Saturday, September 1, 2012

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - A Man's Perspective...


Hi, I'm Niall - also known as 'Sharon's Husband'. I am truly shy of social media but asked Sharon if I could write this post. Why? In Sharon's shop [La Vie En Rose] I hear a lot of female perspective of Annie Sloan paint and little about what men are thinking. So here's what I think. Being a man, a skeptic, and all that.

I admit it. I love this paint. In the same way that I love my Dewalt power tools.

When Sharon first introduced me to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I placed my opinions and rear end firmly on the nearest fence.  Not wanting to inhibit my wife's enthusiasm I nodded and smiled at regular intervals whenever the subject came up...all the while thinking 'probably another fad'. All of this bearing in mind the trials and tribulations of many, many, 'home projects' in the past.

Finally I cracked, under mild pressure, and had a go myself.


What a revelation and here is why:

It has little to no smell. No need to drag furniture outside to paint...no waiting for the weather to be right to start a project (you could be a long time waiting in Ireland). Gone are the days of using cut onions, coffee grounds and opening every window in the house to rid ourselves of paint fumes.

It doesn't 'splatter' like other paint. While we still use dust sheets, the paint seems 'magically' attracted to the furniture, being painted, and to nothing else. No more scraping paint flecks of our wooden floors...

It's really easy to clean up afterwards. Regular H2O does the job just fine. No need for white spirits or other nasty chemicals to save our brushes for the next project.

It's unbelievably easy to work with. The only way I can describe it is that it gives me the same sense of satisfaction I got, as a child, when wiping a black board clean with a wet cloth. Every brush stroke or glide of a roller gives the desired result. Small build ups of paint are easily brushed/rolled out.

No need to sand or prime. This, I really did not believe until I saw the results with my own eyes. While notably good for upper body strength - I despise sanding and/or priming. The least fun part, of up-cycling, is gone forever.

It dries quickly. All paint needs drying time but this paint is pretty quick. I have a real knack for brushing my clothes off newly painted furniture. No more 'warning - wet paint' signs around our home and no more freshly painted foot prints.

Aside from all the above, which greatly contributes to our matrimonial harmony, Annie Sloan chalk paint makes my wife very happy.

Therefore, I am also very happy ;-)




Niall

Note: this article was, genuinely, not written under duress of any kind.

15 comments:

La Vie Quotidienne said...

What an adorable post...very cute!

Splendid Market said...

Well done Sharon's husband! Marvelous color.

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

Happy wife happy life, right! It is wonderful paint. Great post. :)

The Snowdrop Project said...

Hi Niall,
Lovely to officially 'meet' you at last.
Your review of Annie Sloan chalk paint was a great inspiration for me to start to paint everything in the house!
But you know, really, if its good enough for your lovely wife to recommend it, then thats good enough for us!!
Hope you all have a lovely weekend,
Lizx

Paula said...

Ha ha - what a wonderful post! I have been totally obsessed with Annie Sloan chalk paints for a while now, and for all of the reasons that you mention. I was always put off upcycling in the past because of the mess, sweat and tears,(basically, I was too lazy to sand and prime!) but now that Annie Sloan has made it so easy, I'm a demon with my paintbrush around the house!
Well done for being such a marvellous support and husband to our lovely friend- and extra points for being such a handsome devil too!
Paula x

Leslie said...

Well done! Fun post Sharon, and I agree.. wonderful paint!

Dee said...

Nail you should blog more often! That's going some to match your Dewalt!! I'm sold, now just need to plan a trip to Cork to buy some :-)

A Life Un-Styled said...

Awww Sharon! This is so super cute and sweet! Thanks for doing this post Niall! My husband told me that he's going to be doing a monthly series on my blog but he hasn't given me anything yet :) xoxox

B. said...

Hi Sharon,
Lovely, lovely blog!!!!
Hugs
Barbara

Pura Vida said...

I had to crack up with that last photo...men? of course!

Mary Ann Pickett said...

WOW what a ringing endorsement...amy I the only one who hasn't tried it yet??? Give me something to paint!

Mary Ann Pickett said...

We are watching "Waking Ned Devine" ...thinking of you all :)

Woodside Park said...

Hey Niall!
Nice to meet you! What did you do to Sharon? Have you blog-napped her? This is Loi.....Sharon's guy friend. I think I'm her only "guy" reader which is cool with me.....not the sharing type. Great post!
Sharon's fan from DC,
Loi

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

Hello and so nice to meet you both. This is my first visit here and I am wishing you all the best with your new shop. It is a dream of mine too. For right now I will live my dream through you!
I am also painting with ASCP. The garage is full of wonderful furniture to paint and I am loving it. Excited to finish it and move it all into the house.
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

LA VIE EN ROSE said...

Hi everyone, Niall here. Thank you all for your fantastic and encouraging comments. I really enjoyed reading your feedback and it's great to finally meet you all. Also big thanks to Sharon for letting me make a blog post. Loi, never fear, it's still Sharon's blog. It was only a temporary blog napping :-)
Now, what to paint next?
Niall

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