As though I don’t have *quite* enough paint in my life, I’ve been getting all giddy about using a product I’ve never tried before – Fusion Mineral Paint. I’ve used tonnes of chalk paint in the past (my fav is Annie Sloan, which in my experience seems higher quality than other brands) and all the usual water & solvent based wood paints, but Fusion has recently come onto my radar via other furniture updaters. The rather brilliant Zoë at Muck n Brass uses it all the time for her fabulous upcycled pieces and runs how to courses down in London. I had a chat with her about it – thanks Zoë! -, did some online ordering and took receipt of my parcel this week.
First, up let’s talk about packaging. Well impressed. A teeny tiny box, expertly packaged, with paper buffering and minimal use of plastic. Fantastic. I was sold on the brand before I even pulled out the paint.
Next up, the paint itself. Developed by a highly regarded Canadian family paint brand called Homestead, the Fusion mineral paint range was launched in 2014 and is fronted by daughter Jennylyn Pringle. It’s described as a…
best-in-class paint that features an environmentally conscious formulation, zero VOCs, superior durability, easy one-step application and significantly improved strength. Delivering an exceptional matte finish, this 100% acrylic paint requires minimal prep work!
I fancied trying this fast drying, matt paint out on some Moregeous upcycling and ordered Coal Black, a gentle pale grey called Little Lamb from the Tones For Tots range and also a vibrant Coral designed by US style guru Michael Penney. I also bought some of the Ultra Grip, a water based emulsion designed as a coating for tough to stick to bases such as lacquer, glass or plastic, and some of the Tough Coat Matt as a top coat for extra durability.
This is the piece I wanted to try it on first, a cute little tea tray trolley I picked up for the princely sum of £10 in Bury last week. Bury, the place to go for brown bargains.
It was filthy! I thoroughly washed the trolley down and scrubbed into all the corners with a toothbrush, making sure it was grease free, then allowed it to dry. It’d been so long since this poor piece of furniture had any TLC that the surface was dull, scratched and ready to paint. The Fusion Mineral Paint info graph is very helpful on what to paint & how, I added it to the bottom of this post. It told me to just to go ahead and paint, so I did!
My opinion? It’s very nice to use. Lovely and smooth to apply, giving excellent coverage and depth of colour. I used the Coal Black and could almost have gotten away with one coat. I worked with a good, flat synthetic brush as I didn’t want the lots-of-raised-lines look which you get with a natural bristle brush.
I fancied still seeing some of the original character of the dark wood, so gave the edges of the trays one coat, the sanded back and sealed them with Tough Coat Matt. Everywhere else had two coats of black. From the 500ml jar, I’d say I’ve used about 10-15% of the paint. Tonnes left for other projects!
I’m completely delighted both with my little treasure trays and discovering Fusion. Now I just need to decide what I’m going to paint grey & coral and where I’m going to get a Seventies lurex cat suit and platforms to push my new cake / cheese trolley around Moregeous Mansions. Anyone for a Gordon’s & cheese Tid-Bit?
The Fusion Mineral Paint infogram:
