Good Morning Y’all!
When I posted this makeover on Monday, I promised the formula for my homemade chalk paint. I absolutely LOVE the results of my DIY Chalk Paint Recipe! It was incredibly easy to make, and went on so smoothly, it was just almost unbelievable that it was a homemade mixture.
The first time I tried making my own chalk paint I used a recipe that included plaster of paris. I was planning to paint this set of chairs that I had scored for something like $3 each at a thrift store.
There are a number of DIY chalk paint recipes online and I found one that used 1 part plaster of paris to 3 parts latex paint. Maybe I didn’t mix it thoroughly enough, but I wasn’t totally pleased with the results. The paint was far too gritty for me, and I abandoned the chairs for the time being. The upside was that the plaster of paris was easy to find – I purchased at Lowe’s or Home Depot.
Shortly after I ‘tabled’ the chairs (get it? – Ha!), we found this piece and my interest in creating homemade chalk paint was re-kindled.
This time, since I wanted to use a compound that would produce a smoother texture, I went with Calcium Carbonate. I shopped around locally for it, and was met with mostly weird looks when I asked for it at several drug and health food stores in the area. So I decided to look online and found it on Amazon, for a pretty good price! Here’s my formula (you can Pin this image for future reference):
I mixed with an old mixer, but you can use a wire whisk if you want. If the paint is too thick, you can add a tablespoon or two of water. Don’t get it too thin, though, because you do want good coverage, and you’ll change the properties of the paint if you add too much water. I basically used 1 cup paint to 1/4 – 1/3 cup CC. That is the size of a sample of paint from Lowe’s or Home Depot. Some samples come in quarts, in which case you would need to add 3/4 – 1 cup CC to one quart. Most furniture projects won’t take more than half the quart, which would be 2 cups paint to 1/2 – 2/3 cup calcium carbonate.
Also, it’s best to use flat latex (or as flat as possible – up to eggshell or satin), rather than any kind of paint + primer. If the paint has much gloss, it will not mix as well with the CC.
You don’t have to be totally exact with the measurements either, thankfully! For example, I think 1/2 cup CC to 2 cups paint would probably work fine.
This paint went on silky smooth and dried to a wonderfully uniform finish that was easily sanded and distressed. For finishing, you can either wax or topcoat with water-soluble polyurethane. Clean up was easy, with just mild soap and water.
I love my ‘new’ morning room hutch! You can read the story of how we found it on the side of the road HERE.
If you try the DIY chalk paint recipe, be sure to leave a comment and let me know your results!
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