The difference between CeCe Caldwell's Paint & Annie Sloan

I recently tried CeCe Caldwells paints on a project that I was working on for a client.    The reasons why a die-hard Annie Sloan user tried CeCe Caldwells paints is because I wanted a true black for the project.  I purchased Becklely Coal.  

• The very first thing that I noticed was the can - plastic lid vs metal lid.
• The constancy is totally different - CeCe leaves brush stokes/Annie Sloan less of brush Strokes
• Both paints brush stokes can be smoothed out using water.
• Annie Sloan tries quickly - CeCe Caldwell takes about 1-2 hours depending on the humidity 
• CeCe Caldwell is all natural chalk and clay NO VOC'S (voc are solvents that are released in the air while the paint is trying.

Before application of CeCe Caldwell

After the Application of CeCe Caldwell Paint

I did sand the piece down to the bear wood prior to applying CeCe Caldwell Paint.  The reason being, is this piece was caked with paint, and I knew the look that I wanted would require the removal of paint.  This step is not necessary however.  

Once the paint was applied, I used Annie Sloan's Wax with a triple 000 steal wool to achieve the luster that I wanted.  I applied a sprites of  water to my steal wool to remove the paint in certain areas after I had applied the wax.  The paint immediately became soft in consistency and was easy to manipulate.  I finished off the piece with CeCe Caldwells Satin Finish to protect the finish.  I would highly recommend this process as it seems as water would penetrate the paint fairly easily.  

All and all, my experience was rewarding, and I decided to use it on another commissioned piece.  I will keep you posted if I decided to go 100% over to CeCe Caldwell Paints.

I purchased my supply at Sea & Green in Point Pleasant, New Jersey

Follow this link for a video on the difference between CeCe Caldwell's and Annie Sloan....