Diy Painting Stair Makeover With Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I have to say I love this product.  I am the type that likes easy projects. Ones that won’t take me forever. Chalk Paint decorative paint by Annie Sloan requires no prep work. No sanding at all= zip work. It’s that awesome. It sticks to metal, wood, and even walls. Plus, you can use it indoors or outdoors. It’s like the do-it-all must-have paint mamas!

So without further ado. Look at what a beauty I have now!! 

I am going to show you how I took my entry way staircase from drab to fab today with a little Chalk Paint! I have had the DIY bug biting me lately and I have been taking on fun projects around the house. This area of my house was way over due for an update. While it was a big project, I was up for the challenge. 

What I used:

  • Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint
  • Annie Sloan Clear Wax
  • Annie Sloan Dark Wax

Other supplies:

  • Drop Cloth or paper to slide between carpet/wood for protection
  • Sand paper
  • Annie Sloan Paint Brush
  • T-shirt Rags
  • Paper Plates/Plastic Spoons

Prep Work

First I had to get my handrail and newels ready for painting. While Chalk Paint® doesn’t require prep work, my newel had some huge screw holes that needed filling. We had a baby gate on the stairs for the last 5 years and now that my kiddos are all old enough to use the stairs it was time for it to go. This included filling some dents that probably came from my kids dump trucks hitting my stairs and other wear and tear. I also slid paper between my carpet and wood to ensure I wouldn’t get a drop of paint on the carpet. As you can see in the picture below, it doesn’t look pretty but it got the job done.

Paint Away 

Get the Chalk Paint out and get painting. Yep, as you can see in my picture I am a ‘paint straight from the can kind of gal!’. Works for me. Warning: Chalk Paint doesn’t go on looking perfect. If you are looking for a super perfect finish, look else where and go with regular latex paint. I love the shabby vintage look so I didn’t mind the uneven texture and lines, it adds to the finished products beauty and uniqueness. That’s the beauty of this paint. There is a way to achieve a perfect finish with it which consists of sanding between coats as I have read online but I have never tried it. While perfect is not the look I was going for, I painted on. I did two coats. The dry time between coats was about an hour or so. I didn’t really time them. I just did them when I had extra time between working and running my kids around.

Distress

Waited 24 hours to ensure that my paint was completely dry. Since looking old is the look I was going for, I took my sandpaper and went to work. I sanded along the edges and randomly here and there. I sanded until I felt it had the unique older feel that I was going for. Next I waxed. I started with a clear wax, followed by a half clear/half dark wax, and finished up with a clear wax. Since my handrail does get a lot of daily use I wanted to make sure I did a few coats of wax to ensure it would hold up to all the hand touching. I have to admit, the first time I waxed I was super nervous. I was worried about doing it wrong?! Now that I know what I am doing, it’s very easy. Here’s some tips that will help you if you are waxing for the first time.

  • I always use a paper plate for my wax. It’s easy to use and even easier to clean up. Since wax is similar to say a ‘crisco’ consistency you would find clean up rather difficult if you use a plastic container that you want to reuse. I also use a plastic spoon to put it onto my plate. Make sure you never cross dip meaning get dark wax in your clear wax. Always use a new plastic spoon.
  • A little goes a long way. Literally. My little can of wax is still half full and I have done a dresser, 4 bar stools, a handrail, bathroom cabinet, and my whole stair case. Simply put a dab on your brush and rub it with the brush, then rub it in circles on a paper plate until you only see a little on the bristles. As shown in the above picture.
  • Apply in small areas: I usually work in a section at a time, that way I ensure I got it all covered. If you take on too much you will get overwhelmed and the wax dries very quickly.
  • Apply in a circle motion, once you have my area covered I like to go with the grain for the final brush.
  • Wipe off. If using a clear wax you can just buff it in. If you are using a dark wax wipe it off right away. Once I brushed my wax on, I immediately wiped it off with a t-shirt rag. You can leave as much on as you want and you can buff until you get it looking just the way you want it to.

Here I am putting my 50/50 mix on and then wiping it off. It goes on super dark, but then I wipe off and it looks perfect.

Taking a clear wax and mixing it with a dark wax let’s you control how dark you want to go. I didn’t want it super dark just a more aged look and I was very happy with how it turned out. That’s it. Once my painting side of the project was complete I moved onto the baluster removal and new iron baluster installation which you can see here. I love spring because that means yard sale season is coming! Squeal with delight!! What fun treasures you can find. Keep an eye out and when you see that old dresser or buffet, think Chalk Paint. You can turn it into your own personal treasure with a little of your time and make it a truly unique piece.