Easy DIY Chalk Paint

DIY chalk paint

Here’s an easy DIY chalk paint that you can use if you are ever in a bind or on a tight budget. It uses ingredients most have in their home, and frankly that’s handy because (if you are like me) going store-to-store with kids in tow in search of random supplies just doesn’t have an appealing and ultra-exciting ring to it. And if it does….hmm. (My mom always taught me that if I can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all. 🙂 )

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I don’t have a lot of experience yet with chalk paint, but what I do know is that it has a nice matte finish and distresses easily if you want an aged look. I really wanted this look for some frames I was going to use to display our baby girl’s name in her nursery. (Look for my next post on these easy but oh so adorable frames.) So the hunt began for an easy, cheap, and convenient DIY chalk paint.10-sweet-and-oh-so-girly-nursery
There are several recipes I found online. One that uses plaster of Paris; one that uses unsanded grout; and one that uses calcium carbonate. Although these are probably great recipes for chalk paint, all three of them include ingredients that are either hard to find, cost a good penny, or need to be purchased in large amounts. I was a little disappointed at that point. I didn’t have the energy, time, or money to spend on the ingredients included in these recipes for chalk paint. After more searching I happened to see a recipe that used all household ingredients, and I chose to give it a try. I found it here, and altered it just a bit.

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I am really glad I gave it a shot because it worked great for this project. I love when cheap and easy can still lead to beautiful, quality results.

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*Now note that I am not sure how this would turn out on a piece of furniture or something that is used often, but for these frames that were going up on a wall, durability wasn’t as much of a concern. However, the original blogger has used this on furniture and says it works great and that the paint goes on smoother than other recipes she has tried! She has some examples of furniture she has painted.

DIY Chalk Paint

  • 3/4 TBS corn starch
  • 1/16 cup water
  • 1 bottle (2 fl. oz) acrylic paint (latex can also be used, I believe)
    *recipe altered from Crystelle Boutique

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This DIY chalk paint gave a nice coverage and sanded off so easily. Perfect for the matte, aged look I was going for.

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Give it a try and let us know how it worked for you!

8 thoughts on “Easy DIY Chalk Paint”

  1. I’ve been looking for this…..I have quite a bit of craft paint and have been wanting to try chalk paint. This is a perfect post for us that want to try it out. Thank you so much!

  2. I love this! I have the perfect project to use this on. I have a large orange picture frame. I’ve been wanting to paint it, so this paint is it! I’m planning on putting either some kind of string across it with mini clothes pins and put pictures, or cards or whatever on it. My DIL has one in her house that I loved.

  3. Your explanation for finding a simpler solution is right on point! I’m working with glass on my latest project and I know that chalk paint works best for the base color on glass, but I live 12 miles from the city and I’m not sure I could find the right color in chalk paint in our city anyway, so I’m going to try this! Thanks for the information and for relaying it in layman’s terms! It helps me move along with minimal problems. I’ll be back to check out other projects you work on!

  4. Thanks! I’m sure this will work better than the impromptu diy chalk paint I made with crushed chalk in paint lol! That didn’t work so well!

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