Chalk Painting with Fiddes Wax

Happy Blog-Day Thursday!

I thought today would be a good day to blog a bit (okay, a lot) about one of our accompanying products we offer, Fiddes & Sons Wax. I highly suggest using Fiddes when chalk painting to my stockists and customers! This supreme wax polish is soft, quick drying, virtually odourless and toulene free.

If you are not familiar with chalk painting, it is important to take note that chalk paint is very porous by nature and has to be sealed with a wax or polyurethane before it is finished. Unless, of course, if you are chalk painting a chalkboard (in that case, you won't want to put any finish on it)!

I love the range of colours Fiddes offers and I currently carry my favourite 4: Clear, Light, Rugger Brown and Jacobean. 'Clear' has been specially formulated for Websters and, at this time, is only available in the UK through me (cool!).  I also stock small, medium, large and extra large Fiddes Wax Brushes, as seen above. Not pictured, Drill Attachment Wax Brushes.

For this blog, I took a piece of decorative moulding, painted it with a Valspar's Swan Queen mixed with Websters Chalk Paint Powder, and gave it a light distressing along the top half of the board to give you an idea of what each wax looked like on distressed chalk paint. I divided the moulding into 6 sections to show you: Clear, Light, Rugger Brown with a Clear Barrier, Rugger Brown, Jacobean with a Clear Barrier, and Jacobean. 

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Jumping right in, I started with Fiddes Wax Clear. As you can see, it is 100% clear. Wax has been embedded in the cracks and crevices but it can't be seen, whatsoever. You also can't see it has been buffed to a high sheen.. (Need to work on my photography skills and get a better camera!)

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Next on the list is Fiddes Wax Light. Fiddes markets the Light as a "Perfect Choice for Chalky Paint Surfaces". This is true. It's great for chalk painted furniture and is very popular amongst the painters. 

 The Light is virtually clear, however, when comparing them side-by-side on a white chalk painted surface, you can notice a slight (and I mean, VERY slight) yellowish hue. You'll also notice (in the close-ups below) the embedded wax in the cracks and crevices are visible. Once dry, it leaves a bit of a yellow tint.

 Don't get me wrong, lot's of people like this, and maybe I shouldn't be using the words 'yellowish hue' as it doesn't sound appealing. Rather, the Light has just enough of a tint that it brings out the details in piece without being noticeable, which you can see below. (There! That sounds much more appealing!)

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Right, moving on the the fun part! I love dark waxes. And when I say I love dark waxes, I mean I LOVE dark waxes! There is just something about that aged look that get's me every time! At first, I was terrified to dark wax. I didn't want to ruin my beautifully painted piece with 'brown wax' (I was so naive!). Thanks to some helpful tips from my mom, I am now able to age my pieces beautifully and pain-freefuly (Blogger says that's not a word.. but I like it!)

In this post, I wanted to show you how dark wax can be managed. On it's own, dark waxes are indeed, dark and dingy. Often times, that's the look a painter is going for. I NEVER use dark waxes on their own. I prefer to coat the piece in Clear first, which act's a buffer, apply the dark wax, then use Clear, again, as an eraser. 

First, I'll start with Rugger Brown. Rugger Brown is a beautiful antique brown, lighter than Jacobean, but obviously much darker than Light. I applied the Clear Wax first, layered the Rugger Brown on top, ensuring to get it deep in the cracks, and then used the clear again to remove the dark wax off the surface.

As you can see, the Rugger Brown has given the white piece a slight tint and has really brought out the details. Like I said earlier: Clear wax on, Dark Wax on, Clear Wax to wax off!

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Now, this is Rugger Brown on it's own. Beautiful, yes, but dangerous! Without the Clear barrier, you are opening yourself up to a very dark finish. 

 Notice the increased colouration when Rugger Brown is used on it's own. 

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Finally, my favourite, Jacobean! Jacobean is the darkest wax Fiddes offers. It is a beautiful deep brown, almost black colour. I really like Jacobean on white and lights, when used properly. I LOVE Jacobean on darker colours like blues and reds. 

Here they are, side by side, with the left being Jacobean and Clear and the right being Jacobean on it's own! 

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Well, there you have it, folks! Everything you could have ever possibly wanted to know about Fiddes Wax! I hope you've enjoyed reading this post today and will be able to take away a bit more information on waxing your chalk painted pieces! If you are interested in purchasing any of the products mentioned in the this post, please visit our online shops or find a stockist near you!

Thanks for reading!!!

Lots of Love,

Devon