GTC Waxes off about Chalk Paint and the Kitchen

Wow, merci!  for all the fabulous feedback regarding my kitchen cabinet makeover.  It was so fun to step back and admire the improvement, and so much fun to share it with you.

I received some fantastic questions, that I thought I would take the opportunity to answer in a post. 

Here goes:Did you use "Graphite" Chalk Paint on the Black cabinets?  Here is the dirty truth.....

No

  I used a mixture of Basic Black Modern Masters Paint, and Old White Chalk Paint in a  5 Parts MM paint to 1 part Old White Chalk Paint.  On a project or two ago, I discovered a wonderful secret, Chalk Paint can be mixed quite well with another high quality paint.  It also responds very well to being mixed with high quality Acrylic paints to change the color, (like a Tablespoon to a quart ratio).  

The Graphite color Chalk Paint comes out almost blue, which is lovely in itself, but it is not what I was looking for.  It is definitely not a strong black.  You can easily manipulate the color by adding a little at a time of a high quality Black Acrylic Paint.  Again, I like Modern Masters. I was looking for a charcoal black, and this can be achieved by mixing a little white in with black paint.

I discovered that by mixing the Chalk Paint, even in such a low ratio, I can still reap the benefits of that soft, very sandable feeling that Chalk Paint allows.

"How are the chalk paint cabinets holding up to the kids and to general life?"

  -and from another reader-

" Will the wax hold up to the wear and tear of kitchen use like poly? I would rather use wax if it can stand being wiped down frequently without constantly reapplying."

So far so good.  I have actually found that little fingerprints and smears are wiping off easier with the hardened wax than they were with the poly finish. 

Here is what Annie Sloan has to say about it at her website:

Painting Kitchens

You can use our paint on kitchen cabinets using at least 2 coats of paint and then give it two or three coats of wax to seal it. Our wax is water repellent and strong and makes a good connection to the paint. Our paint is meant to give character and interest rather than a perfectly smooth 'plastic' finish of some paints. Refresh every now and again with some more wax when it needs and to clean use a propriety spray cleaner like Mr Muscle. 

I actually used a Liberon Clear Wax because this is what I had on hand, but it is very high quality, and hardened very nicely.  I imagine I will have to reapply to certain areas every few months or so.  It is a minor trade off for me to have distinct and "hand crafted" look to a plastic hard finish.   I don't foresee having to reapply it constantly to heavy areas as a quick wipe with a damp cloth gets dirt up instantly.  Because the Wax is a different property than Poly, I am finding it does not "absorb" stains or food smeared finger marks very easily.  The dirt just kind of sits on the top.  Très merveilleux

 Thank you for all the beautiful comments and the great questions.  Hopefully I was able to answer thoroughly.  If you would like to look at more kitchens done with Chalk Paint and Wax, I recommend you check out Amy's blog at Maison Decor

She has a beautiful example of a lighter version of chalk painted kitchen cabinets:

So beautiful.  

Have lovely Tuesday,

au revoir - GTC