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The wonders of chalk paint
By Anne Davis
Homemade chalk paint – what a concept! No sanding? No priming? Are you serious? OK I’m so in!
I have several Ikea pieces of furniture in a wood stain finish that I was tired of and wasn’t looking forward to the prep work needed to paint them. Bring on the chalk paint!
There is a product on the market called Chalk Paint; however, it is possible to make a home-made variety using either Plaster of Paris, non-sanded grout or Calcium Carbonate. I chose to use the Plaster of Paris version because these ingredients were so easy to find. The recipe called for three-quarters of a cup of Plaster of Paris mixed with a bit of water to get the lumps out and then mixed into two cups of latex paint. This gave me just enough paint for one coat. Before applying the paint, I washed the cabinet with TSP to roughen the surface slightly. A light sanding of a really glossy piece would help the paint to adhere better, but I wanted to see how well this paint would adhere without any priming or sanding.
I used an off-white paint and primer product, mixed in the Plaster of Paris and painted my knotty pine sideboard. It took two coats, allowing the paint to dry for four hours between coats. I found the paint finish to be a little delicate for the first 24-48 hours and I had to be really careful not to scratch the surface. Since I was going for an antique look, a few scratches here and there didn’t make much of a difference to me.
When the paint was fully cured (48 hours later), it was quite chalky to the touch – hence the name! Sanding the piece lightly with 120 grit sandpaper and applying a dark paste wax over the top created a lovely sheen and depth of colour.
I really love the look of this paint and I have used this finish several times now. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to create an antique look.
Anne Davis is a writer, blogger, artist and photography buff. Born in Quebec, she now lives in Kimberley, BC where she is editor of and contributor to the City of Kimberley’s Active Community Guide and webmaster for the City’s websites.
