Refinishing our Piano with Annie Sloan‘s Chalk Paint.
Andre and I love a good DIY project. The idea of creating something to be unique and our own has always been appealing to us. When the opportunity arose to work with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint with Interiors to Inspire here in Calgary we were more than excited!
Much like the painting process, choosing what to refinish was easy! We have three aged pieces in our home with beautiful memories and wood bases that don’t quite blend in with our decor style and colours. One of these pieces being a sweet and small upright piano that we found off FB market place! It was the perfect piece to get to work on, weathered and worn and in need of a spruce up!
Before I dive in to the proceed of chalk painting this beauty, I wanted to share some back story. I love the piano, the sound of it, the look, everything about it really. Artists like Chopin, Bach, Tchaikovsky, and Handel just make me feel at peace. I would spend hours in my room playing on an electric keyboard trying to recreate songs I’ve heard. Most of my life I wanted to play. Now that I’m older and have my own little girl, I feel even more inclined to learn!
Before: Original Piano
After: Refinished upright piano via Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint
When we found this little darling upright I was so excited. It has its own story too - been all over Canada, last in Airdrie, and Moosejaw before that. Originally, it was used in a church in Montreal!
Okay, now that we’re all caught up time for the good stuff - the refinishing process!
I met with one of the amazing artists, Mel, from Interiors to Inspire - she gave me the run down on working with Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint as well as some very helpful tips!
Here’s what she shared!
Brushes
Brushes are significantly important to the outcome of the project! She suggested 4 different ones that they have in shop! A large painting brush, a medium one, a large waxing brush, and a smaller waxing brush.
Mel recommended using the large brush on larger surfaces going WITH the grain and the smaller one for hard to reach areas. She also suggested doing two coats for a more solid finish and one coat for a more vintage/rustic feel.
Application
We wanted a smooth solid finish on our piano - which definitely required the two coats.
Applying two coats took us no time at all. We were careful with our brush strokes but the paint (although much thicker that regular paint) applied very nice and smooth regardless!
Surprisingly, Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint also dries very quickly. Around 20 minutes in between costs - perfect for parents or people short on time!Waxing
This is where things got a little bit interesting! We opted in for the wax because we wanted to preserve the paint and seal it!
Overall, working with Chalk Paint is super easy! But when it came time for the waxing a little extra attention is required.
The trick with the wax was being be careful to not putting on too much or the brush or it won’t dry well and may clump! We used the larger rounded brush for this process!
Once our coats were dry, we dabbed some wax on our brush, working it up into the bristles. Then we went in small circular motions over small sections of piano so we didn’t miss anywhere!
Buffing
After applying over the whole piano, we waited 30 minutes and then began to buff it out using cotton rags (Mel suggested cut up old t-shirts as great options too!)
We buffed with the grain pushing it into the paint, this also helps to remove any excess wax you don’t want left behind! Even though this step takes longer than the others, it is still rather quick!
We headed over to the Interiors to Inspire blog for more guidance on this!
5. cleanIng
After everything was complete, we made sure to use hot water to get the wax out of the bristles and some gentle soap to clean as well! Mel and Jennifer have a great blog post about preserving the life of your brushes!
Overall, we enjoyed this project so much! I would encourage throwing on your fav tunes and dancing through the process too. I think that was the secret to success for us! ;)
If you’re in Calgary or surrounding area, I highly recommend Interiors to Inspire for getting your Annie Sloan chalk paint and heading to work! Mel and Jennifer are amazing at being there for guidance and answering any questions too! They also provide workshops if you’re more of a hands on learner and want to experience it first!
I would love to hear about YOUR refinished pieces and experiences with chalk paint too!
Leave me a comment below sharing or pop on over to my Instagram and tell me there!
light and love always!
Xx,
Nikki