I taught my first night class last week. It was a class to compare chalk paints and milk paint. I forgot to take any pictures during the class, but I did take some pictures of my sample board.
I sectioned off one of those many cabinet doors I got and painted several versions of DIY chalk paint, Annie Sloan, and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint.
The milk paint didn’t chip until I put two coats on. The top portion has two coats, the lower portion has one coat. You’ll see below that the milk paint ended up chipping completely on the two-coat section.
I put some wax on each of the sections so the participants could see how each paint works with wax. See my recipe for DIY Chalky Paint here (I use it as a primer too)
This is the board after class. I painted some white diy chalk paint on the right to test out some other “waxes”. Minwax has a new dark wax, but I wasn’t able to find it, so I purchased some brown and black shoe polish. They did okay as far as sealing, but didn’t really change the color of the white much.
not shown: on the back, we used the unsanded grout version, along with regular latex paint.
I also took this glass jar as a sample with each version of chalk paint on it. We agreed that the POP version worked best as a chalkboard surface. I didn’t do any prep work to the glass. Lightly sanding may have helped the paints adhere better.
This is the handout I gave the ladies. I had never used Calcium Carbonate before. I was impressed with it, but you can see pound for pound, it’s not a very frugal option. I hadn’t used Johnson’s paste wax in years. I picked it up the day of the class. I liked that it is softer and easier to apply than Minwax. The Wipe-On Poly is one of my go-to’s for sealing diy chalk paint. Waxing still bothers this old shoulder, so I’m looking for easier options.
I use the same ratio for each of the diy versions. 2 TBS of powder to 4 tsp water…mixed well, then added to 1 cup of paint.
I can’t believe I forgot to take pictures. It was a great night, and everyone was so nice and asked so many questions, I was too busy to remember the pics. It wasn’t till everyone left, and all was cleaned up, that I even thought about it.
I had stations set up with the following items:
- Cupboard door taped off
- gloves
- paint brush
- foam brush
- several assorted trays
- cheese cloth
- soft cloth
- fork, knife, spoon (for mixing and scooping)
- paper towels
- a cup of water (for cleaning brushes)
- sandpaper
Everyone got to test all of the DIY chalk versions, ASCP, and MMS milk paint on their cupboard door. Then they got to choose a treasure from my recent finds to makeover in class.
Items chosen:
- plastic mirror frame
- set of plastic framed bird prints
- wooden tray
- wooden frame
- framed mirror (wooden)
- metal tray
- wooden organizer
Some chose the ASCP for the treasures, while others chose to mix their own chalk paint. The ladies did a great job on their projects, but we ran out of time to complete them. I furnished them with little condiment cups with lids to take home whatever they needed to complete their project.
This is Valinda’s project. This was a run of the mill wooden desk organizer that she chose to paint in a two-toned color scheme. Great job Valinda!
My next class (coming up next Tuesday) is repurposing a cupboard door into a chalkboard. I’m looking for unusual chalkboard items to share with the class. What have you painted with chalkboard paint?
gail
Fiona
Hi Gail..love your blog! Just wondering which of the three milk paints you found the best and also what recipe you used for the DIY milk paint/chalk paint.
Thanks
Fiona
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
Fiona,
I tested mostly diy chalkboard paints. The Calcium Carbonate makes the smoothest chalkboard in a diy version. It is also the most expensive powder to purchase.
For DIY chalky type paint for use on furniture as a primer, I use Plaster of Paris exclusively. You can see that post here. https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2013/08/diy-chalky-paint-recipe-makes-a-great-primer.html
have fun!
gail
shawn
I am new to chalk paint. Do you think the DIY plaster of paris version would hold up on kitchen cabinets? And can you use chalk paint in a sprayer or does it have to be brushed on?
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
Shawn,
I think diy plaster of paris paint would work on kitchen cabinets. You would have to seal it with something because it's so flat, and left unprotected it would scrape off.
I have used it in my Finish Max sprayer with no problem. It just has to be cleaned right away so it won't clog up.
gail
Toqua
Gail, the word is going to get out about your class and what a wonderful teacher you are... you will end up having people waiting to get in! You are so nice to share your class here on line. I have never tried chalkboard paint of any kind. It does look like it would be fun though. It looks as though you received quite a few ideas from others above. This time of year the pumpkin idea would be cute!
Mindi
So Awesome!! I am happy it went well, I could have used that class, I learned a few things just from your post so thanks for sharing!
Pat
I love the handout! that is great. I don't think I've seen the cost breakdown for DIY chalkpaint. also... with DIY...the sky is the limit on the color wheel.
and you can't get much cheaper than Ooops! paint.
I plus 1'd this on google!
🙂
Pat
Dawn
Thanks for sharing your teaching experience. As for the waxing, I use Minwax and a Turtle Wax car buffer. I put the wax on with an old white sock and leave it on for about 5 minutes. I then break out the car buffer and can you say...beautiful. Saves on my fingers and I am sure it would be much easier for your shoulder.
Laurel Stephens
This is SO cool that you're basically teaching us the same class you gave. Thanks! Your preparation was really thorough; I sure wish I'd had a class like yours to take when I started experimenting with paints. Maybe you could set up a tripod and camera in a corner of the room and have a friend snap some photos for you next time. Loved your sample boards and Valinda's finished project. Very cool!
Brenda Thompson
sheesh, wish we had someone like you around my area to teach classes like this. I would definitely be attending them.
lynn
So for the DIY chalk paint you only used POP 2 tsp and 4 tsp of water to 1 C of paint? What was the Sodium thing used for?
I'm a newbie too and was looking for more DIY products. I'm going to try to the Johnson paste wax too.
Thanks for the post.
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
I used 2 TBS (tablespoons) of POP to 2 tsp water.
The calcium carbonate is another version of chalk paint. It's a little smoother than the POP--but more expensive.
gail
Mimi
So glad to hear your class went well! I knew it would you are such a great teacher!
girlfromwva
i just saw where someone painted their pumpkins with chalkboard paint; then it can have faces or messages on it!!!
girlfromwva
Chalkboard paint on wine glass feet, terra cotta pots, mason jar lids, jars, bottles, tins, plastic animals, a "cheap" baking sheet to use for memo board....it is fun! love ur projects!
Margaret
Just a couple of things... a section of wall in my kitchen with magnetic and chalkboard paint - love that! And, I also did a collage picture frame of sorts for both of my kids last year. I took an ordinary frame and painted a wooden back - cut to fit, of course - with chalkboard paint, then stuck pictures on with tape (I just put it on the back, but you could certainly do it other ways) and outlined the pictures with chalk in various colors. Then I hand wrote the message "Family Rocks" on it. They can take the back off the frame and change out the photos and/or message whenever they like!
Denise
Gail,
Sounds like you all had fun! Wish I could've come to see the results personally. I've recently painted a dresser, 2 bedside tables, and a mirror frame with chalk paint (ASCP) and I've also used homemade chalk paint and ASCP as a primer so I didn't have to sand!! What can I say?! I'm lazy!!
Danni@SiloHillFarm
This was very interesting! I'm pretty new at furniture painting and I'm learning as much as I can. Thank you for sharing this and I love Valinda's little project!
Holly
Great class! I've never tried diy chalk paint, but if I took your class I'd probably want to try it! Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to hear about the next class.
Taramarie
Sounds like a great class, wish there was a class like that around here!!