Homemade Chalk Paint (An Experiment.)

 Chalk paint.  It has taken the DIY blogosphere by storm.  Many have either tried a popular name brand version or have crafted their own recipe.  So what is the allure of chalk paint and why do DIY painters like it so much?

 I hadn't tried the popular commercial brand of chalk paint yet for a few reasons:

1) It's pricey.
2) It's not sold in my city so I would have to order it online (more cost).  And I'm the type of person who likes to see and touch things before I buy them.
3) I had never seen an item in person that had been painted with chalk paint so I was slightly nervous about using it on a piece of furniture.
4) As a DIY girl, it went a little against my nature to buy something that I could make myself.

So I decided to make my own version of chalk paint and try it out on something that wasn't a piece of furniture.  My friend, Christina had given me the two ends of her son's outgrown crib.  They resided in my garage (much to the displeasure of my husband) for a number of months while I waited for the perfect opportunity to use them.  I thought they would be great for my initial foray into the world of chalk paint.

 There are many different recipes for homemade chalk paint.  Sherry from No Minimalist Here has a great post on how to make your own chalk paint.

I used Plaster of Paris and added it to a white Behr semi gloss paint I already had on hand.  I didn't want such a bright white for my project so I added in a few drops of  brown craft paint (Ceramcoat Tan Trail) to the mix.  The paint was already a little on the thick side so I added water.  I then added a bit of Plaster of Paris.  I may have added too much because it became very thick like toothpaste.  I then added more water and started painting it on the crib piece.

The benefit of chalk paint is supposed to be that it adheres well and dries fast.  Therefore eliminating the need to sand or prime beforehand.  So all I did was remove the existing hardware and wheels on the crib ends and just began slapping the paint on.

It was thick and watery at the same time.  Almost like smearing it with mud.  To be honest, I was a little unhappy with the first coat.  It dried quickly and then I applied a second coat.  The finish was rough so I sanded it down hoping for the magic to happen that I kept reading about.  It sanded fairly well with paint coming off on the edges for that shabby look.  I had planned on turning the crib piece into a sign for an event honoring my daughter and two other girls.

I taped around the center of the piece and added stick on vinyl letters (from Hobby Lobby) in the three girls' names.  I then added a dab of pink paint into the chalk paint mixture.  I was going for a pale, vintage look.  By this time it was dark outside so I was doing everything by the light of the back patio.  (And I forgot to take pictures.)  I painted two coats of the now pink paint over the letters and then pulled off the vinyl with tweezers as the paint was still wet.  I then let it dry over night.

 The next morning (day of the event) I realized that the pink was too light and that there wasn't much of a contrast with the white letters.  I also wished I would have chosen a different font for the letters.  There wasn't time to change it so I brought it as is.  (I was a little disappointed--all that work and you could barely read the names.)

 I saturated the color in this photo so the names would be visible.  This is more of the pink shade I had envisioned.

 So here again is the before--a disassembled brown crib.

And the after--a faded looking (well, I DID want a worn, vintage vibe) event sign.

As for my homemade chalk paint, I think it was okay.   I do plan on trying it again.  Somehow I missed the "amazingness"  that others find with this paint.  I want to be excited about it and not merely luke warm.  For my personal concoction, I would only use it on pieces that I wanted to heavily distress for it did require thorough sanding.

So what about you?  Any experience with the commercial brand of chalk paint or a favored homemade recipe?  Love it?  Hate it?  Do tell...

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