Putting A Painted Finish on This Carved Fireplace Mantel…

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.

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Linking up to some great parties today!

Sharing The Paintin Groove…

Must be the weather – I am finding myself ALL over the place – what I wouldn’t give to have better focus.   I feel like I’ve got 20 projects brewing all at once – I’ll literally walk away from something midstream and find myself at the next table starting something else…

What do we have for you?   Let’s start with one that actually has a start to finish -  this little guy started out a yellow wood,   brushed on one coat of Caromal Colours Textured Basecoat Chocolate

then got out the American Paint Company color Plymouth Rock-

and brushed it completely over the chocolate

then force dried it

After a light sanding (150 grit) I stenciled each shelf with APC Freedom Road then sealed with the APC Topcoat Finish

Quick, easy, and unique…

American Paint Plymouth Rock over Caromal Colours Textured Basecoat Chocolate

Try it,  you’ll love it!

Tin stars -

Caromal Colours Textured Basecoats Candy Apple, Parchment, Blueberry with Toner

CeCe Caldwell California Sun Yellow over Caromal Textured Basecoat Wisteria

CeCe Caldwell Pittsburgh Gray over Caromal Textured Basecoat Peppercorn

American Paint Company Surfboard over Caromal Textured Basecoat Peppercorn

American Paint Company Coral Reef over Caromal Textured Basecoat Wisteria

Perfect splash of color…

American Paint Company Dawn’s Early Light over Saddle, sealed with APC’s Vintage Dark Wax

Sold the same day we hung it on the wall

This was a brown resin base to start,  I used some CeCe Spring Hill Green, Carolina Sun Yellow and Vintage White

finished it off with Liberon Medium Oak Wax – does a nice job of dirtying up the color…

CeCe Spring Hill Green, Carolina Sun Yellow and Vintage White, Liberon Medium Oak Wax

This was an old white metal cart, we painted a coat of Caromal Textured Basecoat Pumpkin on it

then dry brushed CeCe Santa Fe Turquoise

Dirtied (I mean sealed) it with Liberon Wax

Fresh.

American Paint Company Bordello and American Paint Company Spacious Skies

Sealed with American Paint’s Topcoat Finish, one coat brushed on,  then used Caromal Colours Toner – brush it on, softly wipe it off – great aging tool

A little bit of APC Home Turf  on the stem, and Home Plate on the stigma of what was a gold leafed candy dish

Love accessories – used CeCe Vintage White, CeCe Pittsburgh Gray and the pedals CeCe Carolina Sun Yellow

CeCe Vintage White, CeCe Pittsburgh Gray and the pedals CeCe Carolina Sun Yellow

This perfect old bench needed some CeCe Vintage White to perk it up…

We’ll wrap with this guy,  our duck buddy, painted CeCe Simply White,  a copper leafed beak (available from Caromal Colours)

and some CeCe Memphis Blue, CeCe Chesaeake Blue, and American Paint Amber Waves of Grain

CeCe Simply White, a copper leafed beak (available from Caromal Colours) , CeCe Memphis, Chesapeake Blue and American Paint’s Amber Waves of Grain

How fun is he?   If you need some fun in your life,

grab

a

paint

brush!

ARE YOU READY TO GET your paint on?

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The Colors Of American Paint – Navajo White, Home Plate, Plymouth Rock

American Paint presently offers 30 colors in their palette

- 10 colors are comparable to CeCe colors  (I’ll point those out as we progress through the color chart).   For finishes, they offer a Vintage Antiquing Wax (if  you like CeCe Wax you’ll feel right at home with this one),  a Light and Dark WAx, and a Topcoat Finish, their durable option for a harder stronger finish.

THE COLORS

NAVAJO WHITE, HOME PLATE, PLYMOUTH ROCK.

NAVAJO WHITE – a soft true white.  Like color – CeCe Simply White

The Light and Dark Waxes are AMAZING over the lighter colors – the wax samples shown here have NO barrier coat first -  soft and subtle and safe enough to use right over the raw clay/chalk/mineral paints

NAVAJO WHITE – top left topcoat finish, top right clear wax, bottom left light vintage wax, bottom right dark vintage wax.   NO barrier coat people!

NAVAJO WHITE – top left topcoat finish, top right clear wax, bottom left light vintage wax, bottom right dark vintage wax.

The APC paint brushes out quite nice.  My brush strokes are longer and leaner,  less paint on my surface  but still covering  as I go, whereas when I use the CeCe I like to glide the paint out a little thicker.     I still like to do a quick second coat wash (adding some water) and a light sanding, but I’m finding there is a little less sanding with the APC paint, maybe because I’m  brushing  it out leaner-

HOME PLATE -creamy vintage white.   Like color – CeCe Vintage White

HOME PLATE – top left topcoat finish, top right clear wax, bottom left light vintage wax, bottom right dark vintage wax.

