Kammy's Korner: Dixie Belle SILK Paint Review

I have a barn packed with curbside and hand-me down furniture waiting to get new life.

So when Doug from the Parma Antique Mall (who has a large variety of Dixie Belle Mineral Paints and products for sale) asked me if I would try the upgraded SILK line and share the results with you all, I said sure!

I chose the color BLACK SANDS because years of experience has taught me that neutral colors sell!! I used to paint a piece orange and it would bring in the comments alright but nobody wants an orange end table in their living room. And annoyed me would think "well I know it's wild, but it's SO COOL! Can't ANYONE step away from their monotonous white or black? It's called a conversation piece! Everyone, please stop being so lame!" Well, yeah, I don't really take my own advice. Neutral furniture abounds in my home.

So Silk boasts that it has a built in primer and top coat.

I learned after my projects that the primer is more for coverage than adhesion. So a light sanding is recommended. Or if you hate sanding, you can use a Dixie Belle product called Slick Stick. Though I haven't tried it yet, you're supposed to be able to paint anything with a "slick" surface after applying it - even glass! So of course, I learn through experience, not research and/or other people's mistakes. Haha. As far as the coverage goes, if something does happen to bleed through, wait for it to dry (overnight is ideal) and apply a second coat. So let's talk about what worked and what didn't!

First up is this Lane Cedar Chest.

I had already sanded the daylights out of it because I thought I was going to refinish the whole thing. Then I lost my motivation and there it sat, sanded and sad. And there I sat... waiting for inspiration to hit.

About the same time I got the Black Sands SILK mineral paint... I saw some cool three-tone pieces someone had posted on Instagram. Now I'd been doing lots of TWO tone, but not THREE!

The paint seemed to adhere very well and went on smoothly with it's self-leveling element which helps eliminate any brushstrokes. I recommend using a Dixie Belle paint brush or similar soft brush. It dries from the top down, so give it time to dry (even if it feels dry) before your second coat or it will mess up the nice finish. It is a thinner paint than chalk paint but covers well. You will need to do a second coat, but that should do it. I just love how this piece turned out! The off white was something I already had on hand (a mistint) and I used walnut Restor-A-Finish on the wood. And to think I picked up this chest for $5 at a yard sale! :)

This next piece was an antique baker's shelf. Now this one didn't have quite the outcome I was hoping for, but it's also my fault. It had a shiny wood surface and here's where I decided the built in primer should be good enough and I skipped the sanding. My bad. Should have researched what other's experiences were! The paint went on well, and I waited to apply the second coat... but even after it dried, the surface still seemed to scratch easily. Remember when I said the primer was more for coverage than adhesion? Well here we go. I figured if I let it sit a few weeks it would be fine (30 days cure time is ideal for any paint) but time didn't seem to ease my debacle and I had a barn sale coming up that I wanted to sell this at! I went the polyurethane route, and sealed it all up. I'm just gonna say here and now I hate polyurethane. Just like labor unions, it's often a necessary evil. ;) So while the color suited this piece extraordinarily well, I... you know.... poly.....

But shucks, look how charming this turned out?

I heart it. (Does anyone even say that anymore?)

If you're curious about the French graphic I put on the wood front, check out how to easily do that using freezer paper HERE.

And last but not least, I used the final bit of paint for this mid century vanity set.

The wood was pretty nice on most of it, so I just touched that up with some Restor-A-Finish, recovered the seat cushion (looks like I need to tighten that a little) and painted just the top surfaces of the vanity for a little contrast. I love how it turned out! Very vogue... and for sale if anyone is interested!

While chalk paint is great for distressing, I would say Silk Mineral paint is more for a polished look. It doesn't seem to rough up as well. Just my take on it.