Painting Wicker

Gorgeous vibe from Janice Issitt (one of Annie Sloan’s Painters in Residence) using LemLem™ Chalk Paint to create this relaxed lazy day summer feel on her wicker chair. Love it!

Several customers have come into Sheldon recently seeking advice to paint wicker. So I thought a quick note here might be useful for everyone! Wicker can be so easy to persuade back to life again. Rather than meticulously painting each and every part why not be kind to yourself and take a more liberal approach. Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ you can get a fabulous effect really easily. Just follow these simple steps.

You will need

Chalk Paint™ colour of your choice, Water, Paint tray, Big paint brush (10 cm) for applying the paint, Lacquer (optional)

Make a loose mixture with the paint and water (about 1/3 water to paint) Using just the tip of your brush apply the paint all over the piece of furniture. in a random fashion. Just kiss the surface over and over. You will see how the wicker picks up the paint and creates an attractive pattern. This well ensure a good coverage that doesn’t need to be complete. You could leave a little of the under colour showing or even apply a second coat in a different colour and gently blend it in. Feel free to explore and develop your work until you are happy with the result.

If you are after an all over paint finish, this is possible too - just a bit more laboursome! It is easier to use a large round brush (one of Annie’s paint brushes is ideal) and work your paint mixture into the wicker in a circular motion.

You may consider applying a coat of lacquer over the top to waterproof the surface. If so, do it in the same way as you did the paint. This way you avoid any pooling of the lacquer. For a perfectly matt finish you can leave the paint to dry alone.

In all cases you should avoid pooling of liquid in the crevices of the wicker. Applying both paint and lacquer sparingly to build up the coverage will avoid this.

Photography thanks to Annie Sloan and Christopher Drake. You can find detailed instructions on this technique in Annie’s book “Quick and Easy Paint Transformations”