CHALK PAINT TIPS & TRICKS FOR BEGINNERS

Chalk Paint Tips & Tricks for Beginners

I've been teaching paint classes for quite a while now and pass out a FAQ sheet that includes tips & tricks that everyone seems to love so that they can reference once they are home and working on their own. It can be hard to remember some of the little things if you are a beginner! I thought I'd share them here on the blog as well.

Painting with chalk, mineral and clay based paints is extremely different than latex, acrylic and other paints - if you've taken my class or tried on your own, you know!

My tips tend to come to me as I'm working or as questions get asked in my classes, so I'll add to this list as they arise!

Order of steps:
Paint
Sand
Wax

Remember that you are not loading up a brush and putting on a thick layer of paint as most do with latex. Start with smaller amounts and push your paint into the piece, spreading until there is no more left to spread. I think of it like the natural ingredients of the paint are actually becoming a part of the piece. Start with less and then go back and touch up where you need. Thick layers are not needed!

Use only Natural Bristle Brushes – Chip Brushes (cheap ones as used in class), Chalk Paint Pro or other branded specialty brushes & Artist brushes

Chalk Paint will be dry within 2 hours for you to sand & wax. It will be completely cured within 24 hours. Buffing 24 hours after waxing will give you more of a shine. The more you buff, the more shine.

Most brush strokes and mistakes will disappear once you sand. Brush strokes will give you more texture, especially if glazing or using dark wax, to give the time worn or aged look.

While you don’t need to sand or prime before you paint, you should clean and then allow to dry. Wipe an item down with low odor mineral spirits if very dirty.

Always pour your paint into a small bowl or other item to paint. NEVER dip directly into your original container as you transfer any dirt and bacteria from your piece that will then grow once you close your lid and spoil your paint.

Use SHELLAC (spray) before painting a piece that is mahogany or red wood to avoid color bleed. You can also use to seal out any stains that may come back up after painting. This is especially true if painting with the lighter colors.

Shellac is also a great way to get rid of the mildew or old smell in furniture. Spray thoroughly and then wait 24 hours before you paint.

Using Dark Wax is scary to most, but remember that it is easily wiped off with clear wax. Dark wax produces the aged patina and texture but you must ALWAYS clear wax before you apply the dark wax with exception only to darker colors. Otherwise, the dark wax will just change the color of your paint.

Wax can be completely removed from a piece by wiping off with TSP or Mineral Spirits. Or you can just paint over it! (With Chalk Paint only, of course!)

You can use
Polyurethane OVER wax, but you CANNOT use wax over poly, as it has nothing to adhere to.

If painting a piece that will be outside exposed to weather elements, you can leave as is if you want to allow more natural distressing or seal it with poly.
Furniture Wax melts in the heat of the sun and is not recommended.

If your finished piece (after waxing) looks "tacky" you have most likely used too much wax. Remember that a little goes a long way. One coat, allow 24 hours and then buff to desired shine(or not).

Most of all just paint and have fun! You will develop your own style the more you paint!



P.S. Don't miss another Thrifty Little Thing! Get them directly to your Inbox by subscribing to our FREE newsletter HERE

P.S.S. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to SHARE & Follow on Facebook and Twitter, plus PIN IT on Pinterest!

ThriftyLittleThings.com is a personal blog written and edited by Wendy Kohn. The majority of what I post is based on my own ideas, thoughts and projects, for the sole purpose of sharing my passion. However, as a full time Blogger, there are times that I do selectively accept various forms of compensations such as cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions and/or products and other forms of compensation and incentives from companies and organizations that I feel compliment the blog, and offer value to my readers. Compensation will never influence the content or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. As the owner of this blog, I am sometimes compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I may receive compensation for posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own and will NEVER be influenced by any form of compensation.