Karolina Lolo’s Distressed Green Painted Stamped Chest
Karolina Lolo posted this lovely picture on facebook of her new furniture makeover of 2018. The piece looks so well done, it could have been an authentic piece from a old house or chateau.
“I don’t use candle wax in distressing:) more sand paper and spatula:) Images are from Prima stamps.”
Karolina lives in Poznan, Poland. Follow Karolina Lolo on Lolo’s Craft

The piece in it’s natural state

The finished chest
Question: Do You Keep The Original Hardware On Vintage French Furniture?

French Provincial Dresser by John Witticomb By Ebay Seller htala
Nat Black Do you typically leave the French provincial handles on your finished piece or do you try to change them for a more modern look?
- Leigh Carpenter KEEP!
- Andrea Jackson ALWAYS KEEP. It really helps sell the piece
- Sandy Merritt Gentry Keep!
- Christie Wanamaker Keep
- Sara Arendt-Jaynes Definitely keep them. French Provincials tend to look ‘off’ when they are changed to a different style. I think I have seen one, maybe two, that looked good with something else in all my years of doing this.

Julia Harrison‘s French Piece In White (Here’s one where I kept them.)
- Julia Harrison I usually keep, but I think changing them can be pretty too. Here’s one where I kept them.

Julia Harrison‘s French Piece Where She Changed The Handles
- Kade Johnson Leave them
- Jeannette Robinson Keep. If you ever do change, sell the rest on EBay or Etsy. They bring good money and that is where I look when I have a piece missing one.
- Dannielle Carver Leave them
- Jeanette Birks Keep just change color
- Connie Baumeister leave them. if I paint white I paint them white and leave them on then distress all.

Marnie Owens‘s French Chest.
“ It is a base coat of cream (home made chalk paint using plaster of paris, but very close in color to Annie Sloan Old White) with the cream, Annie Sloan French Linen and Paris Grey over the top. I just kind of blended the colors together as I was painting to give it more variation. I then sanded to distress some areas and waxed it with Annie Sloan clear wax.“

Joanna Torija– I just got this awesome dining set – table and 6 chairs. I have decided to painted in French Linen ASCP. See the before and after. Follow Joanna at Jarful House

Jennifer Legreca Motley‘s Table Makeover

Dianne Banks– I decided to give my pine waxed dresser a facelift. The bottom took ages trying to get rid of wax and then a lot of orange bleeding through the chalk paint. So I thought I would put a primer on the top section and then chalk paint it. One quick coat of primer and this is the result.
Find great french provincial hardware in LOTS On ebay
How To Avoid White Painted Furniture Yellowing Over Time With General Finishes Paint Products – Christine Adams

