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How to Use FolkArt Home Decor Chalk, FolkArt Stencils and FolkArt Home Decor White Wax!

How to Use FolkArt Home Decor Chalk, FolkArt Stencils and FolkArt Home Decor White Wax!

Recycling / Repurposing is FUN!

Are you enjoying the popular recycling and repurposing trend as much as I am? 

The other day I found this fun, vintage spice rack that someone years ago had decorated with rub-on ivy transfers.  I am sure in its hay day, it was quite the decorated piece in someone's kitchen!  Well, I picked it up for only $2.99 at a local thrift store and I knew exactly what I could do to revamp it.  Come take a look .... 

And here are the supplies I gathered ...

 


Surface Prep

So let's get started, shall we?  When painting with FolkArt Home Decor Chalk, the only prep necessary in most cases is just to clean the surface by wiping it down with household glass cleaner.  This will remove any dust or dirt film on the surface allowing better paint adhesion.  However in this case, the rub-on ivy transfers were slightly dimensional and I did not want that dimension to show when my project was completed.  So I took just a few minutes to wipe the surface with rubbing alcohol which easily dissolved the old rub-on transfers.  You can see below that they came off very easy.


Painting Instructions

The next step was to decide the color placement for each section of this old rack.  I had chosen Vintage Victorian and Parisian Grey, both are soft, light colors; perfect for this project.  TIP:  When creating a two-color distress effect, before painting stop and think about the color placement and what colors you want as your top color on each section.  Then begin painting using the bottom or underneath color first.  You can see below that I painted alternate areas with both colors as the underneath color.  Using my FolkArt Home Decor small paint brush, it was easy to brush the paint on!

Here is a look at the finished spice rack prepped with both Parisian Grey and Vintage Victorian.  FolkArt Home Decor Chalk paint will dry to the touch very quickly, however, it is suggested that you wait two hours between paint applications to completely allow all moisture to evaporate from the paint.   TIP:  Remember after each use to thoroughly clean your paint brush using mild soap and cool water.  

Stenciling Instructions

Here is a fun fact ... You can stencil using FolkArt Home Decor Chalk!  Did you know that?  Have you tried it?  It is so much fun and offers your painted projects a completely different look.  I chose a smaller FolkArt Painting Stencil design, Ditsy Floral to embellish the front sections of the rack.  You can see below that I began with the top section and positioned the stencil so that a flower center was centered over the nail hole.

Next I loaded the small waxing brush which doubles as a fantastic stencil brush with Parisian Grey.  TIP:  To load the brush, dip the bristles into the paint, then swirl the brush onto a flat surface such as a small foam plate or paper towels while keeping the brush upright so that the bristles are flat to the surface.  This will ensure that the entire flat bristle area of the brush is fully loaded with paint.  Continue swirling on a paper towel to off load any excess paint before beginning to stencil. 

When stenciling, you can use either the stippling or dabbing up and down technique OR the circular motion technique keeping the bristles flat to the stencil.  Either technique will work, simply find your comfort level. 

Voila!  Isn't this a fun, feminine look?  I LOVE it! 

Continue stenciling across the front of the rack moving the stencil to the left and right.


For the next two sections, I turned the stencil on a diagonal so that I could stencil a larger section at one time.  TIP:  Remember to thoroughly clean the FolkArt Home Decor small wax brush after stenciling.

Once the stenciling was complete, I loaded the small FolkArt Home Decor paint brush with Parisian Grey and painted over the Vintage Victorian areas on the side of the rack and allowed it to dry an additional two hours.

Distressing Instructions

I knew I wanted a two-color distressed look, so I began sanding lightly over the Parisian Grey sides allowing the Vintage Victorian to show through.  Immediately, you will notice how easily FolkArt Home Decor Chalk paint will sand to distress.  The paint does not gum up your sandpaper, instead it sands to a light fine powder as shown below.

I continued distressing the entire rack even over the stenciled areas to achieve a more time-worn look.

Waxing Instructions

Next, using my clean small wax brush, I brushed on a coat of FolkArt Home Decor Clear Wax over the entire spice rack and allowed it to dry.  The clear wax will seal and protect my project.

When thoroughly dry, the waxed surface should be buffed using a clean, soft, lint-free cotton cloth.  TIP:  I often will cut up old men's t-shirts as buffing cloths, they work perfectly!  Buffing the waxed surface will raise the sheen; the more you buff, the higher the sheen.

I could have called it a day and said my revamping was done ..... but I did not! 

However, I really wanted to embellish the soft feminine look of my project and so I added a layer of FolkArt Home Decor White Wax!  This time I used the soft, lint-free cloth to wipe on and then wipe off the desired amount of White Wax.

Finishing with White Wax will give your project surface a softened, white-washed look over the FolkArt Home Decor Chalk paint colors.  Don't you like the old-timey look it creates without a dark antiquing?

Continue wiping on and wiping off the FolkArt Home Decor White Wax to your desired taste.  TIP:  Having applied Clear Wax and buffed under the top coat of White Wax helps to seal the surface and allows you better control when applying and removing the colored wax.

And here is a final look at my revamped spice rack.  Oh look .... this is where the nail polish enters in the scheme of things ... my repurposed spice rack is now a nail polish holder!  What do you think about that?

I

I can see it now ... this project will live in my daughter's bathroom or bedroom! 

Posted: 10/28/2014 10:00:00 AM by LEAP | with 0 comments
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