Mixing My Own Chalk Paint

Well hopefully everyone had a great holiday weekend! We are back in town with a lot of exciting items coming in this week. Look for a post Friday filled with new projects and consignment.

But, for now, I'd like to show you how my experiment with chalk paint mixing went down. After several hours of research and trial and error, I have learned that either plaster of paris or non-sanded grout can be mixed with regular old 50 cent latex mess-ups from the hardware store. Both add-ins give you the great results of chalk paint. There were many recipes out there...but I'm not big on recipes. I just mixed a few tablespoons of plaster of paris with a little water and when it was smooth, added it to the paint in old ASCP 4oz container that I saved and stirred. I was looking for the consistency of the store bought chalk paint. It's just a little thicker than the regular stuff. What I got was great coverage and the smooth when waxed feel of ASCP without the price tag.

Here are some of the pieces I've been working on.

Here's our vintage rocker before...

And after with the plaster chalk paint mix. 

The paint covered that dark red stain beautifully. 

Here's the chair after being distressed and waxed.  

To get this look- I wiped away the paint with a damp cloth when it was not quite dry to avoid the mess that comes with sanding. Then I added a little bit of dark glaze over the distressed areas  and waxed the whole thing when it was dry. 

And here's a nice wood framed mirror with an ugly coat of green. 

I'm not sure what happened here, but it looks like someone added oil over latex paint or something. 

But the chalk paint is up to the challenge. It covered the scary paint job nicely.  I'm going to add a glaze and show you the reveal Friday. 

So for anyone who loves the look of chalk paint, but is trying to avoid the high price tag, mix your own. I tried it. It works!