DIY Chalk Paint

If you've traveled through the magical realm of Pinterest in the last year or so, I'm sure you've heard about the wonders of chalk paint (once or a THOUSAND times). Prior to this fall, I had never tried chalk paint, but was very curious to see if it lived up to all of its' glory. People have been preaching that it's SO EASY to use and goes on nice and smooth, not to mention how simple it is to distress. I decided to set out in search of this mystical creature only to find out you can't buy this stuff anywhere! It's like a unicorn... rare and hard to find! I checked every paint and hardware store around here and EVERY cashier just gave me blank stares. This is how the average conversation went:

Store Worker: Hello, can I help you find something?

Me: Uh, hi, yes I'm looking for chalk paint.

SW: Chalk paint?

Me: Yeah.

SW: Like chalkboard paint?

Me: No, it's different. It's chalk paint... like Annie Sloan or Cece Caldwell brand.

SW: Like the black paint you can write on?

Me: Noooooooo. That's chalkBOARD paint. I need CHALK PAINT.

SW:....... I don't know what that is. Are you going to write on it?

Me: #*&)$*&)(%*&)*&)*(&@)*&@*(!!!!!!!!!!

After much anguish, I went back to Pinterest in search of a recipe for chalk paint. I figured if you can't buy it you could probably make it, and boy was I right. I found an AWESOME DIY Chalk Paint recipe from Diane at In My Own Style. She has soooo many choices for making chalk paint, but I settled on this one: 

The Plaster of Paris recipe worked great! I used it with Clark and Kensington's "Gypsy Carivan" (my spirit color) and spruced up an old desk that was given to me by a coworker. 

{GyPsY CaRiVaN!!!!}

I used the dry brush technique on the sides and drawer faces and stained the top English Chestnut. If you're not familiar with dry brushing, it's an easy way to distress without a lot of sanding. Basically you just get a little bit of paint on the brush (dip the tip of the bristles in the paint, up to about a half inch) and work it over the surface. You are creating thin coats that let the natural grain of the wood or surface show through. Make sure your first coat is on the thick side in order to prevent having to do many coats (time consuming)!!

VOILA!

{sans knobs!!}

It was so cute that Shadazzle (my partner in crime) just had to have it!!

Another aspect of chalk paint that seems to be either a blessing or a curse is the fact that you have to wax it when it's done. Since Annie Sloan soft wax runs about $30/container, I decided to try out Michael's version of chalk paint (creme) wax. It was the consistency of mod podge, but went on nice and easy. You need a special brush for putting the wax on. When I asked the worker at Ace Hardware if they sold wax brushes she (no joke) laughed right at me and said "What the heck is that?!" (Note: they sell these in the craft paint aisle at Michael's!)

Some tips and tricks for using DIY chalk paint:

1. If you use Plaster of Paris or a similar material, make sure that the powder is clump-free before you mix in the paint. This might mean adding extra water than what the recipe calls for.
2. Do NOT use Valspar paint for DIY chalk paint. Valspar has primer mixed in, which will make the Plaster of Paris/water mixture instantly turn to the consistency of yogurt (trust me... I tried it). 
3. Chalk paint does not require the surface to be sanded or primed before you get started, saving you tons of time on your projects!
4. Make sure you buff the wax after you're done putting on each coat! This will help create that water-resistant top coat and make the piece look loooooovely!

I am by no means a chalk paint expert, but I'm confident enough in my amateur abilities. I'm excited for this stuff to make it into stores so that others can experiment with it too! 

Happy junkin!!!