My DIY Chalk Paint (Improved 3x)

Original post dated 4-10-2019. For a little less than $4.00 per batch, my home-made paint is ALMOST as good as $30.00 name brand chalk paint. Here’s how to make chalk paint as smooth and robust as the expensive pre-mixed boutique brands.

Update 10-28-2020 – slightly increased the amount of Floetrol, decreased the amount of water and added paint extender. These changes resulted in a much smoother less gritty feeling chalk paint product with slightly longer open time.

Update: 7-4-2021: The pandemic plus the big storm and power outage earlier this year in Texas is causing serious shortages in many things include paint ingredients. This is resulting in increased prices of General Finishes product and a lack of general paint supply.

Update 4-17-2023 – removed the paint extender completely. This change had little affect on the wet edge or open time but was found to be the culprit of unsatisfactory paint storage longevity. The paint became horribly gritty after about 6 months in storage. Somehow the extender may have chemically reacted to the Plaster of Paris to harden crystallize it. Well, that’s my story.

KellaChic Chalk Paint Recipe:

• About 1 1/2 cup latex acrylic paint (satin is preferred but flat and semi gloss can work). Sherwin Williams in the best.
• 3 (not heaping) teaspoons Plaster of Paris
• 2 teaspoons of water
• 3 teaspoons Floetrol (found at hardware stores)

Mixing Instructions:

1. Place the teaspoon of water and paint extender in a small container or jar.
2. Add the Plaster of Paris.
3. Mix thoroughly to dissolve the plaster powder.
4. Add and mix the Floetrol. It helps to maintain body.
5. In a separate jar pour the latex paint then add the plaster of paris, water and Floetrol mixture.
6. Tighten the top on the jar and shake thoroughly to mix well.

WARNING! ALWAYS USE OIL BASE PRIMER OR SHELLAC BEFORE PAINTING! Without it, you risk pesky stain bleed through more often. This is because latex behaves differently than the acrylic base that professional chalk paint manufacturers use. So, oil base or shellac primer coat is required for each project! I learned this the hard way and believe it a small price to pay for the large savings and the result is a robust makeover job.

*Paint Brand Matters*

The Sherwin Williams ‘test’ paint quarts are perfect for making DIY chalk paint. During the pandemic they became unavailable – for more than a year!! So, I turned to ACE brand Royal quarts. It’s possible that the dark color (lots of added pigment) is the culprit but . . . the paint is runny and thin even after adding extra plaster of paris. Using, it felt latexy, kind of rubbery not chalky. Peeling and low adhesion is why straight up latex paint is not recommended for furniture so I’m a little concerned about this batch.