MAKE YOUR OWN CHALK/PLASTER PAINT!

The "plaster paint" revolution has taken over the re-done furniture world but you don't have to spend hundreds in designers paint...

I'm going to let the world know for once and all that chalk-paint is a form of plaster paint and that one can make it for a small fraction of retail cost of "fancy chalk paint" with one cheap and easy to find ingredient...

Plaster Of Paris!!

A $5.00/2 Kg ingredient to customize your very own

Chalk/plaster paint and the best part is...

It works!!
Firstly, let me point out that Chalk Paint is popular because its proven to be extremely easy to work with and very forgiving.. It adheres onto almost any surface with minimal prep work and it has a  very buttery, mat-like finish which is quite appealing for  the DIY-ers looking to create a vintage/distressed look.
 

This is how I make mine:

1. I mix (by eye) water with plaster in small quantities stirring quickly as I pour. You're welcome to do it this way if you're adventurous and daring with your projects for for those preferring guidance, your "ratio" is
**************************************
 EQUAL PARTS water to plaster or Paris.**************************************

2. MIX UNTIL NO CLUMPS ARE VISIBLE.
You must work fast!! .. plaster absorbs water very quickly and you want to dissolve it before that occurs or you'll end up with impossible to breakdown lumps that will stick to your brush and therefore, to your piece...in which case, you can only remove by sanding after it dries... been there, done that! :0)

3. You can add more water or plaster until you achieve the right amount or consistency, whcih for me is bassically.. pudding like...mmmmm pudding!

4. Mix it to a "pudding-like" consistency or until the mixture  seats on one side of your container without pulling back too fast.

5. This is where you add your color shades. I use paint samples or dollar store craft paint because I needed only a little bit of color on my mixture, I didn't want  to  paint my dresser in  plain white so I used a shade of beige and a shade of grey to bring the white to a warmer level.

6. Last, but not least, I calculated the amount of paint I was going to need for the whole project ( always make more than you think) and  I proceeded to mixing my plaster mixture with my white acrylic wall paint.

 

7. For my Furniture projects and for my first coat specially, I used cheap, hard bristles brush.

I bought mine from Walmart for only $2.00.

These brushes can endure the roughness of having to get into all crevices and corners without breaking, but for the last coat I like to use the softer, more expensive kind to avoid lines and brush marks.

And there you go!

That's all it takes to make your very own chalk/plaster paint.

Have fun with it and I hope you enjoyed this posting, please leave me a comment!!

Next, I'll be posting some of the pieces I worked in using my plaster paint, check it out!