How to Manage a Large Piece of Furniture

I was a bit surprised at the sheer size of a king head and footboard brought in by a customer last week. On Sunday I was trying to figure out how to manage it on my own at the studio. Then a thought came to me. It would be ideal if I didn't have to lean it on anything or turn it to get to all sides. Here is what I came up with....

Rigging from the ceiling. I used two of the hangers I use to hang chandeliers at the store for each end piece and looped twine through them and tied them fast to the bed posts. Now maybe a lot of experienced people have thought of this before, but I had never heard about it....thought it was very clever. Access to all sides while painting without repositioning it!

And now the waxing is finished.....just waiting to buff. So nice to do this piece to match the dressers I had already done and the customer had purchased....

I'l send it home, without the twine! Happy painting!

A Few Tips on Using our Paint!

Okay, I admit it. I am smitten! There is something really nice about opening a brand new can of:

Yep, That's right.....Annie Sloan Chalk Paint(TM) brand decorative paint! But to make your life easier when painting this summer, here are a few tips.

1) To help mix your paint up easier, try to turn the can upside down the night before -- or at least a half hour before you start. Then, don't just stir the paint around. Bring the stick up off the bottom many times and you will notice it is thicker there. Make sure it is totally blended so that you are getting the good stuff that sinks to the bottom for best coverage and feel....

2) I know it is tempting to paint outdoors on a nice day. But Chalk Paint(TM) is water based and by its nature tends to dry quickly. Outdoors, sun or no, wind or no.....you will find that it is drying faster than you can paint. Not to mention insects or dust or other airborn matter getting stuck in your paint job!

3) Instead of painting "out of the can", I suggest dipping out what you think you will need into another container. This will help keep the remaining paint from thickening and will help keep the edge of your can clean so you can reseal the lid tightly! (I should remember this tip as I have a bad habit of really messing up the edges of my cans!)

4) Get interrupted a lot with phone, kids or whatever when you are working on something? Keep a jar of clean water nearby to leave your brush in when you get distracted from the job. Nothing worse than being gone longer than you think and having your brush dry out! Far easier to blot a wet brush with some terry cloth or paper towel then clean out a caked brush!

5) And as one Annie Sloan(TM) stockist has been known to say, and I quote her often: "Try not to paint everything in your house the first day! Leave something for tomorrow!" Happy painting....