July 19, 2012

A Homemade Chalk Recipe To Try

home made chalk paint

A dark color mirrored screen in my dining room seemed to be
calling out for a lighter, brighter color for Summer.
I have loved the turquoise furniture that I have been seeing
on Pinterest lately and wanted to give the screen that shot of color.
Here is a photo from this past Spring where the screen is in the background.

I have used and enjoyed painting with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
but I don't have a dealer in my town.  I have seen other
 DIYchalk paints on Pinterest with various ingredients but I
didn't have all of those on hand when I got "the bug" to paint
the screen a happier color.  What I did have was some left over
wall texture powder and some latex paints.  The wall texture
powder looked like plaster of paris and the main ingredient was
calcium carbonate (both of which some people use for chalk paint).

The "recipe" I found that worked well for me was:
1 ounce of latex or acylic paint
1 heaping tablespoon of powdered wall texture
1 tablespoon of water

I mixed the paint and powder together first. 
 When it started getting too thick to blend anymore,
I added the water.

Try to smash any lumps of the powder up.  You can
 adjust the amounts of ingredients if needed.
  Some folks like a thicker or thinner paint.

If you are painting a larger piece, use the same proportions
but just mix up a bigger batch of the home made chalk paint.

This screen has been painted several times in the past.
All I did to prep the screen for this painting was to dust
it well and tape off the mirrors with Frog Tape.

The 8 oz. flat latex Valspar paint samples are available
 at Lowe's for only $3 each.  They have good colors pre-mixed.
I like all of the blue/green color samples but wanted
the overall look to be more on the turquoise side so
the light green was painted on for the first coat. 
 I am on a layered color technique kick right now. 
  You could paint a project in one color with this paint mix.

The second color painted on in blotches was the light blue.
It was also mixed with the wall texture and water.

At Haven, I was able to purchase a "Miss Mustard Seed" t-shirt
from her...she only brought a few.  She said that she used to sell
them in her space at Luckett's and may have them re-printed.
Just having Marion's t-shirt on made it more fun painting.

The Valspar turquoise was pretty...

...but I wanted it MORE turquoise so I also used the "recipe"
with craft paint in the same ratio of paint/wall texture/water.
The craft paint color was called "Bahama".  Using craft paint
 opens up a big range of colors that can be made into chalk paint.

After sanding the screen to blend the colors together,
I rubbed on a coat of clear Johnson's paste wax (at most stores).




                 The paint dried pretty quickly after each coat
and seems to stick well. Its does sand pretty easily but 
I was in a hurry to finish this screen and had to
 change from the 120 grit sandpaper to 60 grit
to get quicker results due to the paint's good adhesion. 
  The wall texture does have a small amount
of mica in it so don't sand a large piece of furniture in a
small area (or if you do, wear a mask to limit inhalation).


I was happy with the blend of colors that emerged.
The screen now reflects the "cousin color" that was
painted in the hutch portion of newly painted chest
that is also in the dining room.



The mirrored screen also reflects the new cream
colored chandy and table center piece.




I tried this same paint "recipe" on another small project
(faux lobster trap floats) and was pleased with the results.
                                                                                                                                                                        
If you try this homemade chalk mix, attempt it on a small scale
at first to see if it works for you and/or if you need to
"tweak" the "recipe" to get the look you want to achieve .

Just FYI:
I did not have to sand or prime my piece to make the
paint mix adhere but a slick surface might require that.

I only mixed the amount of paint at a time that I could
 use within the hour. If the paint started to get too thick
I would just add a little more water and mix it in.
I don't think this mix could
 be pre-made and saved for future use.

          The wall texture can be found in the sheetrock section
 of home improvement stores. The box I have was $14 for a
15 pound box...maybe they make a smaller box now.

                                                               I am sharing this post at 
Anything Blue @ The Dedicated House

30 comments

  1. It looks GREAT- Love the color and I think the final coat is what really gave it the WOW factor. You did a nice job with figuring out the homemade chalk paint recipe- xo Diana

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  2. Love this! I have an old table that I would deary love to use the ASCP on, but no dealer exists anywhere near! I'd love to try this! Thanks for sharing!
    Nancy

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  3. Your screen looks terrific and the color is wonderful! Thank you for sharing your tips at Potpourri Friday!

