First off, do you ever wonder the proper spelling of mantel? Mantle? Mantel? I see it used both ways, like gray and grey…
Mantel vs. mantle
Mantle is primarily a noun referring to (1) a loose, sleeveless coat or cloak, (2) something that covers, (3) the layer of the Earth between the crust and the core, and (4) the cerebral cortex.
Mantel is easy; it refers to the ornamental shelf above a fireplace. It has no other definitions in today’s English.
Mantel it is. This mantel sat in my back workroom for awhile, and each week during one of our paint workshops someone would comment on it… certainly an eye catcher, even in its present form, but I had plans for it.
One day, as I walked past it (as I’ve done a million times), I stopped and decided NOW was the time to dress it up with paint.
I rarely have an ‘exact’ finish in mind when I start projects, more like I have an IDEA of where I want to go with something- in this case I wanted a lighter, worn, vintage feel…
I grabbed CeCe Caldwell Seattle Mist, and American Paint Company’s Plymouth Rock. Both are all natural, zero voc, chalk/clay/mineral based paints that I offer in my store, though very alike, unique in their own ways. 
I like having a broader selection of colors to choose from, and APC’s Plymouth Rock is becoming one of my go to colors as it offers a sheerness, not SO opaque as the other neutrals AND is an off white that is void of creamy yellows, instead offering a pinch of grey…
I took these colors and brushed them on at the same time
The Seattle Mist went on first, and then I’d brush the Plymouth Rock over most of that…
Now this is where I lose track of taking play-by-plays to show my progress, and instead get POSSESSED by the need to get the finish how I IMAGINED it in my head.
(this is how I imagined it)
My plan was to light sand and wet wipe the detail, then apply an aging wax and call it done. But when I started one side of it, it wasn’t wow’ing me. I changed direction and put a quick (American Paint Co) Topcoat Finish on it to seal the paint – I love this topcoat for quick and easy sealing, it is like water in a can, super easy to brush out with no MOA’s and dries fast. After that I used more paint, and tinted glazes and more paint cracked with glue – until I got to this
I couldn’t wait to get it out on the floor, against the dark plastered walls…
Even if I had captured play by play photos, it would not be a finish easily replicated. That’s the beauty of these paints – you might not create MY perfect but you will capture YOUR perfect!
That is the success of the DIY paints like CeCe Caldwell, American Paint Company, Caromal Colours - you can apply these paints over your existing piece without sanding or stripping, and you can KEEP applying and layering until it looks exactly how you want it.
Do you have your OWN piece screaming for a transformation?
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