Best Homemade Chalk Paint

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Do you love chalk paint but find it too expensive? I have the perfect solution for you! This is the best homemade chalk paint. It is so incredibly easy to make your own chalk paint. This recipe will take minutes to make and you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with commercial chalk paints again!

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I love using chalk paint! No sanding, smooth even coverage, using less paint. Seriously what’s not to love about chalk paint?!

The price. That’s what’s not to love!

I found a chalk paint recipe using calcium carbonate from In My Own Style. I’ve used her chalk paint recipe many times to make my own, but I find it slightly too watery. So I altered it slightly.

Best Homemade Chalk Paint Recipe

• 1 Tablespoon water
• 5 teaspoons calcium carbonate
• 4 oz. bottle of craft paint (or two 2oz bottles)

You honestly don’t have to add the water at all. I’ve tried it with and without water, and with slightly more calcium carbonate. It’s really hard to mess up this recipe!

But I feel like this is the sweet spot, it’s not too watery so you have paint drips everywhere, and it’s not too thick that you can’t push the paint around. It’s also not gritty.

Why is this the best chalk paint recipe?

I find the paints the use baking soda or plaster of paris too gritty. So this is my sweet spot. The 4 oz bottle of craft paint is the perfect size to cover a small project too, like a side table or night stand.

Calcium carbonate can be ordered online, comes in a big bag for fairly cheap, and then you can easily store it to make your own chalk paint on demand! What’s not to love.

Making it this way also allows you to create legitimately any color, and to use multiple colors throughout your home. I can’t tell you how many half used quarts of chalk paint I have in my garage because I don’t always want to keep using the same colors.

Easily half or double the recipe too!

If you are doing a super small project, like a kitchen chair, you can even half the recipe. Or if you need more paint, it’s really easy to double, or even triple as well!

Don’t Forget to Seal Your Piece!

Don’t forget to seal your piece when using any chalk paint. I prefer polyurethane because it provides a hard durable finish and it is easy to paint over.

I change my mind pretty frequently, so I don’t wax furniture anymore. When repainting, the wax has to be removed first. Also, I like the glossy finish that a poly gives.

Water based polyurethane doesn’t yellow like oil based does, so I can confidently use it on white pieces without worrying about it changing the color. But whatever you prefer, be sure to seal your piece so that you can use it for years to come!

Is the best homemade chalk paint better than store bought chalk paint?

It depends. I think it’s just as good as or better than any of the chalk paint that you can buy at Michaels. I do like Annie Sloan chalk paint, but I don’t like the price or the limited color selection. Honestly, I haven’t used regular chalk paint in years since starting to use this recipe.

I like to use lots of different colors, so buying a quart of chalk paint just doesn’t make sense for me. It’s such an inexpensive paint, try it out and see what you think!