Dustless distressing and Antibes (Ehn teeb) Green

I am constantly learning new techniques with Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint….this is a good one!  It comes from one of her books.

I started with this:

This is actually the second one I have painted- the first one was done in Old Violet with dark wax finish.  Like most furniture I paint- it is in good condition –just not very pretty.

So I have been curious about Antibes Green.  I have a few clients that love the colour- I am painting a chest of drawers for one right now- but wanted to try it with this technique I just learned and with the dark wax. When I took the paint course for stockists in Oxford I remember the discussion about Antibes Green and Ms. Sloan telling us that every time there is a piece painted in her shop it sells right away.  I don’t gravitate towards this colour (so I thought) so I was kind of stepping outside of my comfort zone.

Here we go…you won’t be disappointed!

I painted the whole thing with two coats of Antibes Green.

Instead of waxing then distressing to give it an aged effect, I took a damp pot scrubber sponge and wiped it along the edges.  This took the paint off in the areas where I rubbed it but not only that- it kind of gives the impression that the paint has peeled off- it has a different look than distressing with sandpaper.

There is no mess with this technique.  The sponge is just damp- not dripping and if you have a build up of paint simply rinse under warm water and continue.

So after the entire piece was distress with the pot scrubber sponge- I have it the dark wax treatment….that is applying the wax and then wiping off to create an aged patina.

Now this is funny!  I have a few old shirts that I use to wipe the wax off–check out the colour of this shirt!  Yes- it is Antibes Green!  This was a beach shirt that I used to wear all summer—so I guess I do gravitate towards Antibes Green?

When doing the dark wax technique I work in small areas to keep the finish even- so it doesn’t turn out patchy.  If this does happen you can usually fix it with a bit of clear wax on a brush and just kind of playing with it a bit.

And here is the final result!  The dark wax dulls the brightness of the green slightly and the dustless distressing gives it an authentic peeled paint effect.  I am smitten!

I also painted the metal handles and rubbed off some of the paint to show the details of the handles.

So….I think I gravitate towards Antibes Green!  The key with this colour is using it wisely!  One piece will have loads of impact in a room where as an entire living room in this colour may be too overpowering.  For more examples of Antibes please check www.anniesloan.com  and click on the colour- there is a nice cabinet she has done.

 

**just for clarification!  This method was done using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™–not on regular latex paint.  It is possible to still do the dustless distressing on regular latex paint…..however, you will need to put a touch of denatured alcohol on something like a Q-tip (cotton bud) or something like a cotton pad to take off make up with and….do this in a well ventilated area due to the smell of the denatured alcohol.**

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