Fellow furniture painting friends, have you ever worked on a piece that was just beyond a challenge? I'm talking about furniture that you just wanted to pick up and hurl out onto the curb so it could become someone else's problem?
This hutch put up such a fight that it has taken me a full month after finishing it to even share it with you all. And for me, that is a record. And also, it has taken me that long to accept what I went through and to actually fall in love with it again.
So, this hutch used to be up in our hallway and I lamented for, oh I don't know, more than a year, over what color I wanted to paint it. Probably around Thanksgiving we brought it down to the dining room and I immediately knew it should be painted cream to break up all the wood in the room and to tie into the main living space.
The before was super glossy, and since it was cold and the piece is cumbersome I didn't want to bring it outside to sand it. Also, I had been dying to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I totally thought this would be the perfect project to use it on.
Here is what it looked like in my upstairs hallway. And, believe me, the finish looked way better on camera than it did in real life.
So, I spent $41 on one can of ASCP. Which, is astronomical to me. So I was expecting great things.
And my husband, who is super frugal told me the extra cost was worth it because I would be saving so much in time and labor. He's an accountant. It made sense.
I started freaking out around coat four, when it became clear that the stain was totally bleeding through and I actually would run out of paint before I could get it adequately covered.
Also, the bottom shelf of the upper portion had previously had some water damage that never looked too bad, but after 4+ coats of paint it was getting super warped and I had to pry it out and replace it.
Not willing to spend another $41 I had Home Depot color match the ASCP paint for me so I could finish the project. So, technically, this hutch is painted in like 85% ASCP with the remaining being Behr.
Just to add to the drama, The glass is super thin and fragile. And, I had to remove it to paint the inserts, which, by the way, had been attached incorrectly by the previous owner and left stain all over the glass, which we had to carefully scape off.
I'm not kidding you. There was more than once that I had to walk away from this project. But, now, a full month down the road, I love it like I thought I would. The very top holds my collection of vintage brass candlesticks and an antique mirror that I found after someone tossed it out. The upper portion holds my extensive collection of decorating magazines (hey! I've got to do research, right?) and the closed cabinet on the bottom holds my office supplies and paints that I am testing for various companies.
The acrylic bowl underneath holds projects that are in process and some that are completed that I am waiting to get the OK (from companies I collaborate with) to post. It's become my mini office.
So, seriously. What did I do wrong here? I thought I wouldn't have to prime, but I got bleed through and the paint just didn't cover well. Should I have primed with a stain blocker first? And, if I had to do that, then what is the point to spend so much on ASCP when I could have achieved this with less than $10 of hardware store paint? Please share your experiences!
Just to add to the drama, The glass is super thin and fragile. And, I had to remove it to paint the inserts, which, by the way, had been attached incorrectly by the previous owner and left stain all over the glass, which we had to carefully scape off.
I'm not kidding you. There was more than once that I had to walk away from this project. But, now, a full month down the road, I love it like I thought I would. The very top holds my collection of vintage brass candlesticks and an antique mirror that I found after someone tossed it out. The upper portion holds my extensive collection of decorating magazines (hey! I've got to do research, right?) and the closed cabinet on the bottom holds my office supplies and paints that I am testing for various companies.
The acrylic bowl underneath holds projects that are in process and some that are completed that I am waiting to get the OK (from companies I collaborate with) to post. It's become my mini office.
So, seriously. What did I do wrong here? I thought I wouldn't have to prime, but I got bleed through and the paint just didn't cover well. Should I have primed with a stain blocker first? And, if I had to do that, then what is the point to spend so much on ASCP when I could have achieved this with less than $10 of hardware store paint? Please share your experiences!
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Thank you for sharing this post! I am very curious about ASCP and how some bloggers swear by them, and they say they cover very well. In the back of my mind I have always thought that it's a little too good to be true. That a good quality primer needs to be used first if I want to cover up water damage or serious stains, but no one ever mentioned it before.
ReplyDeleteYour piece looks wonderful, I love the color. Sorry about how much work it turned out to be, but I'm glad you didn't pull a "me" and trash it. LOL
I've never used Annie Sloan chalk paint....just my own knock off....sometimes I have problems with bleed through and sometimes not. It's unpredictable (or at least _I_ can't predict it). I go back and forth about whether it saves any time or not....really I think it's more about getting a certain (chalky!) look than saving time. And over time I've gotten less enamored of said chalky look, so I'm less inclined to use it these days. Also I HATE waxing....did you avoid the wax step by finishing it with the regular paint? Anyway, it turned out beautifully!
