These past few weeks, I’ve been working on Don’s playhouse. I thought I’d redo a little table I found thrifting (it was $4!) for his space. While I share the quick makeover, I thought I’d also talk about chalk paint vs. latex paint. The differences, the pros and cons and why I paint furniture with chalk paint.
Quick furniture tutorial
prep
- Clean the furniture. Mix 2 Tablespoons of White Lightning or TSP in 1 gallon of hot water. Use a rag dipped in the solution to clean the entire surface of the furniture you’ll be painting. Wipe the piece clean with a damp rag to remove any White Lightning residue. Let dry prior to painting.
- Lay a drop cloth on the floor. Put a towel or drop cloth on the floor underneath the furniture you’re about paint. This will protect your flooring from paint drips.
- Fix any damage. Since there was distressing, I used wood filler to fill in any dings and brown spots. Once the wood filler was dry, I sanded it down to a smooth finish.
- Since the finish was slick, I primed. I used one coat of Slick Stick to prime the piece. I let that dry throughly before continuing to paint.
paint
- Spritz your brush. With chalk paint, you always want to start with a damp brush. Continue to spray the brush and furniture piece with water while painting.
- Start painting. Dip the paintbrush in the chalk paint and apply it thinly on the furniture. Brush in the direction on the wood grain until you’ve covered the entire piece. Note, you WON’T get full coverage with the first coat. If it’s streaky, don’t panic! I used Dixie Belle’s Farmhouse Green for this project.
- Let the paint dry. Usually you only need to wait 20 minutes between coats. While it’s drying, wrap your paint brush in a wet rag or plastic bag so the brush won’t dry out between coats. If you’re painting a big piece, you might be able to begin the second coat immediately without waiting since it’s probably been 20 minutes since you first started painting.
- Paint a second coat. Repeat the instructions for the first coat of paint. This time though, you should get full coverage. If you don’t (which can happen if you’re covering dark wood with a light cover) continue with a 3rd coat of chalk paint.
- Wash out the paint brush. Usually tap water will remove all wet paint. If needed, also use mild soap. Rinse the brush until the water runs clear.
- Seal the furniture. If you’re using a clear coat, apply it with a paint brush thinly to all surfaces. If you’re using wax, apply it with a lint free rag or applicator pad all over the furniture. Buff it in with the rag after. I like to use Easy Peasy Wax Spray for sealing furniture.
chalk paint vs. latex paint
Ok! Lets talk about the differences between chalk paint and regular latex paint and when you should use each.
ingredients in chalk paint and latex paint
Latex paint is made with different materials (resins, titanium dioxide, and limestone) than chalk paint (which is made of plaster of Paris, baking soda, and unsanded grout). Because of the difference in ingredients, they will perform differently. Latex paint is made to go on the wall, so I prefer to use it for that purpose only. Here’s the pros and cons of using latex paint on furniture-
pros and cons of chalk paint and latex paint
Pros of using latex paint on furniture–
- Thick, smooth coverage
- Infinite tintable colors
- Variety of finishes from matte to high gloss
- No topcoat needed
- It’s cheaper to buy
Cons of using latex paint on furniture–
- The finish can look thick since two coats of primer and two coats of paint are needed.
- Chips or peels without proper priming and/or sanding
- Cabinet doors and drawers might not close fully since so much paint and primer is used
- When you put heavy items on top of furniture painted with latex paint, the paint tends to sticks to it (even when it’s cured)
- Difficult to distress since it tends to gum up.
- Difficult to blend colors when painting- less customizable
- Slow dry time- 4-6 hours
- You can’t add water to to eliminate brush strokes since that might make it not stick
- The whole process takes longer since furniture usually needs sanding, 2 coats primer, and 2 coats of paint. Plus it’s slower to dry too.
Let’s dive in deeper.
cost
Chalk Paint:
Chalk paint costs $30 for a quart when latex paint is $15 for a quart. When you factor in that you don’t have to sand or prime and that chalk paint is thicker and goes farther, it isn’t so bad. So yes it’s more expensive, but I personally think the benefits are worth the price.
Latex Acrylic Paint:
Latex paint is about 50% more affordable than chalk paint. But, like I said, it kind of evens out when prepping and sealing is taken into account.
prep
Chalk Paint:
Chalk paint is nice because you can paint it directly onto most furniture without priming or sanding. But, you can see, like above, I do prime when I’m covering a super slick surface just to make sure it sticks. Why does it usually adhere so well? The minerals and pores in chalk paint means it grips better than latex paint. Prep is usually easier with chalk paint.
