What is chalk paint?

Pat Cobb
by Pat Cobb
Just what is chalk paint? What kind of finish do it leave? Can you make your own? Where do you buy it?
  4 answers
  • Shari Shari on Jan 26, 2014
    Chalk paint is a type of paint that can be used to paint any surface. Probably the biggest drawing card for chalk paint is they say you can skip the sanding and priming, which is normally advised for traditional paint like latex. Even with no up front preparation, chalk paint is suppose to stick to anything. But... even though you are saving time at the beginning of the project by not having to do any prep work, there is a step at the end that, to me, is worse than sanding and priming, and that is waxing. The chalk paint dries with a very flat, matte finish and it needs to be sealed to protect it, as well as give some luster and depth to the matte finish. Waxing is what the chalk paint companies recommend (although some people use a top coat like polyurethane). There are several brands of commercial chalk paint available (Annie Sloan and CeCe Caldwell are just two), or there are DIY "recipes" to make your own chalk paint using latex paint mixed with things like Plaster of Paris or non-sanded grout or calcium carbonate. Commercially made chalk paint is sold by "stockists," i.e., dealers who have been chosen by the company to sell their products. (Similiar to Avon representatives.) You can go to the websites (I've provided a couple links below), put in your zip code and find where the stockists are located. If there are none near you, stockists will ship to you, or I believe you can order directly from the Annie Sloan or Cece Caldwell websites. Be warned, chalk paint is expensive. (That's one of the reasons so many people are mixing their own using the Plaster of Paris, non-sanded grout etc. A QUART of Annie Sloan's runs in the neighborhood of $35. Chalk paint is the "in" thing right now in furniture painting so it seems new companies are popping up all the time to cash in on the demand. Here are the websites for the two companies I have heard the most about: http://www.anniesloan.com/ http://cececaldwells.com/ Each company has also formulated their own wax to use with their chalk paints. Usually they sell a clear wax, which is used when you want your paint color to remain basically the same. There is also a dark wax which will darken the paint color and give it an "antiqued" or aged look. Again, the waxes can be pricey. I have also heard of people using any kind of furniture paste wax like Minwax over the chalk paints. Many bloggers have done tutorials on using chalk paint (commercially produced and homemade), as well as comparisons between the commercially produced and homemade formulas. You can google "chalk paint tutorial" if you'd like to read more. I know there are also Home Talk members who have posted lots of chalk paint info on here. Just use the search bar at the top left of the page. In addition, the "stockists" have websites and they generally have a Frequently Asked Questions section with tips on using the paints and waxes, so that is another good source to learn the ins and outs of using chalk paint. YouTube would be a good source for video tutorials on chalk paint.
  • Pat Cobb Pat Cobb on Jan 26, 2014
    Thank you so much for taking your time to explain this. Bless You!
  • Shari Shari on Jan 26, 2014
    Glad I could help, Pat. :)