Craft

Review: Autentico chalk paint & wax

Gemma Evans

15 Oct 2013 — 3 min read

Bedside table painted with Autentico chalk paint

This post documents my first adventure with chalk paint. It will not be my last!

I was on the lookout for interior inspiration for our new house and came across this image of Joules bed linen. It was the bed side tables that really caught my eye.

I spent a while looking at vintage stools but finding two that would look good as bedside tables and matched was difficult. I eventually found the BEKVÄM beech step stool from Ikea which ticked all the boxes. It has a hand hole in the top perfect for stuffing cables down and at £11 each they were pretty bargainous. The instructions said not to paint the stool but it's okay to break the rules sometimes…just don't tell Ikea.

Autentico chalk paint

The paint I used was Autentico chalk paint in Crete. I managed to buy it locally from a lighting shop in Farnham (Surrey).

Application

I thought the texture of this paint would be similar to emulsion but it's actually much thicker. This makes it easy to apply because it doesn't drip or run and the thicker paint gives excellent coverage. After one coat I could barely see the surface underneath. I applied two coats to our stools in order to achieve even colour. Lots of people use this paint to create a vintage or worn look but I really liked the bright, block colour that can be created with it. I used less than a quarter of a 1 litre tin to paint 3 stools, each with 2 coats plus touchups.

Autentico furniture wax - clear

I almost didn't buy the wax but decided that the surfaces would get alot of wear and would therefore benefit from being waxed. I'm really glad I did because it changed the final result from good to great!

The wax was easy to apply and I used a soft bristled, synthetic paint brush from Robert Dyas. I loaded a generous amount onto the brush and worked it onto the chalk paint in long even strokes.

Autentico wax applied over chalk paint — Waxing in progress

Once the wax had been applied I let it dry as per the instructions and buffed with a clean cloth. It really transformed the finish. If you want something a little less rustic (in both look and feel) then I'd highly recommend buying the wax.

Stools painted with blue Autentico chalk paint — Left: waxed. Right: unwaxed.

If you want to colour match something with the paint, wait until the surface has been waxed/sealed as this process makes the colours richer (see photo above). The stool on the left is waxed and the stool on the right is unwaxed. But as I said I was really happy with the finish of the wax as it made the furniture look 'finished'. If you don't want to wax the surface that's fine, you can leave it to age naturally.