Annie Sloan Chalk Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Soooo....I painted our kitchen cabinets. I had done a little preliminary research prior to approaching Michael about making such a drastic change. I knew I wanted to use chalk paint on the cabinets purely for the fact that you do not have to sand or strip the wood prior to painting. After a little persuading, Michael finally agreed. With his "Yes" I tackled this project with full steam. I read as much as I could and watched Annie Sloan tutorials online. After finding a local retailer for the Annie Sloan paint I made the magic happen, the kitchen magic!

Michael and I both felt it was best to do a practice cabinet by painting and waxing the inside of a corner cabinet. So that is what I did. 

Here are the 10 steps I used to transform our kitchen:

1.) I cleaned the cabinet using a "Scrub Daddy Sponge"   Best Cleaning Sponge

2.) After the cabinet was free of grease stains, wetness, or any residue I opened my can of paint.  I opted to add 2 tablespoons of water directly into the paint can and mix it up. This paint is very thick and with the finish I was hoping to achieve I knew it needed to be thinned. 

3.)  I applied my first coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in "Old White." 

4.) I applied the paint using both sizes of the Annie Sloan Flat Brush *These brushes are not cheap but they are well worth the coast for such a big project. The synthetic fibers really give a smooth finish while painting.

5.) After the first coat dried I applied a second coat, however this time before I brushed the paint on the cabinet, I slightly dipped my brush into a cup of water, then I painted smooth even strokes on the cabinet. Dipping the brush in water really helped to thin the paint enough to give a smoother finish. Here is how Annie says to achieve a smooth finish

Below are photos of the second coat:

6.) After the second coat of paint was dry, I sanded the cabinet. Annie says to sand after you clear wax but I opted to do both. I used a sanding brick to make things easier. 

7.) Then I applied my clear wax using the wax brush. I felt it necessary to wipe the wax again using a kitchen towel. The cabinet should not feel sticky or tacky in any way. 

8.) Once the clear wax had settled a bit I did some deeper sanding. I wanted to bring out the lines in the cabinets so I sanded them down. 

9.) Time to add some dark wax to bring out the wooden bits I just sanded! I used a very small amount of dark wax by dipping another rag into the wax, wiping it on the wood seams, then wiping it off immediately.

10.) Finally time to re-hang the cabinets! 

Here you can see where I sanded the edges of the wood. 

This is the cabinet front after 1 coat. 

This is after the second coat of old white. 

Many of you may be wondering how I completed this task with three little boys at home and the answer is a little help from "Bow-Wow" and "Rihanna"--- I let the boys do their thing while did mine! This project took me a 5 days to complete, 4 cans of paint, 1/2 can of clear wax, and 1/4 can of dark wax. 

 The second half of the cabinets I was able to finish because of my wonderful dad! He came over and picked the boys up on a Friday so I could finish up! He's the best! 

Since they were out of the house I was able to make a much better work space out on the patio!

Here are some additional photos of the cabinets: 

And Viola! Our little country kitchen received a full makeover under $300.00!