Dreams Do Come True
Erik has talked about one day (when we actually make money and aren't still in school) buying a white piano. I on the other hand would rather have a not white baby grand piano....so I improvised....
When we got married my Mom had a friend getting rid of a piano and we decided that we would love a free piano.
I am not good at taking pictures and haven't done the whole tutorial thing before. Here goes for 2014 and working on improving myself in more ways than one:
I found a local dealer of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and started there. Decided What color I wanted to do, I ended up with Old White because I didn't want it to be a perfect white color. I also decided to go with the Soft Clear Wax from the Annie Sloan collection. I would recommend that the $40 wax brush is worth buying to apply the wax! I did not purchase it, but I plan to next time I make it over to that store.
Then some time passed....
One Monday/Tuesday I decided to bite the bullet and do it. I went to Lowes and purchased a 2 inch angled Purdy brush (which worked GREAT for the paint). Also purchased the 3M edge lock blue tape to tape pedals and keys off.
Helpful Tips:
The paint does thicken, as you can see I used a pyrex measuring glass and never even poured a full cup in at a time. I kept the lid on tightly and went back for more as needed.
A little paint, and wax go a LONG way!
The paint dries quickly, so work it in and keep going.
After the first coat it will look scary and if you are a perfectionist like me you will wonder what have I done?
I used a small makeup brush for the small details. If you have a small artist brush that works too.
You can keep the music stand attached to paint, I found it easier to unscrew and do it as a separate piece.
Talk your husband/boyfriends/friend into a back massage after because your back will be so sore!
Get an XL drink of your choice or your favorite food to hold you over. I chose a Strawberry Limeade from Sonic, and it was a lifesaver.
Steps:
Wipe or scrub clean whatever you are painting. Don't waste to much time cleaning it. I did a so-so job and it worked beautifully!
Paint a solid layer on the entire piece, as you can see in the picture I forgot to take a total before picture but this is applying the first coat.
After finishing the layer let it dry, it was a big piece so I didn't have to wait long to start back at it.
Paint evenly going in the direction you choose over the entire piece.
Let dry. I was so tired I went to bed and woke up, not sure how long you should let it dry but a solid 12-24 hours will do it.
Apply the wax in small sections rubbing it in and wiping the remainder off. I used an old t-shirt and one of my shammy towels that I use for hair clients (obviously I wont use it for my clients anymore).
Let that dry...again not really sure how long. I got impatient and wanted to decorate and put my family room back together. Did I mention that I just whipped this bad boy out in the middle of my family room!
I went to Hobby Lobby and found some simple knobs and screwed those in as the last step.
DONE
We love our white piano! All in all if you work hard it is easily an afternoon project. My first paint project and it took me a good 5 hours. The paint is AMAZING and I wont be able to use anything but Annie Sloan now that I have tried it!
Happy Painting
I will post some links to blogs I used as help as well as the store in Utah County that is licensed to sell Annie Sloan:
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2012/09/the-old-white-piano/
http://barnaclebutt.blogspot.com/2012/10/painting-piano-with-annie-sloan-chalk.html
http://drab2fabpaint.blogspot.com/
