I have been dying to try the Ann Sloan chalk paint that everyone is talking about. It’s supposed to be a great product for painting the distressed, french-inspired furniture I love. It’s also suppose to work without sanding or priming, which intrigues me the most since I dislike both these steps.

The downside is that this paint is expensive. After shipping and taxes it would cost me well over $50 for a small amount of paint. That is not in my budget. After a little research, I decided to make my own chalk paint, and I’m really thrilled with the outcome.

I started out with this piece I found at Goodwill to experiment with. It had a nice, shiny coat on it that would normally HAVE to be sanded and primed, unless I wanted paint to chip off every time I touched it.

Then:

I use valspar samples from Lowes. You can choose any color. It will come in a satin finish, and will cost about $2.50. It makes for a little less than a cup of paint.

You can find this at any home improvement store in the tile section, and it is relatively inexpensive.

The finished product after ONE coat and some minor touch ups:

No sanding. No Priming. One (and a half) coats. I am obsessed. It doesn’t come out smooth like normal latex paint, however. It is important to keep in mind that this is a textured paint.

I am going to let it dry and cure for a few days before I start distressing it. This is not the finished product, more like the “in progress” step in the project. I have something else planned for it that I will create a tutorial for later on this week.

If you try this out on your own, let me know how you like it!

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Tags: CHALK PAINT, DIY Tutorials, PAINTED FURNITURE