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The Chalk Paint® Story
When Annie Sloan developed her unique decorative paint, Chalk Paint®, over 25 years ago, she revolutionized the world of decorative painting. Frustrated with the lack of paint options available at the time, she created her signature furniture paint – with its remarkable versatility and ease of use – for everyone from the amateur DIYer to the professional interior designer to enjoy.
Annie Sloan first developed her now famous furniture 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, matte finish.
How to Use Chalk Paint®
As a rough guide, one liter of Chalk Paint® covers approximately 13 square meters or the equivalent of a small welsh dresser or china hutch. For most purposes, one coat of paint is enough. Chalk Paint® adheres to almost any surface, and there is rarely any need to sand or prime before painting. To get started, tip pot upside down and shake before use. Then open and stir well. 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. You can paint Chalk Paint® over Chalk Paint® Wax.
How to Apply Chalk Paint® Wax
Chalk Paint® Wax is the perfect complement for Chalk Paint® paint. In fact, we’d say it’s an essential partner! It adds durability, deepens the colours and gives a very slight sheen. It’s really easy to get sensational results – just use a cotton rag, or your Chalk Paint® Wax Brush, to get it into corners and crevices. As a very rough guide, you will need one 500ml tin of wax for every 3-4 litres of paint – of course, 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.