In my 20 years of painting furniture and decor with
chalk paint
and every chalk, mineral and natural based paint to gain that look, believe me when I say that I have tried them all! From the most expensive to the least, and you all know I'm a very thrifty gal who likes the luxury look! So, of course when I saw the HUGE word CHALK on paint bottles overflowing an end isle display at my local Walmart, I had to scratch my head and check it out.
It took me all of 2 seconds to realize that it's another big business attempt to capture the current craze. (Although it's been my craze for 20 years and not ending any time soon!) Unfortunately, most people haven't taken one of my classes or know the difference and know what true "Chalk" paint is, so I felt I had to share. I hate to see anyone spend money thinking a product will do something it won't.
Let me explain.
True Chalk, Mineral and clay based paints that I paint with and that you see used to achieve the rustic, distressed or shabby chic look, do have quite a few ingredient properties that are important and the reason that look is achieved.
It is WATER BASED.
It has ZERO VOC'S - that basically means no smell because it contains no harmful chemicals. All natural ingredients ( and very few of them!)
Chalk, Mineral and Clay based paints are very different from regular paints, purposely so you can achieve the desired look. That said, this means very obviously, they are NOT made from a Latex or
Acrylic paint
.So let's look at the label on the "chalk" available at Walmart and likely other hobby stores.
FolkArt acrylic paints
are wonderful for craft painting and have been around forever. But this is NOT Chalk based paint or anything close. It's basically the same as the difference in Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss and High Gloss in Latex paints, which is what Lowe's / Valspar new "Chalky Look" paint is made with. Ya'll know I just like to keep it real! And I really hate to think of those who don't know and purchase the product expecting to get the same look on furniture pieces and the like as you see me post with Chalk & Mineral based paint.
25 Years ago, Annie Sloan paved the way for women entrepreneurs everywhere by making the decision NOT to have her Chalk Paint sold in Big Box stores. All other Chalk, Mineral and clay based lines have followed her since and you'll only get them through thoroughly trained and qualified stockists. This should make us all proud, as women, and know that you are supporting a woman based small business when you purchase your paint.
As always, educate yourself about products you use and if you're local, I'd love to see you in an upcoming class! Keep a check on my facebook page for types and dates!
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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.
: 
TO CHEMICALS + STORE PRODUCTS
route. 
: Simply fill a spray bottle with White Distilled Vinegar and spray liberally to the desired weeds/area. Be careful not to spray your plants! The acetic acid in vinegar works to kill the leaves on the plant, but not the root. Vinegar will kill back (kill the leaves but not the root) any plant, but works best on younger plants because they do not have enough energy stored in their roots to regrow leaves. If vinegar is applied to more established weeds enough times, the plant will eventually deplete its stored energy reserves and die.
: Will kill plants but CAN make the ground unsuitable for future plants. On a small scale, drop a small pinch of table salt at the base of the undesirable plants. It will kill the plant, but will will be diluted to a harmless level over the next few rainfalls. On a larger scale, you can cover your gravel driveway and nothing will grow there for months.
: – this household staple draws water out and helps to evaporate it quickly. This is another effective thrifty alternative to chemical weed killer that is also non-selective – it will kill any vegetation it comes contact with, so use carefully.
that you will thickly cover with topsoil or mulch, another great tip is to drown them out by not allowing sunlight by laying down cardboard. It breaks down over time so it's eco-friendly and even enriches your soil, but will remain long enough to starve the vegetation underneath. 
, this time with 
, and I finally finished up so I can share with you! 
in Driftwood, which is a soft grey and then I custom mixed Lemonade and Chocolate to get this rich, light tan or beige color for the seat, legs and grain stripe. The grain stripe I decided to go over with their Van Dyke Brown glaze, just to make it pop a little more, and then I also used the glaze on the wood legs. 
