Why I Use CeCe Caldwell’s All Natural Mineral Paint
This blog post is part two of a series. To read part one, check out my post about why and how I started Dear Olympia Furniture Revivals. This post is also part of the Ask Me Anything Series.
In part one, I told you how and why I unexpectedly started Dear Olympia Furniture Revivals. Now I’d love to share why I decided to switch over to CeCe Caldwell all-natural mineral paint.
First, I have to say this up front. I am *unfortunately* not receiving any money, kick-backs or profit of any kind for singing the praises of this paint. When we move back to the mainland, I’d love to open up a boutique, paint shop and classroom to do painting classes and become a CeCe Caldwell vendor. But for now, because of some of the limitations in our current location, I only do custom orders and sell my own pieces that I refinish.
After starting my business and making my own chalk paint (a messy process in itself), I got very tired of wearing a ventilator mask while working to prevent myself from inhaling the fumes while pregnant. Here is a picture of me wearing the mask. It was A-nnoying with a capital A.
- CeCe Caldwell’s paint is all natural chalk and mineral based paint.
- It has excellent adhesion to various surfaces
- It is self-priming which saves me a ton of time because I don’t have to paint on primer.
- It has no odor although the wax smells sweet like honey.
- It has no VOCs (chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effect)
- It is not acrylic and is non-toxic.
- The wax is a non-petroleum based, natural wax and is safe enough to use on your cuticles.
Demonstrators of the paint will paint their tongues to show how safe the paint is which is crazy but kind of awesome at the same time. The popular and similarly priced Annie Sloan Chalk Paint can’t even come close to these claims. This paint is the safest, most eco-friendly and painter-friendly product on the market.
I thought it sounded too good to be true; nonetheless, I went ahead and used some of my profits to buy over $500 of CeCe Caldwell paints and supplies because I hated using the mask that much. I bought from three different distributors to see which one had the fastest shipping/best customer service and the winner was Shelly from Shizzle Designs by a landslide. I placed my order at 9 PM and she had already shipped the next morning and included extra safety measures free of charge since it went over the ocean. I got my package in three days (and I’m in Hawaii, folks). I’m very, very impressed and order from Shelly frequently!
Another big time plus for me is that CeCe Caldwell is a company owned by an American woman who employs American workers in her Arizona factory. I like spending money that supports woman entrepreneurs and promotes American jobs. Plus her husband is a veteran and she seeks to hire vets of her own volition which is pretty awesome.
Okay, so that is why I use this paint, but what about the how?
Like I said above, this paint has superior adhesion, so I never have to prime. Before I paint, I clean up the furniture and take off all of the hardware (if it will come off).
Then, as you can see from the picture below, I shake up a quart of paint really well and apply one coat of paint all over the furniture with a brush.
This paint dries incredibly quickly and is almost totally dry within thirty minutes.
After the paint dries, I distress the furniture. One of the absolute best things about this paint is that you can use a damp rag to distress the corners of the paint. This is so convenient as you don’t have to sand the furniture which ruins the wood and also makes a huge mess (hello Mr. Ventilator mask, I don’t want to use you). To distress, gently rub a wet rag over the area that you want the paint to come off of. Let any paint that is a bit wet from distressing dry (you’ll see it change back to the dry color).
Next it’s time to apply the wax. You MUST apply the wax because otherwise the paint is not sealed and will rub off – plus the true color doesn’t come out until you wax. In the bottom right hand corner picture above, you can see how the clear wax darkens the color and brings out the true color of the paint. The wax goes on really easily with a brush. Just apply it and spread it around until it soaks into the paint all over. Wait a few hours for the wax to dry, then buff it out so that it gets shiny and hard. I use a brush attachment on my drill to buff, making it a simple process. When you’re done buffing, the wax will harden up, seal the paint, and protect the furniture.
Here are some pictures of the entire process.
Top Right: I used a rag to wet distress the edges. You can see the color of the wood beneath coming out.
Middle Left: I applied a coat of Dover White to the detailing and dry brushed it (lightly brushed it over the first coat of paint).
Middle Right: The shelf pre-waxing.
Bottom: You can see the way that the wax brings out the darker color when applied.
Below you can see that when the wax dries and is buffed, it is lighter than when the wax is first applied. You can also see the beautiful shine that the buffed wax gives off.
I always use clear wax all over every piece that I paint after I’m done painting. If I want to add dark antiquing wax, I’ll add a bit of that after I use the clear wax.
Using this paint cuts my project time in half, if not more. As a business decision, it’s worth me paying the high price for it. Plus, it’s worth it for my health and the health of the baby.
I hope this info inspires you to try your own project! To buy the paint, you can see if CeCe Caldwell has a local retailer. If not, you’ll have to order online and have it shipped like I do. For that, I recommend ordering from Shelly from Shizzle Designs. Yes, the paint is expensive but it lasts a really long time. One quart will last me through at least two to three projects. Plus you don’t have to buy huge gallons of paint you might not use again or mix your own chalk paint (which you can’t save because it dries solid). Also, her wax goes on so much more quickly and smoothly than Minwax or whatever you can find at Home Depot.
Not sure which color you want to buy? That’s the hardest part of using this paint. You can browse my projects by color and learn about my favorite colors on this page.
