Around here, after the holidays, you know that winter will be here for a while with the arrival of Bob the Painter. For inside painting only at the moment, though we have some outside painting to be done later. But I’ve always got some ideas milling around in my head—don’t you?
So, yes, Bob the Painter finished some trim work in the house, leftover from our massive flooring project last year, and patched the ceiling in the dining room where a misapplied foot had gone through the attic where there was no flooring. The talk then turned to chalk paint.
“What is it?” he asked. “I don’t know,” I replied. But my daughter and Girlfriend know. They have used chalk paint for several years and are experts on the subject.
Bob the Painter knows a lot about paints, their ingredients, which products work best in which area—but he had never used chalk paint. Time for an experiment! Nothing like hands-on experience.
So the project was launched. Doing some online investigation, Bob determined that chalk paint could be made by mixing latex paint with plaster of Paris and perhaps some baking soda. We promptly chose a color and a cabinet to paint—my computer cabinet which was plain white, but worn after a decade’s worth of use.
He went to work:
The inside was first painted blue and then white lightly was applied allowing the blue to show through. The outside was painted and then we tried a glaze. Neither Bob nor I liked the very light blue, so Bob, being a perfectionist, painted it a deeper blue:
He painted the flat surfaces with polyurethane as this protects them and they will wear longer.
The next day, he sanded the entire piece, rubbing some of the paint off so that white showed through making it appear distressed, applied the polyurethane to the inside flat edges, and finished with a coat of wax on the rest of the cabinet, buffing it after it dried.
Chalk paint is best used on a piece one wishes to finish in a chic distressed look. This is generally why one uses chalk paint rather than latex or oil—to get the worn effect.
He and I both learned some interesting facts about chalk paint. While one does not have to ‘prep’ the wood before painting, one will definitely need to sand and wax the piece after it is painted. This takes about as much time as prepping would.
Secondly, one MUST apply polyurethane to any surface which will be used much. Even after waxing, chalk paint will not release stains, making it inadvisable to use it where it would be exposed to stains or moisture. Since one begins with latex paint, a water-based paint, water and liquids will actually dissolve the paint. In other words, a very poor choice for the kitchen!
The plaster of Paris will lighten the paint one entire shade. This occurred in both applications of paint. So, if you like one shade, go a bit darker to get it with home made chalk paint.
Daughter has mixed her own chalk paint like Bob did. She prefers a name-brand paint, however, saying that it goes on and sands much smoother than what she makes at home. Keep in mind that name-brand chalk paint can be very expensive, however.
Girlfriend kindly brought two sample drawers down for Bob to see—one had been painted with home made chalk paint and the other with a commercial brand. They discussed amongst themselves (I had a phone call, so I missed the talk!) the pros and cons of the product, agreeing in the end that they both preferred plain old latex paint. But, Daughter thought otherwise. I guess it becomes a matter of preference.
Here are the finished results—a fresh look for the computer cabinet and a bit of brightness in the office:
What do you think? Have you tried chalk paint? Did you like the results?
Scored bottle.
Heat up a lot of water in a teapot.
Bob lightly sanded the edge.
harpethview 