~ How to Turn Annie Sloan's Dark Wax into a Glaze ~


This is the perfect piece for me to try my
 hand at mixing a Dark Soft Wax glaze and Silver Gilding Wax.

I love the lines of this French style desk.  
It is a well constructed piece with great hardware.

I decided to paint it using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®
in color Graphite which is a beautiful grey black.

The perfect outdoor painting temperatures
are between 55 - 85 degrees within a 24 hour time period.
So if temps get below 55 degrees at night or over 85 degrees during the
day it is suggested you paint in the house.  Paint
will not apply correctly or cure correctly when the temps are
too low or too high.


I decided to leave the top stained but it needed Annie's Clear Wax 
to bring back its luster.
I applied a thin layer of Clear Wax with a Premium Wax Brush
purchased at Lady Butterbug Shoppe for $21.95.
Allow the wax to dry overnight and polished using a soft rag.


Before I started painting the desk I used blue painter's tape to tape off
the drawers and top. 
For drawers or doors that fit into an exact opening it is important to
not add too much paint to the sides.  
If too much paint is added the drawers will not
 slide into the opening and the doors will not close.
Using blue tape on the inside of the drawers keeps the drawers looking clean.


Next I painted two coats of Annie's beautiful slate color...Graphite.
I wanted a smooth painted look so I used Annie's pure bristle paint brush...small size...
and straight line painted following the wood grain.
Paint one coat of Graphite allowing to dry for one hour next
 paint the second coat of Graphite allowing it to dry for one hour.
I always paint two coats of paint for good coverage and durability.

Graphite is great neutral color and an earthy grey black!
I choose to paint the hardware because I wanted it to blend
with the finished project and would highlight it with
Silver Gilding Wax at the end of the project.


When waxing and glazing a piece this size it is best to wax in sections.
Take the drawers out and wax the front frame first, sides next, and drawers last.
Remember the top has already been clear waxed before the painting began.

I applied the Clear Soft Wax first followed by a 
Dark Soft Wax glaze with Silver Gilding Wax.

To make the glaze I mixed 3 tablespoons of Annie's Dark Soft Wax,
3 tablespoons mineral spirits...shake the mineral spirits as it separates in the container..., and 1 tablespoon Silver Gilding Wax.
I mixed this glaze in a nacho boat and didn't totally
mix the Silver Gilding Wax into the mixture.  You can see clumps of the Gilding Wax
in the picture.  I did this so I would have imperfect amounts of the silver on my
brush as I applied the glaze.
 

 Now the creative fun begins....the waxing and glazing!

Using a Premium wax brush I Clear Waxed 
the desk front and while the wax was damp...do not let the Clear Wax dry... I painted
on the glaze using a chip brush.  Apply the glaze following the direction
of the wood grain.  You should create a striated look with veins of silver
running through the glaze.  This is a very imperfect look.

                       
                             I painted and glazed the hardware too.  Next Clear Wax each side
and paint on the glaze.  Insert the drawers into the desk, Clear Wax,
and paint on glaze one drawer at a time.  Make sure all the drawers have a similar glazed look.
Allow the glaze to dry overnight
and polish with a soft rag.


 I've have more oohs and ahhs over this piece than any other
piece of furniture in our shoppe.

Thanks for spending time with me.
I had so much fun with this waxing/glazing technique.
Please feel free to ask me questions.

Join me on Instagram and Facebook and stop by
my Lady Butterbug Shoppe in McKinney for all your
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® products.





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5 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Can't wait to try your technique. Thank you so very much for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful! Can't wait to try your technique. Thank you so very much for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Long shot here, but can I add regular craft paint to wax to color it? I bought clear wax and would like to try to darken it without having to purchase dark wax! Thanks so much, Kim

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  4. when you put the wax on did you wipe it off or just apply it with not wiping off?

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  5. Is there a way to scoop out and mix the waxes without leaving a substantial portion of wax on whatever utensil you use to scoop with? I've also had a terrible time getting the waxes to mix or thin with mineral spirits. Surely someone has found a trick or a tool to help without losing so much wax!

    ReplyDelete