One of the top asked questions that people email me about is how to make chalk paint.
So today’s the day to explain!
Let’s talk about chalk paint, shall we? Not chalkboard paint that you can write on with chalk, but chalk paint that you can use to paint furniture. There are different brands that you can buy already mixed chalk paint, but it’s simple to make and much cheaper than buying chalk paint from a retailer. Plus the color selections are limited for pre-mixed chalk paint.
The main difference that I’ve found with buying chalk paint already mixed or making it yourself is that usually homemade chalk paint tends to be a little gritty from the grout. There are some ways to combat that and we’ll go over those in a bit.
We don’t use chalk paint all that often because we usually use a paint sprayer. Paint sprayers give a more professional finish while chalk paint has a antique, chic, hand finish. Some of our customers prefer the look of chalk paint so we do that for them as well. Chalk paint can be used around your home on smaller pieces that you want to try painting yourself. I really enjoy using chalk paint when I want to distress a piece without having the primer show underneath the paint. When you use chalk paint, you don’t have to prime the piece because the grout hardens very well onto the furniture.
So, if you’re painting at home and don’t haven’t extra tools like paint sprayers (or the room to spray in), chalk paint can be a happy alternative. Here’s how I make it.
2 Tablespoons of unsanded white grout
Mix with a tiny bit of water to make a paste
Add to 1 cup of Satin Latex paint
To help keep the grout from being to lumpy, I put it through a sifter like this first.
Once I add the paint, I use either a hand whisk or, if you have it, an electric blender like this works the best.
It’s important to remember once you mix the grout with the paint it will only be good for a few hours, you’ll have to throw away any extra. So don’t over mix, it’s easy to make more if need be. :)
Here’s an example of a dresser that we painted using chalk paint that’s currently available to purchase. To see if it’s still available or if you’re interested in pricing or size info please check out our Furniture For Sale page.
This is it before. We lightly sanded it and repaired the broken veneer to prep it for painting.
Then cleaned it really well and mixed up the chalk paint. Use a regular bristle brush and get your painting on! ;) Usually you only need 2 coats of chalk paint.
Distress it using sand paper.
This is a very important step! You have to seal chalk paint. Because you are mixing grout into the paint, it’s porous (meaning that dirt or grease can actually stain the paint color). You can use a wax over the chalk paint or I prefer to use a water based Poly.
Another complication that can happen from not using a primer is that the wood stain or color bleeds through the paint. To help keep that from happening only very lightly scuff the wood with a 200 grit sand paper unless the wood has a high gloss finish on it. In that case, sand it really well.
Here are the after pictures!
The after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography.
I hope you all have a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)
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