Chalk Paint - How Easy Is It To Make?

[BWV Dreamin]

I've already experimented with chalk paint bought at our local hardware store. I'm not happy with the limited color choices. Has anyone made their own? If so, the best ingredients?

 

[austinsmommie]

Are you talking about to paint furniture or to make a chalk board? If you are talking about to paint furniture I have used latex paint and calcium carbonate, which I ordered from Amazon. 2 parts paint to 1 part calcium carbonate. I have used store bought and this recipe to redo furniture. The difference I have found is the homemade is cheaper but can be not as smooth if not mixed really well. I have read different recipes that some mix the calcium with some water first so it gets the lumps and bumps out, I may try this on my next project. Some recipes use less calcium carbonate I have only try the one listed above. I just finished a bedroom set for my daughter and it came out really good with the recipe .

 

[afan]

I made my own off a recipe I found on lowe's website. It worked well. I used it to redo a dresser. I waxed it when I was done and it's held up so far, I've been using the dresser since July.

 

[CaoilinnsMom]

they make a lot of colors available at craft stores, but I had mine tinted at Lowes. They would make pretty much any color you asked for.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

they make a lot of colors available at craft stores, but I had mine tinted at Lowes. They would make pretty much any color you asked for.

If Lowe's tints it, what base are you buying? The only tints I saw were the examples right by that chalk paint which are only about 6-8 colors.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I made my own off a recipe I found on lowe's website. It worked well. I used it to redo a dresser. I waxed it when I was done and it's held up so far, I've been using the dresser since July.

Ok I'll look up that recipe from Lowes. Yes, this is to paint furniture.

 

[afan]

Ok I'll look up that recipe from Lowes. Yes, this is to paint furniture.

I think the powder you mix it with game in a half gallon size that I bought there. I used a minwax wax to finish it. I will say that I like the navy on the dresser better than the grey I used on a jewelry box. I think that's on me though because the grey didn't get mixed as well so if you look close you can see white. It also got less coats because I was using paint up and didn't have as much. The dresser I used all I had but it got two or three coats. It was a bright glossy magenta and smelled, but it was free And now after painting every inch of it, inside and out, it doesn't smell or have any trace of magenta. It is missing 3 knobs that I either need to buy new or glue back together. They had some bad reviews and I bought them anyway but the other 15 have stayed together.

 

[disneyfan007]

Lowes can match up any paint color that they sell to their chalk paint base. I have picked two of the HGTV colors that they have done this with. This was done two different times with two different store.

 

[Patience]

I used plaster of paris to make chalk paint and painted a bookcase in my youngest daughter's bedroom with it. It came out very nice and has held up well. I think the proportions were 4 parts latex paint to one part plaster of paris. I mixed the plaster of paris with water before adding it to the paint. I found the recipe by googling it.