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  4. Wow! Wow! You go girl. This is amazingly beautiful. I love that you found a recipe that anyone can create with standard paints and products. The end result is stunning.

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  5. How ingenious of you to make up your own concoction and work those colors out with layers. The effect is spectacular, and your room looks much more inviting with the sweet color in there. Thanks for the how to for making our own paint!
    Liz

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  6. the color is sooo beautiful ` you did an amazing job.

    I am now following you.

    Michele
    Pearl 13.1

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  7. The color came out soooo PRETTY...so now you have one stunning screen.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  8. Love this--it looks like real chalk paint. TFS!

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  9. Hi I am in Australia and we don't have the ASCP out here yet but I have been making my own mixture similar to yours for a while know and love it! Your screen turned out fantastic! I am going to have a shot at doing some stuff with the craft paints and the mixture as I hadn't considered using them!!

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  10. So beautiful...I have yet to try chalk paint but it's on my list for sure....such a fantastic piece, thanks for sharing!

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  11. Your screen came out wonderful! I love the color and distressing. I've made my own chalk paint w/ unsanded grout and have had great results. I never thought to use craft paint, but that is a fantastic idea that I will have to try. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Angela

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  12. Wow, the screen looks so nice now! Love your chalkpaint treatment!

    Tania

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  13. You always have such great ideas! This is a beautiful color! I really love your blog! Thanks for sharing!

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  14. You have inspired me to create my own chalk paint!!!!! I am so glad I found your blog!

    Drop by sometime if you have a minute

    Brooke

    http://startathome.blogspot.com

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  15. Thanks for the recipe! The mirrors look to DYE for!!!

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  16. What a clever girl you are! Great job.

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  17. Love the way your screen turned out! Can't wait to try your recipe on some pieces that I have - thanks for sharing! I found your blog through Funky Junk Interiors link party and am now a follower. Looking forward to reading more posts and learning more! Feel free to drop by and visit me at pinkcherubmoon.blogspot.com. Hugs, Leena

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  18. Beautifully done! Love the layering of the colors and mostly gotta love the t-shirt:)

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  19. LOVE your screen - it turned out great! I don't use a lot of chalk paint so having a recipe that will allow me to make small amounts is great when I only need a little bit.

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  20. Your color is wonderful! Love the screen. I've mixed up chalk paint using unsanded grout, and also using plaster of paris. I like the texture of the plaster of paris best. It doesn't harden quite as quickly.

    You did a fabulous job on your screen!

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  21. Miss Kitty ~ You do the coolest stuff!!

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  22. Oh my gosh, I love it. Such a fun pop of color!
    Love, love your dining room.
    Katie

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  23. Wonderful result on the mirrored screen. Love the color. I've also used acrylic paints to get the color I wanted.
    I do so appreciate your wonderful tutorials and excellent info. It helps to know somebody else has tried things. When I can I'm going to see if I can buy a smaller container of the wall texture. I went to a few places looking for calcium carbonate but nobody knew what I was looking for, they'd never heard of it. Sounds like the wall texture might be the best. It's so interesting to find out so much about such a simple recipe. I've read several different recipes but it's nice to know what to buy that really works if you're on a very tight budget. Happy weekend

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  24. Oh love this! I'm such a freak for anything turquoise/aqua/teal...

    Where did you get that screen? I want one!!!!!

    Pls let me know.

    Cheers!

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  25. It's absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing this at the Anything Blue Friday party at The Dedicated House. Hope to see you again at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  26. Just a tip...I think valspar paint has primer in it and I tried to make chalk paint with a paint with primer in it once and it gets thick fast almost immediately and is hard to keep it thinned out, but if you use regular paint it doesn't get thick and can be stored for a long time without getting thick...I use plaster of paris...I did the recipe with non sanded grout and it does not store well it thickens too fast...I love chalk paint...a great tip also is to mix your plaster of Paris with really hot water to dissolve it first then add it to your paint and your paint will be alot less gritty!!! Hope this helps someone!!

    Recipe
    1 cup paint
    1/2 cup plaster of Paris
    1/2 to 3/4 cup very hot water depending on how thick your paint is

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  27. Love the topic of chalky paints, I have tried my hand at it a couple of times myself, your work is way better than mine.

    http://thestuccoguy.com

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