I’m assuming everyone is familiar with chalk paint by now… but if you are not, I’m going to show you some different techniques I’ve tried using various chalk paints.  I wanted to test the DIY chalk paints along with Annie Sloan chalk paint.

The goal of chalk paint is to spend less time creating rustic/aged painted furniture.  (eliminating sanding & priming before painting).

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I tried two different projects using two different chalk paints.
1. I made chalk paint with:  2 cups of latex paint, 4 tbs of  plaster of paris, 2 tbls of water
2. I used Annie’s Chalk Paint as is

————————————-

DIY CHALK PAINT                                                                     Before                                                                               After

Directions:
1.  In a separate container, mix 4 tbls of plaster of paris until smooth.  Add it to 2 cups of paint – in another paint container (blend until thick).
2.  Next paint first coat on wood.
3. Sand slightly between coats, when dry to smooth out the bumps from the paint.
4. Paint second coat.  Let dry.  (paint as many coats as needed for solid coverage)
5. Using light grit sand paper, remove paint along edges to give a worn look.
6.  Using a wax (I used Johnson’s paste wax) buff wax to seal in paint.

I thought the orginal wood was nice, but I wanted to lighten the piece… it was time for a face-lift!

One thing I have noticed with the DIY chalk paint, is that the paint does scratch off… not easily, but you can scratch it.  I would not recommend doing this on a piece that you don’t want it to weather with time.

 

——————————————————————-

ANNIE SLOAN CHALK PAINT                                                                               Before

 After

Directions:
1.  Paint cabinets with a good paint brush.  Follow the grain of wood, while painting.  (for durability paint two coats) – however, I was lazy and used one coat b/c it truly covers in one coat (I was impressed by this) – I also did not even remove the cabinet doors… I opened them, and painted without taking them apart. I painted over the hardware and later scratched it off some.
2. To get an aged look without chipping the paint, I decided to try some stain on it.  (Annie recommends her dark and light waxes to achieve this look, but I had stain in the house so I used that instead)
3. To use the stain, first paint the edges with the stain (I used a toothbrush).
4. Next, dip a cloth in clear wax
5. Buff out the stain with the clear wax to get the stain amount you want left on the piece.  – It takes quite a bit of buffing, and I did rub the stain all over the cabinets so it seeps into the wood grain slightly.  I left the edges of the cabinets darker, and scratched them with some sandpaper to expose a little of the original brown woodwork as well.

First Coat

I just loved how these turned out.  The only negative with using the stain instead of Annie’s dark wax & light wax, is that you can still scratch off the paint if you try really hard… I don’t mind because I like this aged look… however, if I wanted to paint cabinets in a frequently used area, such as the kitchen – I think I will use Annie’s waxes as sealants.

Summary of my findings:
1. DIY chalk paint is good, and inexpensive, but takes more coats of paint – and sanding in between coats
2. Annie Sloan chalk paint is better, smoother,  and a little goes a long way  (which doesn’t make the price as bad)
3. Paint does scratch off with both options… BUT I’m not ruling out Annie Sloan paint, until I have tested it with her waxes. (This will be another Ruff Draft down the road)!

————————————————-

Have you tried chalk paint?  Any tips you want to share with us?  Would love to hear feedback!!!