Antique Wax Glaze on Chalk Paint Tutorial

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Antique Wax Chalk Paint Two Tier Side Table Before

Hi guys 🙂 So I’ve absolutely loved this little two-tier side table for years. When my mother told me she wanted to get rid of it you know I just had to snatch it up real quick!

While she used it for her nightstand, it was a dark wood veneer with nothing too special about it. I just knew I wanted to paint it something fun and different! So I decided on an antique wax glaze over chalk paint for the finish.

I shockingly did not remove the veneer on this one for once. The table was in great condition, I knew it had no serious damage underneath the veneer since my mother has had it since it was brand new.

So I skipped the grueling veneer removal step (boy was it nice) and just sanded everything down lightly before painting it. 

I made a custom color paint out of some navy blue and light yellow and white chalk paints. They had just barely not enough left to use alone on a piece so I threw them together and this gorgeous sky-blue aqua color came about! 

Antique Wax Chalk Paint Before Wax
Before Wax

The Best Technique for Applying Chalk Paint Before Antique Wax Application

Now when you paint furniture pieces for dark antique wax applications, it’s best to apply it thickly and kind of sloppy. Shall we say? You want the dark wax to stick to the paint. If there aren’t a bunch of crevices in the piece itself for the wax to stick to, you have to make them yourself. 

Besides the small etchings on the front of this two-tier side table, there wasn’t a whole lot for the wax to stick to.

So I like to leave brush marks and texture throughout. It also makes it a lot more fun to paint when you aren’t meticulously searching for brush marks you need to fix!

Antique Wax Chalk Paint Chalk Paint Only

Antique Wax Glaze

After the 24-hour wait time on my 2nd coat of chalk paint, it was time to start the wax. I chose to make a glaze by mixing it 50/50 with mineral spirits.

This piece has large flat areas front and center. I find that using the wax as a glaze makes it cover more evenly, has less chance of splotching, and you have more time to work with the wax. Plus you don’t need to buy clear wax for the first coat.

 If you apply a coat of clear wax first; which is the recommended method, splotching would not happen either way.

For example: check out another talented artist Terri Stoval’s French Provencial chest makeover in which she uses clear wax for the first coat before dark wax and it comes out beautifully! 

The clear wax stops the dark wax from absorbing into the wood too quickly, letting you play around with it just as you can when you mix it with mineral spirits. So it’s all just personal preference. 

How To Make An Antique Wax Glaze with Mineral Spirits

How To Make An Antique Wax Glaze with Mineral Spirits

1 Hour

  • Put a small amount of wax into a separate metal container

    Slowly add mineral spirits to the wax. Try to match the amounts 50/50.

  • Slowly Stir Together

    Set aside for about an hour once you reach the consistency you want.

There’s really no exact measurement for this. However much wax you need for your piece….match it with mineral spirits. You want the mixture to be fairly loose and easy to spread out with a regular paintbrush.

But if you prefer it thicker, honestly it won’t matter much!

Just keep in mind that it won’t be quite as easy to work with, and you may want to add the clear coat before the antique wax if you’re unsure. Applying Antique Wax Glaze on Chalk Paint

Antique Wax Chalk Paint
Cover the area with a thin layer of wax
Antique Wax Chalk Paint Wipe Wax
Immediately wipe with a clean rag leaving some wax traces behind
Antique Wax Chalk Paint After
Wax sticks to brush marks and crevices

Apply the wax with a wax brush, chip brush, or regular paintbrush. When it’s thinned with mineral spirits it doesn’t matter much. Check out my latest post The Best Cheap Paints For Refinishing Furniture. It includes the best cheap paintbrushes, and waxes as well! (Or head to my DIY Resources Page and see what I’ve added in the “latest finds” section! The best paintbrush ever!)

I use long brush strokes with the grain on the flat areas, only making a couple of strokes at a time before wiping off the wax again in the same direction.

Continue throughout your entire piece until you have the desired look you’re going for. 

Then leave the wax to dry for AT LEAST 24 hours!

Buffing the Wax

After the wax has set and hardened completely, you can begin to buff it out.

Related: The Best Tools & Supplies for Refinishing Furniture

Most will say to use just a clean rag in circular motions for hours and hours until it shines.

I have never seen much of a difference in the look when I use my favorite little pad. Your finish comes out the same and it cuts your buffing time in half – if not more!!

I absolutely love these little pads. They are less abrasive than steel wool and work great for buffing wax. Just be sure to do it super lightly and slowly. 

EDIT: Even better than the pads above for buffing the wax are these Pads.

Basically the same as the flat pads but for use on your orbital sander. Even better!

Related: Painting Wood Furniture White | What’s The Secret?

Of course, you still want to finish with a quick rag wipe down for your final step, but this cuts your buffing time in half in my opinion. Has anyone else used these for wax? If not, try it out and let me know what you think! 

The Finished Product

Two Tier Side Table Dark Wax Distressing Technique
mid-century two-tier side table

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

I loved the paint color so much I painted a few more items with it that I will be adding to my shop shortly as well.

Or purchase this Two-Tier Side Table Now! Edit: SOLD OUT – Contact me to discuss a custom piece in this style.

I hope I answered any questions you had on applying antique wax to chalk paint, if you enjoyed my tutorial please do me a giant favor and share it with the world 🙂

If you’d like updates on the next products I add, tutorials I write, or coupon codes and free downloads, sign up for my newsletter below and get them all!

 

Antique Wax Glaze Chalk Paint Before and After
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Until Next Time,

KRay

 

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5 thoughts on “Antique Wax Glaze on Chalk Paint Tutorial”

    1. Hi Misty! Thanks so much for commenting 🙂 First off, you definitely don’t want to put polycrylic over wax. The 2 just don’t mix, at least in that order. You could do polycrylic before the wax, for a bit of added protection. But if you’ve already waxed the piece, you’d need to remove that with mineral spirits first. Second, the longer you let the first wax coat dry, the less control you will have when applying your dark wax. I usually wait 1-2 hours, then apply the dark wax. If it’s a glaze, it will be a bit easier to control anyways, so you don’t have much to worry about. But I’d say less than 24 hours is your best bet! You shouldn’t need anything else after the dark wax, clear wax may remove some of the dark if you apply it afterward. Which may help or hinder you depending on your piece! Hope that helps! Sorry if I confused you more lol.

  1. Hello! I came across this page when researching how to glaze over chalk paint. I was wondering if you could answer a question I keep getting mixed answers for? I painted my grandmothers old chest with creek chalk paint and I have Americana crime wax to go over it. I decided to add an antique glaze. Would I apply the wax (2 coats), then wait how long before applying dark glaze? Also, do I seal it with another coat of the creek wax or a polycrylic? Thank you so much!!

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