Chalk paint can be a magical tool to help you refinish a piece of furniture that has seen better days. Unfamiliar with chalk paint? It provides a hard finish that will cover a lot of imperfections and simply make them disappear. Many brands are available online, in a home improvement center paint department or even in your favorite craft store. While there are lots of good choices, they can be quite expensive. The simple solution to that is to make your own. Today, I will share three different chalk paint recipes I have tried and let you know which is my favorite and why. 

Homemade Chalk Paint Recipes: 

Plaster Of Paris Chalk Paint: 

1/2 C Plaster Of Paris

1/2 C Water

2 C Flat Paint 

Mix together your plaster and water until the plaster is completely dissolved. Add your flat paint and stir thoroughly until mixed. 

Baking Soda Chalk Paint:

12 T baking soda

2 to 6 T water

2 C flat paint 

Mix together your baking soda and water until the baking soda is completely dissolved.

Add your flat paint and stir thoroughly until mixed. 

Non-Sanded Grout (Powder) Chalk Paint:

2 T non-sanded grout

4 to 6 T water

2 C flat paint 

Mix together your grout and water until the grout is completely dissolved. Add your flat paint and stir thoroughly until mixed. 

Comparing Chalk Paint Finishes: 

1. The finish with the Plaster of Paris is nice and thick, which means it would conceal any mild scratches and dings very well with only a couple of coats. The consistency and finish are smooth, so light sanding between coats should be enough to achieve a great look.  

2. The finish with the baking soda also provides a fairly thick finish, and two coats would probably also do the trick. I found it to be more grainy than the Plaster of Paris so you would need to do a little more sanding in between coats to get that nice smooth finish. 

3. The finish with the non-sanded grout was by far the thinnest of the three and would definitely take more coats to get a good finish especially if you are painting a piece that has a dark finish on it. I don’t feel that this one would hide imperfections as easily as the other two either. However, the consistency is quite smooth so light sanding should be all that’s needed. 

Which Chalk Paint Recipe is Best? 

Because the Plaster of Paris gives nice, thick coverage without the gritty feel to it, this is the one that I would choose. In fact, I have used it on many different pieces of furniture over the years and it never disappoints. Plaster of Paris is easily available either online at Lowes or Home Depot and I’ve even seen it in Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. It’s also very affordable, ranging from $4.99 to $19.99 depending on the size of container that you get. 

Whichever recipe you choose to use make sure that you stir it thoroughly before each time you use it as it will separate. If the paint gets too thick, you can add a small amount of water to thin it back out but if you do that too often, it can start to affect your paint color so don’t make too big of a batch at a time. 

Final Thoughts 

Chalk paint is a great way to redo a tired piece of furniture that needs some updating. Making your own chalk paint has some great benefits to it. The first being the cost. If you already have leftover paint on hand that you want to use, your only cost is for the main ingredient, all three of which are super affordable. If you don’t have paint that you can use, keep an eye on the “oops!” section in your local home improvement center. Many times I have found great color choices and can usually get a whole gallon of paint for $10 or a quart for $2.50 to $5.00. The second benefit is that you can make your own specific colors and get just the look you want. If you decide to mix two different colors to make a special color, just make sure that you write down how much of each you used so that if you need to mix more later on, you know exactly what you did. Believe me, I’ve learned that one the hard way! 

So have fun, play chemist, and feel free to get a little creative with your next furniture project! 

Now, what will you do next to love where you live?

Please feel free to reach out to us at The Redesign Habit and ask questions or simply share a project that you are working on or have completed.

For more great stories and ideas please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.