Hello friends!
Remember when I showed you my newly painted end tables in my Living Room Updates post?
Well, now I get to share with you the awesome DIY Chalk Paint I used for my End Tables Makeover and absolutely loved!
After researching different chalk paint recipes, I finally landed on this one from The Happy Housie and decided to give it a try!
Let me give you 3 reasons why I am so excited about this DIY CHALK PAINT:
1. It's so inexpensive and easy to make! Okay, that was two reasons in one so I cheated a little.
2. There is no prep work required when using chalk paint so painting a piece of furniture goes by relatively quick! That and no sanding and no priming makes this gal so happy!!
3. It gives the most flawless finish I've ever seen any paint lend. Ever.
All in all, this was the easiest and fastest painting project I've ever done! And not to mention, I love the results!
Another reason you might love chalk paint is how easy it is to distress a piece of furniture. Although I didn't distress my end tables, I did distress a frame I painted with this chalk paint and it was so easy to just sand off the paint in the areas I wanted distressed!
What You Need to Make Homemade Chalk Paint
1. Latex paint (I used my leftover Behr's Dolphin Fin that we painted our bedroom in)
2. Plaster of Paris (only $6 at Home Depot)
3. Water (free!)
How to Make Homemade Chalk Paint
1. Blend 1 part Plaster of Paris with 1 part water. Blend VERY well!
2. Once your Plaster of Paris and water are mixed thoroughly, mix in 2 parts latex paint. Just mix until all ingredients are well blended together.
So the ingredient's ratios are 1 part Plaster of Paris, 1 part water and 2 parts latex paint
example: 1/2 cup Plaster of Paris, 1/2 cup water and 1 cup latex paint.
And....you can store your chalk paint (just like any other paint) in a mason jar!
Oh...and a little goes a loooooong way!
Some Tips on Painting with Chalk Paint
1. Even though prep work isn't required, give it a good clean with soap and water to eliminate any trace of furniture polish and dust.
2. DO NOT get discouraged after the first coat! It will look splotchy and uneven but trust me, it gets better and better with each coat.
This is how my first coat looked like and even though I read that it would look uneven, I still kind of freaked out a little.
3. Wait for each coat to dry completely before going in with another coat and also lightly dust between coats so that you don't get dust trapped in between the layers of paint.
4. Feel free to lightly dust between coats to smooth out any roughness or imperfections. I only had to do this to one of the tables and it didn't' take too much time.
5. I used both a foam brush and a good quality bristle brush and my favorite was the foam brush. It just gave such an even application.
6. Seal your piece of furniture, either with a wax or polycrylic. I chose to go with the Polycrylic in clear satin since I wanted a longer lasting sealer.
I waited 24 hours before sealing my tables.
The clear satin polycrylic gave it the perfect finish! I didn't want my tables to be glossy but I also didn't want to leave them as is (matte) and them chip off easily, so this was just what I was looking for.
Table Makeover with Chalk Paint
I cannot get over how fabulous my tables now look! It's like having a new set of end tables in my favorite neutral, light gray!
I'm so happy I finally got around to trying a DIY chalk paint recipe! It really was fun discovering this super easy way to paint furniture!
Have you tried chalk paint? How was your experience?
