My "Preppy" Friends

We all love Chalk Paint® because there is minimal prep work.  No priming, sanding, or striping.  Beautiful, beautiful words in a painters world.  Music to our ears.

I'm admitting to painting over, dirt, cobwebs, stains and even mold many a time in my life.  

But, I've been burned a few times too because I did not take the time to clean and "prep" items I have painted.  The cost....TIME!  Sweet and very precious TIME.  And often times a lot more paint, which equals MONEY.

With a super easy, very quick {and cheap!} cleaning protocol you can eliminate any potential "situations" that occur.  "Situations" you say? 

The number one cause of a Chalk Paint® "situation" is GREASE and it often comes disguised in the form of this....

Yep, Pledge, aka Furniture Polish.  

I remember every Saturday morning Mom handed me a rag and some Pledge and I "dusted" all our furniture.  That is a lot of furniture polish over the years!

Don't freak out people....It is OK!! I'm going to give you my standard cleaning protocol I use on pieces I feel MAY give me a fit. That means I don't do this every time, or on everything I paint.

 What happens is that grease repels the Chalk Paint® and it will not adhere to the areas grease has built up on.  It usually happens after the second coat of paint has been applied.  You will notice that the paint begins to crack and peels away from the surface.  To avoid this I suggest the following "prep" steps:

Gather yourself some Scotch Brite Pads, TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate Cleaner) and some Denatured Alcohol.  All these products are cheap and available at Lowes, Home Depot, etc.  Scrub (firmly!) down your furniture with the TSP and abrasive pad first.  Next, get a soft cloth and use the Denatured Alcohol to wipe any residue left behind from the cleaner.  

Generally, after doing this you should be ready to pop open your paint and move on.

Generally?  Yes, because there is always an exception to everything right?

Meet my latest challenge....

She looks pretty unassuming right? Well, after my cleaning protocol, she felt very "sticky", especially on the top, probably where she had been "dusted" with furniture polish over the years.  So, I sanded the top with some 150 grit sandpaper and for the second time I scrubbed her down really really really good with my pad and more TSP.  Still sticky.  This is when I break out another super cheap time saver....

Clear Shellac....Zinsser is my brand of choice.  Paint one or two thin coats of Shellac on the sticky areas, or the entire piece if necessary.  Now you have "sealed" that area and created the perfect surface for your Chalk Paint® to adhere to! 

Easy Peasy right?

So, what if you skip the cleaning and you find yourself in a "situation" of cracking and peeling paint?

DON'T FREAK OUT...it is very fixable....

Scrap your peeling paint off, sand down the areas, seal with the Shellac, repaint and move forward!

I've painted and waxed this nightstand with no "situations"!  I'll post some afters soon!

I hope this information was helpful to you!!!