April 22, 2015

April James Interiors: Weathered Wood + Chippy Old Finish VIDEO Tutorial


This week I have such a fun treat for you- a majorly big overhaul of this vintage craftsman style cupboard by the ubber-talented April James. April is my local Annie Sloan stockist- her shop's in Spanish Fork, UT. We met and became fast friends over a shared love of paint and all things crafty. The only difference is, I am a self-taught amateur and she is a many times certified faux artist. 
When April agreed to carry my product in her store I was super excited- and I was even happier to learn she planned to do a couple of projects with Weatherwood. I couldn't wait to see her push the limits and expand what Weatherwood is capable of. 


You can see this antique was adorable. April explained how she knew it was a real antique, pointing to the hand sew hinges and the other little imperfections. I knew if was a real antique the second the top was stained- new oak is steel blue when stained, it takes decades if not 100 years for Reclamation to turn that steel blue color into a weathered gray.




So many are interested in the finish I posted about yesterday. Here's how to do it! You have to think outside the box,...
Posted by April James Interiors on Tuesday, April 14, 2015


A few close-ups on this gorgeous chippy finish:



It really looks like the paint is 100 years old, don't you think?  This is one look I couldn't have reverse engineered, yet to watch her video it all seems so doable. I am ready to let some paint dry out so I can try it myself! lol  You can see the difference from the photos taken an night with the yellow-ish lighting versus the pics I took when I can down to the shop. The green color is a lot brighter on mine.



For the top of the piece, April sanded the old oak top. Weatherwood is a tannin-based interaction. But the cool thing is, tannins age over time, so the older the oak, the lighter the wood will turn.  April sanded the top of the piece to bare wood and then stained the wood top with two coats of wood stain. It was a very light gray- and she maintained that beautiful color by sealing the wood with Miss Mustard Seed's white wax.




I know April made this whole thing look easy- but with her tutorial, I think we can do it. I am excited to try! Make sure you link up with April on social media- she is such a sweetheart-- and she shares a ton of tutorials via Fb and Insta. 


So many are interested in the finish I posted about yesterday. Here's how to do it! You have to think outside the box, get creative and don't let there be limits when you are creating with Annie's Paint because there is no end to what you can do with it! Look through her books and you'll start to see painting differently. No limits! Enjoy the video and go paint something fabulous! :) #chalkpaint #morethanpaint #anniesloan #apriljames #shopsmall
Posted by April James Interiors on Tuesday, April 14, 2015