Lovechic — Shabby Chic Decor and Finishes | lovechic.org
An ordered procedure: paint the piece, let the top coat dry, rub or sand the top coat away at the edges, wipe, add fabric or hardware — plus the failure modes that spoil the result.
The procedure starts with paint. A base coat goes on the piece first, then a top coat over it; the top coat is the layer that will later be taken back, so its colour is what will read at the edges once the wear is applied.
Let the top coat dry before touching it. The wear depends on the top coat breaking away cleanly rather than smearing, so rubbing or sanding into a coat that has not set pulls paint off in sheets and removes the contrast the whole technique rests on.
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Rub or sand the top coat away at the edges. This is the step that produces the look: the top coat comes off where a piece would naturally be handled — corners, edges, raised detail — and the base coat or the wood beneath shows through.
Wipe the piece down after the wear is applied, then add fabric or hardware. The cloth and the handles are what place the piece inside the style: cottons and old French linens for the cloth, and hardware that suits the pale, worn surface.
Three failure modes account for most spoiled pieces. Sanding through the base coat removes the contrast the wear depends on; wear applied in one direction reads as a stripe rather than as handling; and a glossy surface that reads new defeats the purpose, because the style's effect rests on matte, worn-looking paint.
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