DIY: Chalk Paint

There's been so much talk about chalk paint and how wonderful it is. I have yet to try it, but I'm about to.  First of all, seems like Annie Sloan paints and waxes are everyone's favorite, but they are from the UK and after shipping, we are looking at a very very pretty penny for a quart of paint.  Then I saw a lot of people are just making it themselves, this fits my budget and mindset perfectly!

I've heard chalk paint (like milk paint) has a really great finish.  It's great for ditressing, you can coat it on anything without a primer, yes - even over smooth glossy surfaces! It dries really fast, and is totally safe.  Cleans up with water, requires less coats, and most important - gives everything a really nice hand painted, artistic appearance.  I love the dull finish too, which can compliment a lot of bright colors really well. I really like that right now, bold bright colors that have a soft matte finish. I think it looks great without being the brightest thing in the room.

Here's the recipe that I am going to try, because I love plaster of paris & I have some more projects I need it for, so hey - a two in one purchase, right?  This recipe comes from this refinishing furniture site.  It couldn't be more simple:

"Simply combine the latex paint and the plaster until you are satisfied with its color. If the solution gets too thick, simply add some water."

That's it! Here I was thinking this was going to be a difficult procedure. Ha! There are a lot of recipes too, some use grout, some use glue and actual chalk. I'll be taking the easy route, but be sure to check out the recipes on their site.  For reference, here's another blog that made some of their own chalk paint and put it to the test: Shabby to Chic Designs.

Let's just get to the pictures, that's what we all want anyway (ha!):

 See that distressing?  It's very natural. The paint also has a very soft look, I love it. Photo courtesy of Shizzle Design.

Remember I said that it sticks to glossy surfaces? What's glossier than pumpkins and fruit.. i've lost many a sharpie to the glossy exterior of a pumpkin while carving at Halloween.  Photo thanks: Perfectly Imperfect.

I LOVE that red console table there. Came out really nice. If you have any tips or tricks regarding chalk paint I'd LOVE to hear them, as I'm about to embark on a whole new journey here. I'll post along the way! Have a great weekend!