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6/26/12

Chalk Paint

I've had this antique armoire for about 20 years, six of it was spent at my daughters house. I had removed several layers of paint years and years ago and then just stopped working on it... It is a great storage cabinet, it once had a bar to hang clothing on, but it now has shelves~ Anywho....
I decided to take the plunge into chalk paint.... *gasp* I know I'm the last hold out! I could have easily purchased chalk paint at a store close by, but seeing how I am a big time "do it yourself-er" I googled "chalk paint recipe" and made my own.
It is very easy peasy.... 2/3 paint to 1/3 plaster of paris. You need to mix the plaster of paris with water before mixing it into the paint your going to be using. If not, you'll end up with paint that has big chunks of unmixed plaster of paris. I mixed up the plaster in a bowl with a fork, adding more water than I normally would for straight plaster of paris... it still had a few lumps, so I just stuck my hand in the mixture and smooshed them apart then just poured it into my paint can. Then I just mixed until the plaster of paris had dissolved into the pink paint.... it didn't take long. Here is the after photo of my antique armoire painted with my chalk paint..... If you were to rub your hand across the painted surface it would feel like tempra paint..... dry.
Here is my thoughts on chalk paint. Pros: 1.) I really liked how the paint seemed to glide on the surface and not show any brush strokes once it dried. 2.) It did seem to dry super fast.... 3.) It does have an old world look/feel to the paint. 4.) The added plaster of paris is a great way to use small amounts of paint in cans. There is only one "con" that I have come up with so far.... You need to seal the paint with wax or it will get scuffed up. Eh gawd... like I need more things to do. I waxed one side of the armoire and got bored.... I know, I know.... I think for me, I'll stick with semi gloss paint for my furniture. But... I do see myself adding plaster of paris to some of my acrylic paints to extend the paint and add a different patina to painted pieces.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your experience with chalk paint. I've yet to try it myself. I can relate to the do-it-yourself approach.

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  2. Hey you! Thanks for sharing your pros and cons! I haven't gone to the chalk paint side yet...

    Diannia

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  3. Hey there! I'm not quite as skinny as I used to be. Way too hot to walk anymore which helps to keep the weight under control.

    I don't even know if we have chalk paint here. I know that the white paint they normally use in buildings will rub off if you try to clean it. I didn't know that it was paint mixed with plaster of paris. That's pretty cool. I would want just want to paint and be done with it. I admire folks who can go through many different steps to get a piece to look the way they want.

    Have a great weekend. Tammy

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  4. Thanks for your input about the paint. I am probably one of the few who has not tried chalk paint in the land of blog.
    Thanks for stopping by. I just happened to walk out when the sun was shining on the web, otherwise probably would not have known it was there unless I walked into it. Ewww!
    Enjoy your weekend and stay cool!

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  5. I am the last person - still holding out on the chalk paint but love reading your pros and cons. My mind would seriously start to wander too and I'd probably walk away within 5 minutes of waxing!!

    Looks fabulous though - maybe I'll jump on the wagon.
    Kelly

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  6. Pretty.

    Wax the whole thing? way too much work :o)

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  7. I have not tried chalk paint yet. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

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Chaste hugs & air kisses!
~Cheryl