Chalk Paint: How does it hold up?

I want to give you a little update on the desk I painted with a homemade chalk paint mixture.  I had not previously used this method and I was more than a bit skeptical.  I mean, it seems weird to mix paint with plaster.  Add the final step of waxing painted furniture and it sounded downright insane and kind of messy.

Some of you may remember my trash-to-treasure desk.  I found it on the side of the road and brought it home.  I was so excited to finally have a “real” desk and not just the kitchen table.

This desk turned into quite the project, because after I had a desk, I needed a room to put the desk in.  That led to changing bedrooms around, moving lots of furniture and funk-i-fying (is that a word? probably not.) my new office’s walls.  Now I love my space, but the desk took a bit of time to redo.

I sanded the top and painted a flower pattern on it with stain and then I decided to chalk paint the rest of the desk.

You can find my recipe and more detailed instruction on how I painted and waxed the desk on the original post.

Today, I really want to focus on how this paint treatment has held up.

I’m not a gentle person.  I’m clumsy and I bang into things all the time.  I dread summer clothes, because then you can see all the bruises on my arms and legs.  I’m really that clumsy.

So, you can imagine that I’m not very easy on my furniture.  In fact, not one person in my family is easy on furniture.

I’ve painted a lot of furniture in my time.  It’s how I bring old junk to life.  My kitchen cabinets are painted a turquoise and my kitchen table is painted red.  I have end tables and side tables and chairs and bookcases, all painted.

I’ve learned that no matter how good your paint and how many coats of clear acrylic you put on top, eventually paint chips.  Especially when your son accidentally slices into your kitchen table with a giant metal sword.  Paint manufacturers thought out a lot of scenarios when manufacturing durable paint, but I bet they never thought to make it sword proof.

We’re a disaster waiting to happen.

The homemade chalk paint has proved extremely durable.  I have two chips on my entire desk and they are both where I crash into it about thirty times a day with my chair.  That’s it!

I’m sold on chalk paint.

It’s not the same chalk paint as chalkboard paint.  This is different.  It’s a mixture of paint and plaster and it looks and feels chalky. (recipe here)

It has held up better than I anticipated and I will definitely be using this DIY method of painting on my furniture again.

Have you tried homemade chalk paint?  What do think of it??

Do you have any painting projects in your near future?  Tell us about your project in the comments.