Latex Acrylic Paint:
You ALWAYS need to sand and prime for latex paint to stick to furniture. If you skip this step, it’ll be easy to scratch off the paint. This leads to a rough looking piece of furniture once its gets its first ding. For me, the extra step means it takes more time which means I’m less likely to use this method.
Brush marks
Chalk Paints:
Chalk paint is self leveling. When I use a mister to spray water onto my furniture and make sure my brush is wet, I get a nice smooth finish with chalk paint (see this blog post for how to get a smooth finish with chalk paint). If you don’t know what you’re doing and if you slap on the chalk paint though, you will get a bumpy finish.
Latex Acrylic Paints:
Latex paint is also great at self leveling! But, you can’t use the same tricks with water to make it go on super smoothly since water can make latex paint not stick as well. Even though latex paint is self leveling, I still find it easier to get a smooth finish with chalk paint.
dry time
Chalk Paints:
Probably one of my favorite things about chalk paint is it drys SO fast! Especially in Utah’s dry climate. I put on one coat and within 15-20 minutes it’s dry and I can put on the second coat. This makes painting furniture chalk paint fast.
Latex Acrylic Paints:
A major downside of latex paint is that it takes 4-6 hours between coats. You might be able to do a second coat in 2-3 hours on a dry day with a fan on, but you definitely have to take MUCH more time. If you’re doing other things, this isn’t a big deal though.
color selection chalk paint vs. latex paint
Chalk Paints:
Chalk paint usually comes in 30-40 colors from the supplier. The up side is that the selection is curated so it’s easier to choose the right color. Plus you can easily see how the paint looks on furniture by a quick google search with the paint name since lots of people use the same colors. This makes it easier to visualize how the project will turn out.
Latex Acrylic Paints:
Latex paint comes in every color of the rainbow! If you want it, you can get it. I prefer latex paint for it’s variety of colors. BUT if picking out paint colors leaves you paralyzed, chalk paint does make selection simpler.
distressing
Chalk Paints:
While I don’t usually distress my furniture, it’s good to know that chalk paint distresses easily. Chalk paint hardens with time, so distressing right when the paint is dry works nicely since the paint isn’t quite cured. There are TONS of ways to distress furniture painted with chalk paint- sanding and using a wire brush are both great options. These methods remove the paint where you choose to add an antiqued finish.
Latex Acrylic Paint:
Like I mentioned above, latex paint gums up when distressed- it can literally turns the paint in a lumpy finish. No thanks! It comes off in chunks instead of localized pieces coming off like with chalk paint. I wouldn’t recommend distressing regular latex paint.
Sealing painted furniture
Chalk Style Paints:
I think that all chalk paint needs to be sealed. In the project above, it added 2 minutes to my project so it’s not a big deal. Lots of chalk paint companies say that a top coat isn’t needed, but I’ve found it really hard to clean chalk paint that doesn’t have a top coat. Chalk paint is porous and so it holds dirt well. I definitely recommend sealing so it’s easier to clean.
Latex Style Paints:
This is another instant when latex paint wins. Latex paint is nice because no top coat is needed. Yes, you can add a polyacrylic, but in my experience it isn’t needed.
the final product
Chalk Style Paints:
With chalk paint, I usually get a bit more chipping issues than latex paint. Especially on heavily used items in high traffic areas.
Another issue I’ve had is that when I’ve used Gator Hide, it’s hard to get a consistent finish when I touch it up. That’s why I’ve started using the Easy Peasy Spray wax because it keeps the matte finish and so when I have to touch up a chip, the finish will be consistent.
Latex Style Paints:
With latex paint, I have other issues. The first one is that the primer and paint is so thick, it makes cabinet doors or dresser drawers not shut as easily. And it looks thicker if that makes sense? The paint and primer noticeably add some dimension to the piece.
Another thing I’ve found is that heavy things placed on top of furniture painted with latex paint tends to stick. With both types of paint, they need to cure for 3-4 weeks, but I’ve found that the sticking continues long past the cure time.
Can I paint over latex paint with chalk paint? Yes, but you’ll probably want to prime with Slick Stick or sand first to roughen up the surface since the latex paint finish will be so smooth. This will make it so the chalk paint will adhere to the latex paint.
Ok! So there was a deep dive into chalk paint vs. latex paint. The honest pros and cons of each. What kind of paint do you use to paint your furniture?
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