A Little Pop of Red: Homemade Chalk Paint

 As John Denver sang... "Gee, it's good to be back home again".

Although we had a wonderful time in Tennessee taking care of these cuties...

...it is always good to come back home.

We normally are only away just over a long weekend whenever we visit anyone...

...but his time were gone eight days!

 ~

Adam and his family moved into their new country home a few days before Christmas.

Since we visited then, they have gotten settled in pretty well,

although on the outside it is still somewhat of a construction site.

The cold weather had prevented some stonework and concrete from being completed.

But inside, it was warm and toasty :)

Early on, way before the construction on the house had started,

 Adam built a really cool table from an old barn door but wasn't sure about chairs for it.

They had planned to get rid of the current chairs they had been using,

not liking the yellow oak with all of the other wood tones in the house...

...but yours truly talked them right out of that.

I had a vision...I was seeing red.

 And they agreed...only little did they know I had a surprise up my sleeve!

~

So while the kiddos were at school, I got busy.

I decided to go with chalk paint...my very first attempt, I might add...

...since I wasn't up to doing any sanding or stripping.

Jim and I went to Lowe's and to my dismay, they didn't carry chalk paint yet.

Not until March.

They did, however, present me with a printed recipe to make my very own...

...along with a very enthusiastic employee who convinced us that this was the way to go.

Well let me tell ya, I was just a bit uncomfortable with this idea...

...not only had I NEVER used chalk paint, but now I was making my own??

My dear, sweet hubby talked me into it.

The bottom color on the paint chip is what I chose...

 but found out later that the plaster of Paris will lighten it up.

So here's the recipe and their directions:

*flat latex paint (any color)

*plaster of Paris

*water (cool, not warm)

*plastic paint buckets

*plastic measuring cup (do not re-use for food)

*stir sticks

*plastic measuring cups (do not reuse for food)

*paste wax or other sealer

Mix 1/3 cup of plaster of Paris and 1/3 cup of cool water; stir until completely smooth. Mix that with 1 cup of latex paint and stir thoroughly. This will make enough chalk-finish paint for one coat on a six-drawer dresser. Chalk-finish paint should not be stored and reused. If you have a smaller project, mix smaller amounts of plaster, paint, and water in the same proportions.

~

I actually doubled the recipe for the four chairs I painted, painting one coat.

I admit that I ran out with about 1/4 of the last chair to do....UGH!

As you see, the directions say not to store to reuse...well, let me tell ya...

...I painted one chair on one day and the other three the next day.

The paint stored overnight in the plastic bucket with a tight lid was still just perfect.
But I was horrified when I saw the color after the paint was applied.
It looked almost neon pinkish-coral and I nearly had a heart attack!

Thank the good Lord it did dry darker but it was still way too bright.

I knew I needed a dark wax to calm the color down but I didn't want to use the paste wax...

a long, drawn out and expensive process...so I did a little research.

I decided on Minwax Wood Finish in a dark walnut shade.

It is basically a rub on stain/sealer that can be applied with a brush or a rag...

...and then all of the excess is wiped off.

It worked perfectly and created just the effect and color I was hoping for!

The wood grain was still showing through a bit and it created the most beautiful shade of red...

...a far cry from the neon pinkish coral!

 The day Adam and Carrie returned I made sure that their "new" chairs were in place at the table.

They were totally surprised and beyond thrilled with their little pop of red!

Isn't that just what any country kitchen needs?

It just thrilled me to be able to do this for them.

Living so far away, we are unable to do many of the things we would like to do for them.

Not only was it such a blessing to be able to spend the time with Parker and Olivia,

but also being able to do this little project blessed me as much as it did Adam and Carrie.

~

Yes, this was one worn out Mawmaw by the end of the week.

It was that good kind of "worn out" though...

...the kind that makes you realize you had given something of yourself to someone you love.

~

So as I sit here looking around, I wonder to myself...

...what might my next homemade chalk paint project be??
It may or may not happen :)

Sharing with:

Judith at Mosaic Monday

Cindy at Amaze Me Monday

Stephanie at Roses of Inspiration

Richella at Grace at Home