ReplyDeletehi angela
ReplyDeletei think the problem was not so much the ascp but the piece itself. by looking at the photos it looks like it is from the 50's or so era. a lot of the finishes from that era will bleed through a pink/red colour when using any light paint. i use ascp a lot and really love it but the light colours take a learning curve when using over certain finishes. i did a post about it last fall.
in the case of your piece, you would have needed to lightly sand after you saw what was happening after the first coat. switch to stain blocking primer and a product by zinsser called shellac. you guys in the states can get it in a spray can. you give the bleeding spots a couple coats and then be on your way with your chosen white paint whichwill then probably only require 1 coat plus touch up.
i have used quite a few paints now and even though the price is higher with the ascp it does have the colour and smooth chalk paint feel when using it if chalk paint flat look is what you're going for. i don't find i get the same smoothness with homemade chalk paints. etc.
There are a couple of times you do have to prime before using ASCP and that is usually on a really red wood tone like mahogony and some cherry. If you had done that you would have only used two coats most likely. I have never painted a really red wood piece, but have read countless times by others that this is the case with it bleeding through. Give the paint another chance on a piece that won't bleed and you will love it. Where I order it from it is only $34.95 plus shipping so I pay $5 more than you.
ReplyDeleteWow Angela I am so surprised you had all that trouble! You know I use AS on almost all my pieces and I've never had a problem...usually two coats and I'm good to go. What I will say is when I use a light color like pure white or old white and my wood has knots in it I do give it one coat of primer just so the knots don't bleed through...I don't even go over the whole piece just the knots. With the darker colors there is no need for that. Sorry you had a bad experience...but your piece turned out amazing as always:)
ReplyDeleteIt turned out amazing tough! I have those painting projects all the time. As a matter of fact I have a piece right now that will end up in the dump for sure ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, no! I have a similar piece of furniture with the inserts in the door that's awaiting a paint transformation. I think your piece turned out beautiful and now I'm hopeful for mine. I've found that pieces that have a shellac coating seem to bleed through paint and primer. I learned the hard way NOT to use Zinsser "shellac" based primer over shellac coated wood, because the finish will alligator as it dries. I've switched to their water based primer and no longer have that problem. I'm too cheap to spend that much on paint, so I just use latex paint in a flat finish and wax it when I'm done. :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I love your blog and your newly transformed hutch!
I also want to sing the praises of Shellac. On some stubborn pieces, its the ONLY thing I've found that will stop tannin bleed through. In general, if something is stained in a strong, orange/ red stain I expect tannin bleed. Sorry for all your work! It turned out beautifully!
ReplyDeleteWell, despite all the hiccups, it is gorgeous and I love the art hung on it. I scored an old hutch and I knew that the stain would bleed like terrible so I got a can of the super thick Kilz primer and it worked like a charm. That is my go-to on pieces like this before I paint. xo Kristin
ReplyDeleteAngela, your piece looks great despite the headache! Annie Sloan costs $50+ here and it took me a long time to decide to try it cause that is a crazy price! I have used the pure white and red colour. At 1st I was totally disappointed in the paint and could not understand what all the buzz was about, but I've pushed myself and used it quite a bit now and have to admit that I really like it for those vintage finishes. I have even tried it on leather and laminate and it adhered and covered amazingly. I do use an oil-based primer though on a darker stained pieces, which I agree totally irritates me, but then I don't want to waste my AS paint, cause I'm a miser and this stuff better last me until the end of time! It's too bad you used up the can, cause I really had to play with the paint in order to see its values, I think if I had only used it on 1 project I would be in the same boat.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to try ASCP as I can't really justify paying that much for paint. I have heard about the bleed through on reddish wood tones. I have read you can seal it before you paint with shellac, but that's just as counterproductive as priming first. Despite all the trouble it turned out beautifully!! And you know I'm digging all the neutral tones!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to say what others have said - the problem is the piece itself not the AS paint. There is an era of furniture that the finish comes through - ANY paint! Not just AS. And this one just happened to be one :( So sorry you had this happen - I LOVE my AS paint so much. I know some think it's just way too expensive but once you use it and it works properly the cost becomes much easier to swallow! The cupboard looks great - I love how it turned out!
ReplyDeleteso..... if the piece bleeds you can wax over your paint and then paint over your wax and it will seal in the stain- or it should. i find old white to be the hardest color to work with as it is slightly more translucent and i have had lots of bleeders with it as well, but the wax helps!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I just love how you've decorated it as well!
ReplyDeleteBrandi @ Nest of Bliss
your piece turned out beautifully. I paint lots of furniture but never with acp-just too expensive.. I make my own with plaster a paris and have been happy with every piece so far.
