What I use Chalk Paint for...

Painting used furniture seeped into my blood

when I was about 10 years old:

my mother gave me her old red plastic kitchen clock.

I didn't like red.
I dreamed of a pink and blue bedroom.

So I painted the clock blue and pink.

Of course, paint doesn't stick well to plastic,

but the way the clock had been transformed sealed my desire.

So began my journey to understand paints...

and I'm still traveling.

Recently, I met chalk paint.

I know I've discussed chalk paint a bit much lately,

but since I've gotten a lot of questions,

I'm going to break down what I don't use it for,

since it seems it can be used on nearly any surface.


I don't use it for:

1. Raw wood

(like my base kitchen cabinets were.)

Why waste the money when regular paint adheres well to raw wood?

2. Latex painted things (that have not been polyerthaned):

if regular paint will adhere to an object, why waste the chalk paint?

For example, Violet's desk.

The base looked like a flat paint,

so I just used latex right over it.

However, I did use chalk paint on the top.

 I used two coats of Old White Chalk Paint

because I could see it had some kind of sealant on it.

However, chalk paint is great on painted surfaces as well,

if you have a reason you don't want to use latex.

For example,

I painted my top kitchen cupboards with chalk paint

for two reasons:

1.  I didn't have to remove them from the cupboards

to sand them or prime them.
(because they do get a lot of use, they could chip or peel
if I just used latex over the paint on them:
I've fount this out on some of my window sills).

  I just washed them off and then painted them
with Old White Chalk Paint,

right where they were.

2. Chalk paint doesn't have any smell.

If I were to use a sealer on these cupboards first,

the sealer has a strong odor.

Oil paint's fumes are just wrong.

So painting the top cupboards was super easy.

When they were done, I just waxed and buffed them three times

(when I got time, which is nice about having them hanging there

not waiting to get put back on),

using some rugger brown during one of the applications to give them an older look.

The wax does have an odor, 

but minimal compared to polyerthane!

And I aways have drip marks when I use polyerthane,

so I love using wax now that I have discovered it

(thank you, Miss Mustardseed!)

For brushes, I use what I feel comfortable with:

these inexpensive chip brushes.
  I get mine at Walmart or Home Depot.

They are about $1 each...

 ...and as you can see, I reuse them.

I bought a Purdy brush because I heard they were the best,

but I had a hard time painting with it:

felt like I couldn't control those long soft bristles.

So I went back to chip brushes.

A word of advice:

before using a chip brush the first time,

pull the bristles firmly about 15 times as there are a lot of loose bristles

in these cheap brushes.

  They are not pretty when they come out and stick in the freshly painted surface

and picking them out while the brush is loaded with paint

is maddening.

I use a well-used chip brush to apply the wax.

I usually just set it aside, let it dry, and when I need it again,

I use my gloved hand to squish and manipulate the hardened bristles

to make it pliable, and use it.

When it gets too gummed up,

I throw it away.

As far as what I hope to try it out on next,

here are some projects that are awaiting chalk paint:

This fun old table from my mom,

the bathroom medicine cabinet,

.

this cupboard up in our bedroom,

as well as this one,

I'm still debating how I will paint them,

but so far, I love this look:

Picture from kmldesign

as well as this:

Picture from kmldesign

and this:

Picture from Vaughan Antiques


Oh, my love of green!

I plan to use chalk paint on

this brass piece surrounding the deceased fireplace.

And I am looking forward to re-doing the girls' floor

as it wasn't done correctly when we moved in,

so it's a scratched up mess.

Here is Violet's choice of a painted floor:

Sunny's Goodtime Paints

although now she says she wants

pink floor with turquoise designs.

Hmm, pink and blue, brings me back to my painting roots:
...must be an inherited childhood gene.

In my last discussion of chalk paint,

coming up next week,

I will show you how far a can of chalk paint will go.
And then I'll cool it with the chalk paint talk...
or at least I'll try.



(If you are interested in finding a stockist of chalk paint,
I purchased mine from Tammy at >Periwinkle Pass<.
If you click on it, it will take you there
where she also has a good display of the colors.
She is also carrying the new true white
that is "whiter" than the Old White.
When I ordered through her, she sent it to me promptly,
and I found her shipping price was better than some.
The paint is $35 per qt, but I find it really goes far.)



I order my wax from John Millen Hardware.com
and there is an EXCELLENT explaination of its use
on the >Miss Mustard Seed< blog.
You REALLY want to use the wax
otherwise the paint looks like flat paint.

 
>HERE IS THE LINK<
to Miss Mustardseed's introduction on chalk paint
where she lists several other stockists.


(I am not being paid anything for all this advertising I'm doing,
just trying to be helpful.

Someday soon though, I hope!)

Linking up to:
Shades of Amber