Making homemade chalk paint

Teresa
by Teresa
Anyone know how to make homemade chalk paint that doesn't dry gritty? I tried Annie Sloan and love that it dries with a smooth finish - so no need to sand between coats. I tried the homemade recipe with calcium carbonate, but it dries rather gritty. Any advice?
  14 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Mar 11, 2016
    See if you like any of these chalk paint recipes. www.salvagedinspirations.com/best-hamemad
  • Christa Sabin Christa Sabin on Mar 11, 2016
    Currently I am using 1T of Plaster of Paris, 1T of Calcium Carbonate and 8 oz of flat paint and 1T of water. You can double it if you have 16 oz of paint. I found the recipe from this website. http://inmyownstyle.com/2013/02/diy-chalk-paint-review-update.html She has a lot of great info.
  • Christa Sabin Christa Sabin on Mar 11, 2016
    I buy the sample size paints from Home Depot. You can find them for $2-4 for 8 oz. A lot of colors ship for free. It's a great way to test out the paint and 8oz does do a decent sized project.
  • Savanna Savanna on Mar 11, 2016
    also sometimes thats just how it is supposed to look so don't be mad
  • Here are 4 recipes as a download - I like the one that uses baking soda: http://lovemydiyhome.com/homemade-chalky-paint-recipes/
  • Luv2327941 Luv2327941 on Mar 12, 2016
    My favorite recipe uses calcium carbonate. But I always allow the calcium carbonate to soak in a bit of distilled water overnight. Stir in enough water to make a smooth liquid paste, let it soak overnight so the calcium carbonate can absorb the water, and stir in flat latex paint the next morning. I don't know whether it matters, but I only use Sherwin Williams flat paint.
  • Elaine Elaine on Mar 12, 2016
    Yes - I agree with the Calcium Carbonate replies (above) and reading Salvaged Inspirations' excellent research/blog! I've read one warning on some other site and that is to just make sure your choice of paint does NOT have a Primer built in the product. Good luck.
  • Diane Slater Diane Slater on Mar 12, 2016
    Check on Pinterest! That's where I got my recipe. Very simple Just paint, plaster of Paris and hot water. I put the leftover in an airtight container to use again, just mixing well before use. Good Luck!!!! I Love It!!!
  • Teresa Teresa on Mar 14, 2016
    I ground up tums a hole container about a 1.50 at big box store. Then added 3 tablespoons of boiling hot water to make a past just to make sure it was very fine and smooth then added it to a full quart of paint and shake it up a lot! It works well and looks fantastic. Better than any plaster I tried it it flakes off after time the tums worked so well and it has lasted for 2 years without a problem. I used the mint kind so it smelled like mint for as long as it took to dry then there is no smell. I also colored my own wax I got furniture wax at home improvement store and added 3 spoon full to a plastic dish and then added about 1 inch of oil paint in a dark brown the cheep kind or school painting. It works well too!
    • Olivia M. Jensen Olivia M. Jensen on Jun 16, 2017

      Finally, I've been looking for someone to say tums ! I've been looking for a chalk paint recipe to try and kept seeing calcium carbonate and all I could think was isn't that tums... thank you so glad someone has already tried it, with a 2 year old(limited time + patience of him wanting my paint brush) and a boyfriend that would think I've lost my mind and stop all painting projects if he seen me putting tums in paint unless I'd done proper research

  • Teresa Teresa on Mar 14, 2016
    Wow That sounds great Thanks so much!
  • Heather58 Heather58 on Mar 23, 2016
    What is tums please?
  • Teresa Teresa on Mar 24, 2016
    "tums" is a chewable antacid tablet, generally flavored . They say it's basically the same thing as the calcium carbonate used in DIY chalk paint recipes.
  • Hello Teresa, I use latex paint, real chalk (calcium carbonate) and talc to make mine. Talc is the key additive that enhances bonding, and gives the finish that velvety feel you want to achieve. Talc also works as anti-cracking agent in paints, therefore while it helps my homemade chalk paint dry faster I don't get any cracks and I have no issues with brush strokes because it in a way self levels the paint. If you want to try my recipe please visit: http://thenavagepatch.com/homemade-chalk-type-paint-recipe/ Good luck on your projects! -Handan
    • Teresa Teresa on Apr 02, 2016
      @Handan & Greg @ The Navage Patch Thanks so much for the tip. I can't wait to give it a try