Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Using Dark Wax

French Style Chair - Dark Wax Project

In a previous blog, I discussed the treatment I would be using for this French style chair and showed the above before and mid-way photo.  I had used two coats of ASCP off-white and one coat of the clear wax to prepare to use the dark wax for the first time.  The story picks up from that point.

I found an old bristle brush (concerned that I would have to toss if I couldn't clean adequately - something some others have discussed). I dove into the very dark clear wax and started going over the woodwork.  It is VERY dark and immediately looks very dirty as shown below.

Immediately after application of dark wax

After doing a small portion (e.g. leg), I took a white cloth (old T-shirts) and, using a small amount of clear wax, started to clean the finish to get the right proportion of dark to light.  This is a VERY important step and evidently can only be done by using the clear wax as a cleaning agent.  I continued throughout the piece which took some time doing in small portions.  In order to maintain some level of consistency, I kept stepping back to survey the whole piece and made adjustments (sometimes putting more dark back on if I had scrubbed too hard).  I started to like the effect, particularly on the carved patterns which really demonstrate the impact of light and dark the best.

Detail 

Detail - crown 

Finished and ready for upholstering

So what did I learn:

1.  You really do need to do the first wax coat in clear and do a pretty thorough job.  In areas where the first coat may not have totally covered, the effect was more muddied and harder to control.

2.  You need a number of clean cloths - I went through almost two T-shirts which work beautifully.

3.  You need a lot of clear wax to do the cleaning and adjusting of colors - more than I typically use to do a whole piece in clear alone.  This impacts dramatically on your supply of "costly" wax - I am finding a need to purchase another expensive can after doing not that many projects.

Overall, I will do this again.  I will only do it on pieces with considerable carving which will be enhanced by the treatment.  In areas (like the back of this chair) that are straight, it looks like distressed woodwork but otherwise, in my view, is not that interesting.

Good luck and check out my other ASPC projects.