Chalk Paint®

The Chalk Paint® Story

50 Beautiful Chalk Paint® colours to complement every home and style of décor. Chalk Paint® is the versatile furniture paint developed by Annie Sloan in 1990. With no need for sanding or priming, you can simply pop open the tin, roll up your sleeves, dip in your brush and apply paint to furniture. Works on wood, metal, laminate, concrete, indoors, outdoors and beyond. Our range of Chalk Paint® colours are viewable on Annie's website here.

Home decoration using Chalk Paint®

Make-over your grandmother's dresser, or paint and stencil the pots in your garden, to introduce a cost effective statement piece to your home.  Save the planet and the environment with Australian, Annie Sloan’s, high quality Chalk Paint® products and painting tools. Eco-friendly and versatile, get behind the war on waste and upcycle all kinds of furniture, walls and floors, with no preparation or nasty chemicals. Give yourself or someone you love, a modern look for their home, with these quality, no fuss, fast dry Chalk Paint® products.

Chalk Paint® Kits make the perfect gift.

When Australian, Annie Sloan, developed her unique decorative paint, Chalk Paint®, over 30 years ago, she revolutionised the world of decorative painting. Annie created her signature paint with its remarkable versatility and ease of use for everyone from the amateur DIYer to the professional interior designer to enjoy.  When recycling became popular the demand for Chalk Paint® grew worldwide, and Annie promoted her paint for other women to become stockists.  Every stockist all over the world receives education and training to run professional Workshops, to teach skills and knowledge to their customers to produce fabulous results.

Annie Sloan first developed her now famous decorative paint, Chalk Paint®, in 1990. When she started working on it, she wanted to create a decorative paint that was immediate and allowed her to be direct and spontaneous. She had three young boys under 7 at the time, so she had little time to decorate. She wanted a fast turn around paint in the morning, then wax and put it back in position by the afternoon. What's more, she wanted to develop a paint that could go on more or less anything old and new wood, metal, plastic, cement, bricks, etc. all with no priming, no sanding, no preparation needed.

She also wanted the colours to be mixable without becoming dead or muddy indeed, the way she makes colours is not the same as any other paint company. She called her paint Chalk Paint® because of its beautiful velvety, matt finish.

What is Chalk Paint®?

Chalk Paint® is a decorative paint developed by Annie Sloan over 30 years ago. It very rarely requires any preparation, such as sanding or priming, and can be used indoors or outside, on just about any surface. It can revitalise old furniture, walls, ceilings and floors with ease. It's easy, fun and makes amazing results accessible to everyone.

"There's no need for tiresome priming and sanding you can get straight to the fun bit!" - Annie Sloan

With a colour palette inspired by 18th and 20th Century decor and design, you can easily mix the colours together to extend the range. Add a little water to it to make it smooth, thicken it up by leaving the lid off, make it into a wash by adding even more water. Use Annie Sloan Flat Brushes for a smooth look or her Pure Bristle Brushes for a more textured aged look. Apply Annie Sloan Soft Wax to protect your finish and add durability.

 

How to use Chalk Paint®?

As a rough guide, one litre of Chalk Paint® covers approximately 13 square metres, or the equivalent of a small welsh dresser or china hutch.

For most purposes, one to two coats of paint are enough. Chalk Paint® adheres to almost any surface, and there is rarely any need to sand or prime before painting. See ‘Dealing with stains coming through Chalk Paint®’ for when to prime or sand before painting.

To get started, tip the paint pot upside down and then open and stir well. Opening the lid can be tricky and Annie has produced her own tin opener which makes it really easy, and prevents the lid from buckling. If paint is too thick just add a little water and stir. For the best results, we recommend using a good quality paintbrush like the Chalk Paint® Brushes to apply the paint.

Always finish Chalk Paint® with either Chalk Paint® Wax or Lacquer for protection.

You can paint Chalk Paint® straight over Chalk Paint® Wax without removing the prior finish.

USING CHALK PAINT® WAX

Chalk Paint® Wax is the perfect complement for Chalk Paint®. It adds durability, deepens the colours slightly and adds a very light sheen. It’s really easy to get sensational results – just use a Chalk Paint® Wax Brush or lint-free cloth to apply the wax to paint. Remove any excess sitting wax with a lint-free cloth.

Finishing Chalk Paint® with either wax or lacquer is essential; it will seal your finish for years to come and protect from scuffs and water marks.

As a very rough guide, you will need one 500ml tin of wax for every 3-4 litres of paint. This will vary depending on how many coats of paint or wax you use to cover a piece. And it’s always best to have a little wax left over for touching up. With the lid tightly on, it will last indefinitely.

For more information on Chalk Paint® Wax, watch Annie’s instructional video by clicking here.

LETTING CHALK PAINT® WAX CURE

After you’ve applied Chalk Paint® Wax, you’ll find that it will become dry to the touch very quickly. At this stage, it is still what you might call ‘soft’. It will start to harden as the solvents in the wax evaporate. This hardening process is known as ‘curing’. Curing can take between 5 and 21 days depending on ambient temperature.

