Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: Louie Blue Bar Stools

You may remember that in April, Kern and I bought some new bar stools for our kitchen island area.  

Then France, Atlanta the Shore and life happened...so they stayed plain and boring, just waiting for their moment in the sun.

My objective was to use a color that I already had in my "paint box."  I was determined to incorporate the Aubusson Blue color that the folks at Perfectly Imperfect sent me after they featured some of my projects in their newsletter.

I have a serious love for neutrals and all shades of blue and gray.  I decided to go a little more colorful and bright and use Louie Blue as my base coat.

Each stool got 2 coats.

I decided to make the stool seats a slightly different shade of blue for a little extra flare.

I mixed Louie Blue with Aubusson Blue until I got a shade that I loved--not too dark and not too light (I sound like Goldilocks here).

I didn't use a formula, I just poured, stirred and added until I achieved the right mixture.

I don't always distress my pieces, but as I thought about the overall look for these bar stools, I realized that they are going to be "high action pieces"--meaning they will get lots of wear and tear.  Pulling in and out from under the island, feet propped up on the rungs...you get the idea.  

So I just helped the aging process along a little by lightly sanding the areas that I knew would get worn easily.  Now I don't have to be careful when I (or my guests) make themselves comfortable on the stools.

One of my favorite aspects of Chalk Paint is that it is meant to look aged, worn and loved. I like to pretend that I found these stools at an antique shop in Provence...instead of the reality that they were ordered from {ugh} Amazon.

After the color was set, it was time to wax!

I chose to use dark wax for the same reason I chose to distress: I knew it would hide shoe marks and bumps better. Dark wax is the best medium to use if you liked an aged look.

If you have specific questions about waxing, check out the Ask for Roses YouTube Channel for video tutorials or visit the Ask for Roses CREATE page for inspiration.

The Aubusson Blue really toned the brightness of Louie down for the stool seat.

The final product: two zippy bar stools that are begging for friends to come over and use!