Tinting Furniture Wax With Paint

Hi everyone!

I just finished painting and antiquing a beautiful china cabinet that my sister and I found… FREE!  Gotta LOVE a spectacular free find!

It’s painted with homemade chalk paint mixed with recycled paint (more on recycled paint here) and “aged” with a diy antique wax.

Tinting furniture wax with paint is really easy to do and can be a great ‘Annie Sloan Dark Wax’ alternative.

I actually prefer tinting my own wax over purchasing it.

Having control over the colour and shade which best compliments my furniture make-over is great. Spending a fraction of the cost that brand name dark waxes charge is even better!

Tinting Furniture Wax with Paint ~ 5 Easy Steps

1. Purchase Natural Wax.

You’ll need some furniture wax. Minwax, Johnson Paste, CeCe Caldwell’s or whatever brand you like. I used Minwax.  It’s under $12, it lasts forever, and I like the finish.

2. Stir in some dark paint.

For my china cabinet, I used 1 TBSP of wax to 1 TSP of paint.

Unfortunately, this is not an exact recipe. How much paint you add will depend on how dark YOU want your antiquing wax. Test a small area on an inconspicuous area of the furniture. It’s usually better to start off with less as you can always add more.

3. Stir the paint into the wax.

Stir small batches at a time.  The wax eventually dries up once mixed with paint. I used a total of 4 TBSP of wax to completely cover this china cabinet, but I mixed one tablespoon at a time to keep the wax workable.

4. Brush on with any brush or rag.

You don’t need any fancy-schmancy waxing brush. Any brush or rag will do.  I re-use a dollar store chip brush (as seen in the picture) over and over again and it’s just fine. Tip – Push the wax in while applying.  (I call it schmooshing it in) with whatever brush/rag you are using.

5. Rub in and Wipe off quickly.

Work in small areas so the dark wax doesn’t dry up on you.  Rub in the wax (schmooshing it) and wipe the excess off quickly. I don’t bother putting a layer of natural wax on before I add my dark wax but many people do.  If I wax an area and it’s too dark, I simply take a rag with some natural wax on it and rub the excess off.

The paint mixed with the wax created an antiqued distressed look while adding more interest, dimension and depth.  The detail was brought out by the darker tones, and after it was buffed, the cabinet feels smooth as glass. I’m really pleased with how this china cabinet turned out. I’m tempted to keep it for myself rather than sell.

This simple technique of tinting furniture wax works with all paint colours. Here’s a close up of a mirror I turned into a chalk board.  The mirror’s frame was painted in cottage white and antiqued with a medium gold paint mixed with Minwax Furniture Paste. This DIY dark wax also provides great protection.

Tinting wax also works with stains and shoe polish.  Experiment and have some fun!  If you have any questions or have a few tips your own, leave a comment below.

If you’d like to see the full before and after of this “found-on-the-curbside-china-cabinet”, you can take a peek here.

Have a fabulous day!

Denise x