Wet Distressing with Chalk Paint

So, although I use chalk paint all the time for my signs, most of the time I have made it myself with Valspar samples mixed with a tablespoon of plaster of paris. For me, that has always been the most cost effect and simple way to use chalk paint without having to buy a whole quart at a time. 

BUT, when it comes to refurbishing furniture, I highly suggest just buying some high quality chalk paint and waxes. I prefer American Paint Company, because the paints and waxes are chemical free and they go on extremely smooth! It dries quickly, adheres great, and it doesn't smell like most paints. (I'm a fan as you can tell)

This weekend was a hot one in Central Oregon, but it was still a perfect time to get all of our painting tasks completed. We started with the dining room table, preceded to the window table, and towards the end of the day we decided to finish up with the small nightstand in our room. 

Because we had been on a chalk painting mission all day, I decided to try a new technique on our last piece. Ya know, spice things up! 

Knowing that I wanted to incorporate the blues and creams from the bedroom, the wet distress method seemed perfect for this layering idea. I didn't simply want to do two separate colors like on the other projects, I wanted to blend them in an old, western antiquey sort of vibe. This method was PERFECT for that! 

Heres the before picture of the nightstand

This little nightstand has belonged to my boyfriend since he was a kid. Keeping it around provides a nostalgic value, but he wasn't opposed to giving it a little facelift. We decided on the prettiest blue, called Beach Glass by APC, to be our main color component. As I've stated, I LOVE using this brand of chalk paint. Two coats and you're good to go. I add in a tablespoon of water to thin it out just a bit, but it still dries completely in 20 minutes, so this definitely was not an all day project. 

It'd it pretty? ;)

Here was my little oops. If I could do this again, I would have painted the whole drawer in blue. I thought at first I would just be distressing the edges, so thats why I just gave them a few coats around the sides. After loving the way it came out, I wished I could have wet distressed the whole drawer. But, you live and learn. I will be applying this to future projects. (*stay tuned for the head board project happening next weekend*)

After the edges dried completely, I gave the middle a good few coats of Rushmore (also an APC favorite) and then went around the edges with that color a few times. I knew I would be taking it off eventually, so I wasn't too heavy handed around the outsides. 

 Here's what it was looking like after the 2-3 coats of Beach Glass dried completely. 

Annnnnd, what the top looks like with a healthy spread of Rushmore. 

Here is where the fun begins! Grab yourself an old rag and get it nice and wet. I recommend keeping water handy, you'll need quite a bit to get the distressed look accomplished. 

Start in small circles working wherever your little heart desires. I knew I wanted to buff the edges down, so I started on the corners and worked my way towards the center.

I was okay with getting down to the wood, I think it adds another layer of color, but it is completely up to you on that. 

On future projects where I want to avoid the wood coming through, I will probably seal the bottom color and let it cure over night before applying the second layer. 

If you're happy with the amount of distressing like I was, I went ahead and added a layer of clear wax, waited an hour or two, and went back over with a dark wax. Both are from APC, I just didn't capture a picture of them. 

Swirl, swirl, swirl! I waited for quite a while before wiping off the excess wax, I was going for a deep stain to compliment the muted blue. 

I couldn't be happier with the finished product! Here is the image pre-knob addition. I ended up doing a layer of dark wax over the entire nightstand so everything blended well together. 

What do you guys think?

Is wet distressing in your future?