Tutorial: Chalk Paint

Chalk paint covers beautifully, can be used on most surfaces without sanding or priming, and dries (and can be recoated) in 30 minutes.

Hello, Dear Readers!
When I first heard about chalk paint, I didn’t really understand what made it different than regular paint. I tried it and discovered what all the hype was about!

My favorite brand is Dixie Belle. They have a full line of products from paint to topcoats and primers. They also sell waxes, stains, brushes and other products. The drawback: you can only get it at one of their authorized retailers (which may not be super close to you) or on their website (and their shipping takes about a week). So if I want to do a project NOW I’ll buy another brand at a hardware store closer to my house.

Why I like chalk paint:

• I can mix a custom color myself using existing chalk paint colors

• It can be thinned and used in an airless or other power sprayer with a custom color (or one of the hundreds of colors it comes in)

• Colors can be blended to create hombre or shaded looks

• It dries and can be recoated in just 30 minutes so I can finish a project in one day

• Chalk paint is self-leveling which means fewer, if any, brush strokes once dry.

• Spot-touchups blend right in. With latex and other types of paints, you can often see where you did those spot fixes.

• There’s no need to prime most surfaces, saves time and money (see below for the exception to this rule)

• I get to choose the finish (how shiny my final project is) and it can be different with every project using the same jar of paint, depending on the topcoat I use (or don’t use!).

Mister…or is it a Mrs?

A mister diffuses water gently, vs the larger droplets from spray bottles. This allows more control of how much and where the water goes.

Difficulty Level:
Easy

Materials:
Chalk paint, any brand
Mister or spray bottle
Foam or bristle brush

As I mentioned above, chalk paint can be used in a power sprayer. This post will teach you about applying it with a brush.

Step One:

For any paint to stick, your project must be free of dirt and grease before you paint. Use soap and water or Dixie Belle White Lightning (White Lightning is Dixie Belle’s cleaning formula. It contains TSP which is also a degreaser. ). Rinse with plain water. Let it dry.

Step Two:

Most projects will not need a primer with chalk paint; see below for exceptions to this rule.

Paint! Mist or spray the brush and the surface with water, and repeat as you go. This ensures a smooth application with minimal brush strokes and makes the paint dry a little more slowly, giving you time to work the paint into all the crevices.

I used Dixie Belle chalk paint in buttercream on these candle holders.

So many crevices.

Step Three:

Gently sand with 320 grit sandpaper to even out the surface. Chalk paint is self leveling so it definitely shows fewer brush strokes than latex paint, but there still may be some. And it dries to a chalky finish that doesn’t feel great when you run your hand over it. Sanding will give it that super smooth feel!

Learn more about sandpaper here!

This may be your last step if one coat gave you the coverage you were looking for. If it needs another coat, now is the time! Repeat the sanding and recoating until you’re happy with the coverage.

Optional Step Four:

You may want to add a topcoat for shine and/or protection. In my Top Five Topcoats Tutorial I share all the info you need.

Sharing is caring.

Primer:

These candle holders are plastic, so they got two coats of slick stick before 2 coats of Buttercream. Dixie Belle Buttercream paint, not actual buttercream.

If your surface is really shiny—metal, glass, laminate, plastic, or you just aren’t sure—you must use a primer meant to prepare shiny surfaces to make the paint stick. If you don’t use this type of primer on a shiny surface, the paint will come off your finished project—which would be tragic! I’ve tried A LOT of different types of primers and my favorites are Dixie Belle Slick Stick, and Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3. Both are water-based which means cleanup with soap and water and very little odor.
Follow the directions on the primer’s package for how long to let each dry before painting. Typically, it’s two hours between the first two coats of primer, with an overnight dry time after the second coat.

I hope this was helpful!

As always, I’m available to help if you have any questions. Send me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!