Paint Technique – Maison Blanche Le Dirt

I know that when you hear the words – paint technique, you may think “oh no, not another complicated faux finish paint tutorial”!  But, hang in there with me because this isn’t complicated or difficult!   The product I’m featuring today is Maison Blanche Le Dirt, and I’m going to show you how I transformed two concrete planters with this amazing antiquing dust.

Thanks to Maison Blanche for sponsoring this post.  This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience.  See my full disclosure policy at the bottom of this page.

I started with two concrete planters/urns that have been sitting in my shed.  I haven’t used them for a while because they aren’t big enough to be eye catching on the front porch.  So I had this idea to use them indoors – I know, crazy!  So, I had my hubs with his muscles carry them into the garage for me and got to work.

After all the remaining dirt and grass was cleaned off, I brought out the paint.  Since I’m not going to be using these planters as a pair, I decided to paint one planter in Maison Blanche Wrought Iron and the other with Maison Blanche La Chaux in Coquille.  These colors work well in my home’s interior. Here’s what they looked like after one coat of paint.

They look fresh and new – right.  But, I wanted to give them an aged look that would highlight all of the pretty details from the concrete molds.  That’s where Le Dirt comes in.  Le Dirt is an antiquing dust. Here’s how you use it.

First, the Le Dirt needs something to bond to and wax is the perfect agent.  So, I gave each cement planter a coat of Maison Blanche Antique Wax in clear.  This will also protect my painted finish and would work the same if you used the technique on a piece of wooden furniture.  Once the wax is applied, let it sit for about 20 minutes until the waxed surface feels tacky.  You don’t want the surface to feel oily.  When it feels tacky, apply the Le Dirt generously with a chip brush to the entire surface – not just the areas you want to highlight.  Take special care to work it into any crevices or detail work. Now, wait again for 20 minutes so the LeDirt and wax can form a bond.

 

After 20 minutes, fold up a cotton cloth to form a pad and buff the high points of the piece.  This will reveal the gorgeous details.

Here’s a very informative “How To” video from Maison Blanche showing this process.

TIP

Working with LeDirt is a bit like working with glitter.  So work on a surface that will collect all of the extra LeDirt that doesn’t make it onto your project (like a large piece of cardboard or a plastic drop cloth).   When you are finished, you can pour the extra LeDirt back into the jar for your next project.

Since I’ll be using these large urns indoors now, I added felt pads to the bottom of each one to protect my furniture.

I am so happy with the results I got using the LeDirt antiquing dust.  And, I have 3/4 of the jar left over to use on other projects in the future.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to hear about this new paint technique!  And, I hope you will take some time today to visit my friends who are also sharing their Maison Blanche paint transformations!  The links are below.

Liz Marie Blog

The Wood Grain Cottage

Hymns & Verses (Me)

The Golden Sycamore

Refresh Restyle

A Blissful Nest

 

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