The Bench Is Back!

A few posts back, I showed you my progress with the chalk painted vintage slat bench.  I realized, much too late, that I put WAY too much calcium carbonate (chalk) in the paint, and although I liked the finish, I ended up with tiny lumps of undissolved chalk.  After awhile, they just started to "open up", leaving little white dots of chalk all over.  (I was going to sand it anyway.)

 I took some fine sandpaper to it tonight, and exposed a lot more...well...chalk.  (The chalk dust was flying like Mrs. Hooper's black felt erasers when it was my turn to clean to board.)

The sanding was easy.  I just did a few quick swipes, and used a clean brush to whisk off the excess.

I strained about half a jar of the chalk paint, which removed most of the lumps.

Most, but not all.  I kept this in mind as I put on another coat, using the brush to press out the remaining lumps.  Remember, this is just chalk.  

It dried quickly, of course.  This is one of the best things about chalk paint.  One coat took care of all the tiny spots.  It dried smoothly.

While I was at Home Depot, I took a look at their wax options.  All I found was Johnson's paste wax, which by all accounts, is still used and loved by many.  I got scared off of trying the expensive wax, Vax, or any other pasty sealer by any other name.  I read too many horror stories of how it went all wrong, and the painter (always far more experienced than I am) had to start over.  I decided that the risk, and the money, made this a big NO for me.  I almost bought the Johnson's, then I saw this Martha Stewart metallic glaze, in a color called black coffee.  It looked so close to my chalk paint, but with a deep lustre that really turned my shine-loving self on.  For less than six dollars, I decided it wouldn't be too big a risk.  It's water based, so removal would be easy if I didn't like the way it looked. 

But like it I did!

One smooth and easy coat.  I don't think it even needs a top coat, and I really don't want it any shinier.  Would it be counterproductive to add a spray on matte finish?  I think I'll try the whole cycle (paint, glaze and spray) on a 2x4 before I decide.  The bench is going into a bathroom and I want to make sure it's protected, but as of now, the glaze is looking very substantial.  We'll see in a few hours.  I really wanted to get this done, then write this post, so I was painting until 1:30a, and now it's nearly three.  It's been an extremely productive and sleep-deprived week.  

Up tomorrow...replacing the straps on my antique luggage rack.  And the final pics of the bench, of course.