8 steps to change the look of a picture frame with Chalk Paint

A while back, actually a long while come to think of it, we obtained a lovely reproduction oil painting. I liked it a lot, but wasn't keen on the frame. To me it looked tinselly, you know that really bright and shiny gold painted frame that seems so popular on (dare I say it) cheap artwork. Like so many things that I intended to do, investing in a new frame just never happened. Every once in a while I would look at that painting and remind myself that the frame just had to be replaced, but then I would  think of the inconvenience and expense of getting it reframed and just let it be. That was the status quo for several years.

But last month, as I was packing some things up to prepare for our reno, my eyes settled on that frame again. And this time, I didn't talk myself out of doing something about it. That was because this time I realized I had another option. Instead of a costly reframing job, I would simply Sloanerize the existing frame!

Okay, Sloanerize is a new word that my husband has invented to describe my current obsession with changing everything old and worn into something pretty and current just by applying Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. (Seriously, this company needs to put me on the pay roll for all the free PR I am giving them! Annie, I could use the extra funds to pay for the reno--and buy more chalk paint!)

Here is a photo of the shiny gold frame, aka the before pic:

 

The problem for me was not the colour. It was that the surface was absolutely flat without any texture or detail and oh so very shiny.

 

Here are some shots of me in the process of changing this to a much more interesting frame that complements the painting rather than competing with it for attention.

 

And an outline of the 8 steps to change the look of a picture frame with chalk paint.

 

step 1: clean the frame

I just wiped away any dust with a damp cloth

 

step 2: choose the colour

I went with Graphite

 

Step 3: protect the painting

I tucked cardboard between the panting and the frame so I wouldn't get chalk paint on it. Dear husband would NOT have appreciated that.

 

Step 4: apply one coat of Chalk Paint and let it dry--15 minutes (did I tell you I love this paint?)

 

Step 5: apply a coat of soft wax (clear), wiping away excess

 

Step 6: while wax is still wet begin to gently distress the surface. I used a clean green pot scrubber. How much you distress is totally up to you.

 

 

Step 7: apply a generous coat of a mixture of clear and dark wax and let it sit a couple of minutes. This will not only darken the paint but also takes the shininess out of the parts of the gold frame that show through with the distressing.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 9: rehang and admire your handiwork.

 

After I put the painting back on the wall and patted myself on the back I looked around and saw the outdated mahogany cheval mirror that Hubby said we should get rid of. Did someone say Sloanerize?

 

Blessings,

The Duchess of NewLife