Decorating & Design
May 6, 2020
Paint Project: Use Up Leftover Paint With This DIY Terrazzo Table!
A staple in mid-century modern homes, classic terrazzo is making a major comeback. It’s one of the hottest materials today, but you don’t have to invest in a new floor to get this speckled look. This paint technique from Annie Sloan is a fun finish to update a piece of furniture in a child’s room, or to freshen a thrift shop find. The directions are simple, making it a suitable project to do with little ones. You can customize the color to a room’s palette (and it’s a great way to use extra paint)!
Terrazzo offers an opportunity to play with different color combinations — keep it subdued and pastel, or go super bright and flamboyant.
You will need (you can buy Annie Sloan products through the following retailers):
- 1 x 120 mL Chalk Paint in Pure
- A selection of Chalk Paint colors, Annie used Duck Egg Blue, Antoinette, Paris Grey, Paloma, Coco, Louis Blue and Burgundy
- 1 x 120 mL Clear Chalk Paint Wax
- 1 x Small Chalk Paint Wax Brush
- 1 x Annie Sloan Detail Brush set
- 1 x lint-free cloth
If the surface of your table isn’t white, apply two coats of Chalk Paint in Pure using a large flat brush. Apply Duck Egg Blue to paint random splodges across the surface with a small detail brush. Don’t think too hard about this – the point is for the marks to be imperfect (you can check out a helpful video here) the way chunks of marble are in terrazzo. Take some marks right to the edge of your surface to mimic cut terrazzo.
Use Chalk Paint in Antoinette to add more splodges. These marks should not touch your first marks, and their spacing should be irregular. Just dab the brush in any spot where you see a white space. Annie’s tip? “Work quickly without worrying too much about the type of mark you are making. Load your brush with plenty of paint, push down on the heel of the brush and then lift up.”
Continue adding marks using Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, Paloma, Coco, Louis Blue and Burgundy. Repeat until you run out of white space. Raising the marks so they are thicker in some areas will bring texture to the finished table.
Once you’re happy with the ratio of dots to white space, leave the surface to dry thoroughly. Seal your table by applying two coats of Clear Chalk Paint Wax with a small chalk paint wax brush or or a lint-free cloth.
Buff with a lint-free cloth if you want your tabletop to have a light sheen; don’t buff, if you prefer a matte finish. Annie says, “You can see how easy it is to achieve, why not try this stunning effect on a wall, a floor — anything you fancy!”
Annie Sloan