You can use your finished piece straight away, but you may need to treat it with extra care until the wax has cured completely (you might want to use coasters, avoid sharp objects etc). Once cured, a piece of furniture painted with Chalk Paint® and finished with wax will stand up to normal wear and tear.

Chalk Paint® Wax is food-safe and toy-safe when completely cured. For more information see our Product Information page.

HOW TO CARE FOR A CHALK PAINT® AND WAX FINISH

Generally, wiping lightly with a damp/dry microfibre cloth should be sufficient to clean.

Stubborn marks on waxed pieces can often be removed with a little Clear Chalk Paint® Wax on a cloth, which acts as an eraser. If you choose to use cleaner you will eventually wear away the wax, but if you would prefer to use a mild surface cleaner apply using a cloth and test in an inconspicuous area first. Regular use of cleaning products may require re-waxing over time.

Always use heat mats and coasters to protect your painted and waxed surfaces. Keep away from extreme temperatures or humidity. Like you, your finish prefers a moderate climate!

Waxes dissolve in alcohol, so using it on bars is not advisable.

Avoid aerosol spray polishes as they may contain solvents or silicone that could dissolve the wax.

USING CHALK PAINT® LACQUER

As a guide, one 750ml tin of Chalk Paint® Lacquer will cover 19 square metres (204ft ²), but this will vary according to the absorbency of the material you’re painting. For best results the lacquer should be applied in very thin coats. Results may also vary depending on previous treatment of the surface.

When applying Chalk Paint® Lacquer, bear in mind that it is a ‘penetrating’ finish and can pull tannins or stains from the wood up through the paint. This can be especially noticeable on whites, manifesting as a yellow stain. Always test Chalk Paint® and Lacquer on several areas before you begin your project. If a stain appears, apply a stain blocker directly over the entire surface before painting and lacquering again.

For more information on Chalk Paint® Lacquer, watch Annie’s instructional video by clicking here.

DEALING WITH STAINS COMING THROUGH CHALK PAINT®

If you’re working with new, untreated wood, you’ll need to apply clear shellac (knotting solution) to wood knots and open grains. This will block tannins that can bleed through the paint.

On rare occasions, a stain may bleed through your first coat of paint – this is often from a previous oil-based finish and is most likely to happen on old pieces from the 1930s and 1940s.

If you see a stain bleeding through the paint, apply a coat of stain blocker (or knotting solution) directly over the paint you have already applied. Treat the whole affected surface to avoid any patchiness in the final finish. One or two coats of blocker applied evenly with a cloth pad will block the stain. It dries in minutes, and then you can get on with your painting.

These stains can often be pulled through if Chalk Paint® Lacquer is applied on to Chalk Paint®. If this is the case, do the same steps as above but over the Chalk Paint® Lacquer you’ve already applied.

Chalk Paint® is not recommended for teak or other oily woods. Always test, if in doubt!

For more information on bleed through on floors, watch Annie’s instructional video by clicking here.

TOUCHING UP OR REPAIRING DAMAGE

As with any decorating paint, it’s not advisable to paint over small areas that need a touch up – even if you are working with paint from the same batch. When you apply a first coat of paint to a surface, the rate at which the water is absorbed by the surface (‘wicking’) has an effect on the final colour. Subsequent coats will be absorbed by the paint underneath at a different rate, leading to a subtle shade difference in the finish.

For this reason, where repairs are necessary, it’s advised to paint the entire surface of the affected area, whether this is a section of wall (from corner to corner & top to bottom) or the face of a piece of furniture (for example, a drawer front). There is no need to repaint the entire room or the whole piece of furniture! However, to save time, it’s worth testing by touching up just the small area first. If it looks fine, you can seal and leave. If not, apply as above.

MIXING YOUR OWN CHALK PAINT® COLOUR

The colours in the Chalk Paint® range vary from soft and pale to bright and strong. Annie’s carefully selected colour palette is hugely flexible as you can mix colours together to extend the range and create endless possibilities. Most of Annie’s colours do not contain black pigment which can muddy colours when mixing; so you can combine hues without worry of dirtying your final colour.

If you want to make a colour paler, add Old White or Pure.

Find out roughly what ratio you need by experimenting – you could use your fingers to dab and mix colours, or a teaspoon to make small amounts. For larger amounts you could use a cup or even a tin as a measure.

Start with a dollop of your chosen colour, slowly adding the Old White or Pure. A dollop of Provence and two dollops of Old White gives you a ratio of 1 to 2, making a soft pale turquoise. Use Pure and the colour is cleaner and fresher, giving a more vintage 1950’s look.

For lots more information on mixing colours, see Annie’s book ‘Colour Recipes for Painted Furniture and More’, or contact Gaysha, who are trained Stockists and use Chalk Paint® every day.

For the "Cheat Sheet" on How to Use Chalk Paint® on wood, plastic, metal, fabric and even laminex, download our Chalk Paint - Getting Started Tips here

Annie Sloan's paint "will transform even the drabbest bunker into a haven." - World of Interiors

"Annie Sloan's paint is the perfect choice if you're looking to transform your most treasured pieces." - Elle Decoration

"Annie Sloan paint was invented by angels to make everything fun." - Kirstie Allsopp