The paint finish can be light sanded with a 180-220 grit paper to quickly refine the finish (knocks down any brush strokes, etc).  You can also take a damp rag and rub your edges to reveal your undercolor.  Do all this fiddling BEFORE you seal the paint…

HOME PLATE – top left topcoat finish, top right clear wax, bottom left light vintage wax, bottom right dark vintage wax.

PLYMOUTH ROCK -  a pale soft gray.

Light and neutral, just a hint of gray in it…

PLYMOUTH ROCK – top left topcoat finish, top right clear wax, bottom left light vintage wax, bottom right dark vintage wax.

PLYMOUTH ROCK – top left topcoat finish, top right clear wax, bottom left light vintage wax, bottom right dark vintage wax.

NAVAJO WHITE, HOME PLATE, PLYMOUTH ROCK

AMERICAN PAINT COMPANY TOPCOAT OPTIONS

APC covered all the bases – they offer a wax topcoat for furniture lovers, and a more durable TOPCOAT finish when you need a harder finish/more protection.

VINTAGE ANTIQUING WAX -

if you’ve used CeCe Clear Wax, this Vintage Antiquing Wax is the same,  only they’ve taken it one step further and pretinted it to offer a  light and dark version.   I   ADORE these new vintage waxes – they have the exact properties as the Clear Wax – no oily staining or sticky residue,  they dry quickly, and buff to a beautiful sheen with a soft cloth or buffing brush

Vintrage Dark Wax
Vintage Clear Wax
Vintage Light Wax

Vintage Dark Antiquing Wax, Vintage Light Antiquing Wax

Applying Vintage Light Wax over unsealed APC Surfboard-

Brush or scrub on,  use sparing, wipe excess off with a soft cloth,  and buff when dry.  Super simple,  super nice finish, and no stinky smell.  Oh, and NO BARRIER COAT!

Applying Vintage Dark Wax over unsealed APC Surfboard-

On and off, with ease,  no worries that it will grab too much…  wipe off the excess,  give it 4-6 hours, and buff to a lovely sheen.

I’ve been asked how it compares to my CeCe light and dark aging creme -  it is quite a bit different.  CeCe’s aging cremes will soak in more to the raw paint, and if a clear wax barrier is not used you can end up with a really ‘aged’ effect -  additionally, I find they take a long time to dry and don’t ever buff up to the same sheen you get with the clear wax.

APC  gets the thumbs up for creating an easy to use, subtle antiquing wax that offers just that – a soft, vintage aging effect to the lighter colors of paint.

The one thing I HOPE is that APC comes out with a dirty, grungy wax version – maybe call it ‘The Grunge’   – for those finishes that require a heavier age.  In the mean time, could try adding some  powder pigment to a spoonful of APC dark or light,   for those detail areas that need a deeper POP of age.

TOPCOAT FINISH -

Topcoat Finish is a durable topcoat. Stir well before use. It should be applied over painted surfaces in a thin, even coat with a fine brush, foam brush, or foam roller. For an even harder finish, a second coat can be applied after approximately 6 hours, dependent on weather conditions.

This product requires several days to fully cure. Freshly finished surfaces should be kept free of moisture and heavy objects. Heavy use should be avoided for a week or so. Topcoat Finish may be diluted 50/50 with water for use on areas not receiving daily abuse.

 

It  comes in a quart  (American Paint does not offer sampler sizes of their finishes)  and once you try this topcoat you’ll want to keep some on hand.  It is like brushing on water – no need to thin it (though you can)    and I like that because one coat gives me full durability, whereas if I cut it with water I’m cutting its strength

It dries to a nice soft sheen, not to glossy, not flat,  and requires no buffing like wax.   Best of all it’s non-yellowing so a safe bet even over white.  Topcoat Finish would be a great choice for kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, dining tables,  daily use chairs, kids furniture – stuff like that.

Topcoat Finish top left, Vintage Clear Wax top right, Vintage Light Wax bottom left, Vintage Dark Wax bottom right.

Next post  American Paint Co  Saddle, Tumbleweed, Rushmore.

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Sonja Reclaims Her Oak Kitchen Cabinets – Before and After

Thank you for offering the Reclaim paint. It made an amazing transformation in my kitchen. I am sending you photos of the results.

Sincerely,  Sonja -  Auburn, WA

 

Can you believe the transformation?

Sonja used the Reclaim paint (color PEBBLE) by Caromal Colours,  a great DIY paint  that offers top of the line adhesion, durability, and easy of use (roll on)

This is a brand new kitchen!

Love it Sonja, thanks so much for taking good before and after pictures,  and for taking the time to share them with me

ARE YOU READY TO JOIN IN ON A WORKSHOP?

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you can find it   here

ARE YOU READY TO GET your paint on?

We are a full service retailer

AMERICAN PAINT COMPANY CHALK/CLAY PAINTS

CE CE CALDWELL CHALK/CLAY PAINTS

CAROMAL COLOURS ARTISIAN COLLECTION

RECLAIM BEYOND PAINT

BRUSHES, SUNDRIES, STENCILS

If you want to place an order, click on the  store button below.