Monday, October 17, 2011

Drift Wood - Chalk Paint

My friend and I went walking on the beach last week when I came across driftwood from a coconut tree.



Of course, being at sea for a while it had darkened

     FRONT





     BACK



My friend thought I was crazy, seeing as how we're surrounded by coconut trees, but it was something about this piece that caught my eye and I just had to have it.

To be honest, I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, but I knew I wanted to keep it as natural looking as possible.   I first became familiar with chalk paint when I read  Begin Again Furniture  blog where Allie talked about her experiment making her own chalk paint; she painted a beautiful chair.  I had also did some reading on Anne Sloan Chalk Paint and I liked the natural soft look it gave to furniture.  Of course, ASCP isn't sold here in the Bahamas so as usual I had to improvise.

There were several variations of making your own chalk paint but I found on No Minimalist Here blog where Sherry talked about using Calcium Carbonate, Whiting Powder or Plaster of Paris mixed with your paint.  I couldn't find the Calcium Carbonate or Whiting Powder but I did find some Plaster of Paris.  But before purchasing the Plaster of Paris I remembered I had some Lime at home, and because its suppose to be high in calcium and/or magnesium carbonate I decided to give it a try.  I figured, it's a piece of wood and not furniture, so what was there to lose?  I went with Sherry's formula 1/3 lime, 2/3 paint. 

Here are the end results

I initially painted it red in spots before applying my chalk paint.  I wanted an aged look, so I decided to go with crackle - (can you see the red peeking through?)


I then started distressing



The final results (BACK)



Why does this remind me of a baby's bottom????





Final results (FRONT)

I used a glaze to seal it and added a tint of color














Displayed on my Kitchen Counter



Not only did the chalk paint keep it natural looking, it allowed a beautiful flow of color formations.  The next time you go strolling on the beach LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!

5 comments:

Wendi @ Classic Chic Home said...

Great project! I love driftwood, and yours is a unique and naturally organic statement piece.

Brandi said...

Wow, what a neat idea! I really like how it turned out!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

I never would have thought of painting driftwood but it looks wonderful! I am so glad the DIY chalk paint worked for you. I will give the lime a try next time. Thanks for the mention and link.
Hugs,
Sherry

Debbiedoos said...

That turned out fantastic. Love the look. Good job!

Anonymous said...

Great project.. I'm following your blog now.. and am hoping you'll visit me at colours dekor