Thanks to chalk paint, furniture and objects can be decorated and updated without the need to sand or apply prior primer (you can see some examples at this link). On the net there are different formulas to make chalk paint, although these days I have been trying 4 homemade chalk paint recipes in order to evaluate the results of each of them. Keep reading if you want to know which one I liked the most.
It’s been over a year since I made my first recipe for homemade chalk paint (you can see the step by step in this link), with this recipe I have painted several pieces of furniture and I have obtained a satisfactory result although I have found a couple of inconveniences:
- When using white glue as a binder, the paint cannot be stored for many days as lumps form and it dries up.
- The covering power is not very high so it is necessary to give several layers (4 or 5) to obtain a good result.
For these reasons I have encouraged myself to try other homemade chalk paint recipes, in order to find a formula that would improve the only one I had tried so far.
How to make homemade chalk paint
Before getting into the matter, I would like to comment on a series of common considerations for the 4 homemade chalk paint recipes I’ve tried:
- I have used vinyl plastic latex instead of white glue as a binder, since in this way the resulting paint is preserved for weeks. Another option is to use latex paint to paint walls, although its price is higher (plastic latex has a price of 3 or 4 euros per kilo).
- All recipes have 25 grams of titanium dioxide or titanium white powder as pigment.
- To mix the ingredients well I have used a stick blender. You can easily remove the paint from the rods with water and dishwasher as long as it is done immediately.
- In the recipes I do not indicate the amounts of water because it will depend on how thick the paint is. For example, more water will always be needed if we use a powder pigment than a liquid colorant or if latex paint is used for walls. The important is that add as little water as possible as the more watery the paint, the less covering power it will have, the ideal is to achieve a thickness similar to plastic latex,
- I have made the different samples of painting by painting with a brush on a melamine board without sanding or applying previous primer.
- All paintings have a drying time about 30/45 minutes.
- I have tried to reflect in the photos the different textures but they are not appreciated too much, so I will try to detail them as much as possible.
In the following video, you can see how to make homemade chalk paint step by step:
Once the above considerations have been made, I will detail the 4 homemade chalk paint recipes that I have tried.
1º.- Homemade chalk paint with baking soda
For the recipe homemade chalk paint with baking soda We will need the following ingredients:
- 2/3 parts vinyl plastic latex (or latex wall paint)
- 1/3 part baking soda
- Pigment and water (omit pigment if using latex wall paint)
All the ingredients have to be beaten and add water only in case the paint is very thick.
Analysis
- Cost: Baking soda is very cheap and can be easily found in supermarkets.
- Texture and finish: its appearance is matte but its texture is grainy and lumpy, it is necessary to sand to flatten the surface once dry.
- Adhesion and Coverage: Very good adhesion and full coverage after applying 3 coats of paint.
- Applications: due to the sanding, I would not use it to paint a piece of furniture, although it is interesting to create textures and effects in certain parts of it or for a sand effect in glass bottles, for example.
2º.- Homemade chalk paint with cornstarch
For the recipe homemade chalk paint with cornstarch We will need the following ingredients:
- 2/3 parts vinyl plastic latex (or latex wall paint)
- 1/3 part corn starch (Maizena is one of the best known commercial brands)
- Pigment and water (omit pigment if using latex wall paint)
All the ingredients must be beaten except for the water, which will be added little by little to achieve the desired paint texture.
Analysis
- Cost: Cornstarch is quite inexpensive and can be easily found in supermarkets.
- Texture and finish: its appearance is matte and its texture reveals the brushstrokes, so it should be sanded after drying.
- Adhesion and Coverage: Good adhesion and almost full coverage after applying 2 coats of paint.
- Applications: although its final appearance is not bad, it has not convinced me too much, so I do not think I will use this recipe to paint furniture, although it may be interesting to paint smaller objects or apply as a previous primer.
3º.- Homemade chalk paint with calcium carbonate
For the recipe homemade chalk paint with calcium carbonate We will need the following ingredients:
- 2 parts vinyl plastic latex (or latex wall paint)
- 1 part calcium carbonate
- Pigment and water (omit pigment if using latex wall paint)
Like the previous recipes, all the ingredients must be mixed except for the water, which will be added little by little to achieve the desired paint texture.
Analysis
- Cost: the price of a kilo of calcium carbonate is around 4 or 5 euros and can be found in pharmacies and in establishments that sell chemical products.
- Texture and finish: its appearance is matte and its texture is uniform, very similar to commercial chalk paint.
- Adhesion and Coverage: Very good adhesion and full coverage after applying 2 coats of paint.
- Applications: its finish is very matte and smooth, without a doubt It is the one that I liked the most of the 4 recipes that I have tried as it closely resembles commercial chalk paint. It does not need sanding once it has dried, so I find it very suitable for painting furniture and other types of objects.
4º.- Homemade chalk painting with plaster
For the recipe homemade chalk paint with plaster We will need the following ingredients:
- 3 parts vinyl plastic latex (or latex wall paint)
- 1 part plaster
- Pigment and water (omit pigment if using latex wall paint)
Mix all the ingredients and add water until you get the desired paint texture.
Analysis
- Cost: Plaster is very inexpensive and can be easily found in DIY stores.
- Texture and finish: its appearance is matte and its texture is quite uniform.
- Adhesion and Coverage: Very good adhesion and full coverage after applying 2 coats of paint.
- Applications: its finish is matte and smooth, although less so than in the previous recipe, brush strokes are slightly noticeable. I quite liked this recipe and in fact it is very similar to the one I had used up to now, although it has the drawback that the plaster dries out the paint and cannot be kept for many weeks, although it can be “freshened” with a little of water. When writing about it, it is the one that has given me the best result, so it is the one I would use if I wanted to write on it with chalk.
I hope that my conclusions about these have been of help to you. 4 homemade chalk paint recipes that I have been testing. They are not the only ones that exist but they are the most popular among fans of painting with chalk paint or homemade chalk paint. Have you tried any of them? Do you have a favorite homemade chalk paint recipe? I already know which one is mine.
You can find more DIY and decoration tricks at Thank you very much for commenting and sharing!
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