I shared the “before” pic of Laura’s china cabinet a few weeks ago (click here) and you can see it again below. It was a traditional, dark cherry finish and Laura wanted to brighten it up. She also wanted it to coordinate better with her new dining table and chairs.
Using Annie Sloan Old Ochre, it went from cherry red to creamy white! I shared the bottom of the cabinet last week (click here) and today I am sharing the top. I wasn’t able to lift the top piece on top of the bottom (not being of herculean strength) in order to get photos of the piece put together, but I think you can tell how pretty it is!
This china cabinet took three coats of Old Ochre chalk paint to cover. It was then sanded to a super smooth finish with 220 grit sandpaper and waxed in Annie Sloan clear wax. The details were lightly distressed and the original hardware (including the hinges and interior hardware) were removed prior to painting and replaced after the piece was finished. I love the dark hardware against the white. So pretty!
This was a huge project that required a lot of prep work and a steady hand around all of the trim and back mirror. What a difference! I’m so glad that Laura is thrilled with the result!
Such a soft, beautiful white, Suzanne. You did an amazing job, and I’m sure your client is thrilled! Have a great week!
Thanks, Cynthia! She was happy and that is always great to hear! Cheers 🙂
Gorgeous as always! Your client will be so happy! I love your style!
Thank you, Susan!
This is beautiful. I have never used chalk paint. I am assuming you didn’t have to prime, just 3 coats of the chalk paint?
Hi Kim, that is the beauty of chalk paint – no priming. You should give it a try 🙂 It can be slightly addicting lol!
Suzanne, can you tell us what kind of prep work you did? I have a cherry dinning room break front as they used to call them, and I would like to refinish mine, but it has a very shiny finish.
Hi Maggie, I didn’t prep the piece other than wipe it down to clean it first. It didn’t have a very shiny finish on it and so the paint took beautifully. If your piece is super shiny, I suggest quickly rubbing it over with 150 grit sandpaper. Just a quick rub down to give it some grit for the paint to stick to. If bleed through is an issue, you can let the chalk paint dry and then add a quick coat of GF High Performance sealer and paint over it once dry. Other people use shellac but I find the General Finishes dries quickly and works. Hope this helps and good luck!
Thank you Suzanne, this helps a lot!
It’s beautiful <3 What a difference the old ochre made! The cherry colour made it kind of traditional looking now it has a modern farmhouse feel. I'm sure your client is going to love it 🙂
Hi Annie! I thought the same thing. It took a very traditional and kind of boring piece and gave it interest. Amazing what paint can do!
Really pretty. Wondering if you used shellac first or is bleed through not an issue with Old Ochre?
Hi Vicki, I think I’m lucky because I rarely run into bleed through. If I do, I add a quick coat of GF High Performance Sealer and then apply over it. Anyway, this piece was fine. Took three coats but no issues with bleed through. Thanks so much! I do think Old Ochre is a tad darker than Old White so it isn’t as much an issue.
oh so lovely! post a put together if you get a chance! I can only imagine all he time it took to get around all that glass,..whew!!
Hi Ruby! Thanks so much! I am waiting for Laura to shoot me a pic and will share!
I love the china cabinet. Old Ochre is one of my favorite colors by Annie Sloan. I just painted a old mahogany chest in that color. I always use BIN Primer with Shellac (Water base by Zinsser). Dries quick and the best stuff I have ever used. I have no bleed through with it. . . I use 2 coats of that, let it dry and then 2 coasts of Annie Sloan paint. Wonderful. Back to your project. It is beautiful as always. I love your blog and get so much information from it. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Betty, thanks for the info on your primer. I think I’m lucky because I rarely run into that issue. I didn’t have to prime this piece and just applied the paint. It did take three coats so likely a primer would have cut down on one coat and AS paint is pricey so it makes sense to prime! Thanks again so much!