ReplyDeleteAny piece that bleeds I use Shellac (two coats) regardless of the paint I use. Boutique chalk paints are nice, mostly because I can sand with a wet rag with no mess, but I get the same results making my own. I also hate waxing, so I've begun using homemade chalk paint for the first coat (so I don't have to sand), then regular satin latex for 2nd coat. No top coat needed unless it's a table or desk....then I use Varethane Spar Urthane like a wipe on poly....won't turn white or light paint yellow :)
ReplyDeleteYour cabinet is gorgeous! Love the portrait on the doors!!!
ReplyDeleteIt turned out beautifully but I can understand your frustration. I haven't used ASCP yet but I have used Fat paint and been very happy with it. I did experiment with my own homemade version of chalk paint for my last three projects and found that a hutch (with a very similar finish as your cabinet) took many, many coats of paint to cover. So when I did the matching buffet, I sanded it somewhat and that worked much better, though in retrospect a primer would have probably solved the problem.
ReplyDeleteLike many others on here said..it was the piece, not necessarily the paint. Those pieces bleed through EVERYTHING..walnut veneer probably. The finish they used flakes and bleeds as well. I just did a piece like it..yep, bled through. So, clear shellac over it all. ASCP is a good chalk paint..but really, not the wonder paint that some would like you to believe. Its awesome for some applications..not so good for others. Don't give up..the colours are great in that paint line..but there are many other chalk paints that are amazing as well..and cheaper. Homemade chalk paint is awesome too..but you have to get the feel for it. I use the Plaster of Paris method..but had to work with the ratio as the recipes I've found online were not working for me. But now, its the best way to go. Way cheaper, and the finish is as silky as any chalk paint, and I can use a varathane top coat so its durable (unlike wax on chalk paint). Experimenting is a needed part of this business..don't give up. :) Your piece turned out amazing..:)
ReplyDeleteJust to add my two cents worth (and forty years of experience + an art degree), it is definitely the bleed through from the red stains (knots also cause problems). However, you will get that same bleed through if you just paint with regular latex and no primer. Unfortunately, with the latex bleed through it often doesn't show up right away. It can show up weeks or months later after the stain works its way through the latex. Regardless of the variety of paint, if the wood has knots or a reddish stain or color, use a shellac based primer or straight shellac first. I checked Annie Sloan's website and she even talks about priming first in those situations. Good luck and the finished piece is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI think you are going to get a lot of mixed reviews about your ASCP paint project. I have painted furniture for over 9 years. I used primer and paint and wax like most. Whenever I would find a great old walnut or mahogany piece I always primed it. Always! Then I discovered ASCP. I was told in the beginning of my use of ASCP that it would cover anything and then later I was told that I needed to use shellac on certain finishes. Unfortunately, I think time is telling the story to us especially being a reader of many blogs. It's a wonderful product and I love it when everything turns out well as the finish is butter smooth and beautiful when it works but when it doesn't it is frustrating and costly and time consuming so it can be a roll of the dice. If there is a secret to getting it perfect every time I like you would love to find out. Sometimes it can even be more than just the knots on the wood that cause bleed throughs. I have painted over some spills on furniture and it doesn't matter what you use it can bleed through. So my recommendation on any and every paint project is this, use a a good paint brush and always say a prayer!
ReplyDeleteLovely hutch! I guess the hard work paid off! :)
ReplyDeleteAngela, I redo quite a lot of furniture, and I was equally underwhelmed with both Annie Sloan and CeCe Caldwell. I think Maison Blanche is a teensy bit better, but none of it is worth the price. The Valspar Brand of paint with primer (I use flat or eggshell), available at Lowe's for under $40 a gallon, is formulated with calcium carbonate (chalk) and gives a more consistent and durable finish, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of your trials, this piece is just gorgeous. I would love for you to share it at my first-ever DIY Done! link party at FlyingC-DIY.com. I hope to see you there!
I have used ASCP many times but never on a very dark stained piece. Annie Sloan says if you are covering a dark stained item, you should first use a shellac over it to prevent bleed through. I can image your frustration, but your piece is stunning.
ReplyDeleteWell the good news is that the end result is stunning! Way to hang in there!
ReplyDeleteThis looks awsome painted and with the artwork hanging in front! So delighted you shared with Home and Garden Thursday,
ReplyDeleteKathy
Found you on Miss Mustard Seed. LOVE how you decorated the cabinet. From the candlesticks on top to the art work on the front- it's perfect. Even the magazines stacks are interesting.
ReplyDelete