A TUTORIAL ON WATER BASED TOP COATS YELLOWING OVER BRIGHT WHITE PAINT
Many you may have noticed that the labels on our bright white paints, Snow White Milk Paint and Chalk White Chalk Style Paint now carry a warning label regarding the yellowing of topcoats. All bright white paint will yellow slightly with time, with or without topcoat. Water-based topcoat is reactive and more likely to draw out substances in the wood such as tannins or unknown substances in existing finishes causing the topcoat to yellow. This is an industry-wide issue. Don’t carry the cost of white paint yourself– pass the cost on to the consumer who wants it with a fair upcharge. White paints, even if they did not yellow, require more coats to achieve coverage.
General Finishes background was originally on the professional side, and the incidences of yellowing topcoat over white paint were almost nil, and when our sprayable professional finish, Enduro White Poly, is used, there have been no incidences. But as the use of our paints has increased in the up-cycling and furniture refresh markets, we have heard more reports of our topcoat yellowing. Our response was to teach about prepping, testing you finish schedule and finally creating Stain Blocker, our stain blocking primer, but this is not enough. Just as we advocate prepping all finishes, we are now advocating NOT using a clear water base topcoat over BRIGHT WHITE paint.
General Finishes is in the process of developing a brushable version of our professional Enduro White Poly (available only in gallons), but that will take some time and rigorous testing before we can release the product. Here is what you should know to protect yourself and also some immediate suggestions to decrease chances of yellowing.
There is no way to reliably predict yellowing ahead of time. Sometimes yellowing occurs, sometimes it does not. Every existing finish is different and we rarely know the finishing provenance on an existing piece. Every tree is different and every piece of wood is unique. Wood can bleed tannins immediately after the topcoat dries or months later with a change in temperature that comes with a change in seasons. Oak, pine, mahogany, and Douglass Fur are particularly prone to bleed-through.
As is true of most “water-white” topcoats, our High Performance Water-Based topcoat is a clear drying finish over a non-reactive substrate such as plastic. When paint is used over something as unpredictable as wood, all bets are off. Yellowing can be caused by the top coat activating the tannins in raw wood or aniline dyes, stains or contaminants in a pre-existing finish. This is most evident when using BRIGHT WHITE paint and most prevalent in the sculpted details of furniture, where the topcoat can collect, intensifying the color change to an unacceptable level.
To add to this issue, all bright white paint will yellow slightly with time, with or without topcoat. You have probably tried to touch up white woodwork in your home after several and noticed that the new paint is brighter.
Summary:
• Whites have a lower “hide” quality and are more transparent than most other colors. Most bright whites require additional coats to achieve the desired color and minimize color variation. This can increase cost of paint finishing. Always include a clause in your contracts addressing the need for additional coats to achieve coverage.
• Bright white paints can yellow over time with or without topcoat.
• The underlying finish or wood species can affect the final color of light paint.
• Details and inside corners are difficult to cover with any paint color, but this property tends to be more noticeable with whites. This is a naturally occurring phenomenon in paint application and does not necessarily constitute a defect in the paint finish or your technique.
TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOURSELF AND PREVENTING YELLOWING
1. Use a disclaimer in your contracts or recommend a softer white such as Antique White or Linen. Upcharge for the extra coats needed and ever guarantee a white finish over a piece that you cannot trace the provenance on. Here is a suggestion: Terms of Agreement and Warranties: ________ (Initials) I have been informed that more coats are required when painting with bright whites, reds, greens or yellow. I understand that white paint can yellow over time and that water based topcoats can occasionally react with the substrate or existing finish under white paints causing yellowing, even is a stain blocking primer is used.
2. If it is a low use project, use a premium white paint that is self-sealing and does not require a topcoat. A clear top coat is not required on our Milk Paint for increased durability, as it is a self-sealing, exterior rated coating with very high durability and performance properties. However, top coats provide a smoother surface that is easier to clean and boost durability for high use projects such as table tops and kitchen cabinets.
3. Get a spray gun and use a professional “white coat” such as our Enduro White Poly. It is a white paint with “increased topcoat properties”, is a stand-alone finish when 3 coats are applied and does not require sealing with a topcoat.
4. If you are still brushing, try adding 10-15% of the paint you are using to the first or second application of topcoat. The last layer of topcoat should not have paint in it, to maintain durability. We have had good reports of this technique from customers but have not tested in the lab over a long period of time.
5. Always test your project’s entire finishing schedule (from cleaning to topcoat) on an inside door or a more hidden area of the piece. This does not help if the yellowing occurs later but you will at least know if there is an immediate problem.
6. Always apply a stain blocking primer under white or light-colored paint such GF Stain Blocker or a shellac based primer. Always let any primer dry overnight. Some of the primers we have seen suggest a 3 hour dry time and that is not enough.
7. If you are working on period pieces such as a 1940’s serpentine mahogany desk which were often finished in stain containing aniline dyes that cast a pinkish bleed through under light paint, stay away from light colors. Not every piece of furniture is suitable for up-cycling with a light paint color. Pine, Mahogany, and furniture of the 1940’s and 50’s are a red flag.
8. Last, not all manufacturer’s topcoats are compatible with other finishes and may react with a color change. Always follow best practices by not rushing, and testing to your satisfaction first.
Hope this helps and wish us luck on our next paint endeavor- Chris
How to Achieve a Great Red Paint Finish

Jansen, 1950’s Louis XV style Coffee Table L’Art De Vivre
How to Achieve a Great Red Paint Finish
A friend of mine painted her living room walls a true red color. She primed twice and painted 5 coats. The paint didn’t cover at all and you could see all the roller strokes. Even with the 5 coats, you can still see some lines and the color is uneven, like you can see where some coats are covered better than others. Is there a certain step she could have taken to prevent all this or did she just get low quality paint? She bought the primer from Canadian Tire and the paint is CIL Dulux. The wall had been painted already, it is an older home. She was originally told that the red she picked was such a true red that it wouldn’t just go over white walls. She is considering priming them over again with a white primer and starting over. Shouldn’t she get a tinted primer? Any insight into all this would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance……. Val
This comment was taken from Allexperts.com
Where most people go wrong with painting red is they end up working with the wrong sheen for their first coat of paint. Working with a gloss or a semi gloss finish is sort of like working with a translucent glaze.
I learned this first hand when I picked up a glossy orange paint at my local Home Depot and proceeded to work with it as a base to a marble finish. I ended up ditching the entire project as after 5 coats of orange, I could still see the original white color underneath the paint. Much like Val’s question all I could see is roller marks.
When working with shades of cranberry, plum, or rich fire reds, buy your paint in a flat finish for your first two coats of paint. Using a coat of flat paint that contains no additional glosses will allow you to build up the color in two or layers with excellent coverage.
How to Achieve a Great Red Painted Furniture Finish.
Furniture is much different than walls, but the same techniques can be applied. Be sure to sand your furniture first which will provide something for the paint to grip on to. You can then use flat red as a base coat, which will allow you to sand through to expose the wood. In the past, if I needed to cover a piece of furniture that needed a heavy duty primer I would use Rustoleum’s Flat Black, or Brown. Red can provide that pop of color in a neutral styled French room. Use it on furniture for that dramatic look in a otherwise plain room.
Andie Pauly







Christine Adams

















































