If you want to use the darker waxes it is important to put a layer of clear wax on first other wise the dark wax can cause staining to the paint.I work fairly quickly with the dark waxes and I don't worry to much about brush strokes and direction, just make sure it is applied in all the low and hard to reach spots as this is where dirt will naturally collect over time.

Have some kitchen towel handy, with a piece this size by the time you get to the bottom with the dark wax you can start wiping it away. Keep removing the wax till you get the look you desire, If you take to much off you can simply apply more and repeat.

Let the wax dry thoroughly and to get a nice sheen to the finish buff with a clean colour free cloth.

Step 3.

I wanted a to take my ageing a step further and using the Decoart Media Fluids Carbon Black and Quinacridone Gold I added a couple of colour washes. The Media fluids are an artist quality pure pigment paint, no filler or bulking agents of any kind, this means they hold their colour even when heavily diluted, making them perfect for colour washes amongst many other mixed media and artistic ventures. You can find more projects with the media line on my other blog Speshink.

Thanks as always  for stopping by, your support is very much appreciated. xxx