I was telling you in the post “Craigslist Dining Table: Before & After” that I will come back with more about using Gesso as a substitute for chalk paint.
How did it start? I wanted the chalky appearance for some furniture pieces I wanted to refinish( one of them as you already know is the Craigslist dining table find).
I looked “chalk paint” on the Internet and I found Anne Sloane chalk paint. Because of the price, shipping etc, I didn’t want to try it.My next step: do more research about DIY chalk paint recipes and find out how can I get the same look but at a cheaper price? So here’s what I found out:Sherry @ No Minimalist Here uses a mix of latex paint with either Calcium Carbonate, plaster of Paris or whiting powder; you can see the post here.Liz Blog uses un-sanded grout and flat paint in her homemade chalk paint. First thought was that chalk is a main ingredient in chalk paint( dah!), but also in the gesso I use as a primer on my acrylic paintings.Some definitions:
- – original gesso( gesso in Italian means “chalk”)is a mix of animal glue, powdered chalk or plaster and a pigment( usually white).
- – modern gesso( the one you can buy in art supply stores) it’s a water-based mix of calcium carbonate, an acrylic polymer medium and a pigment( usually white).
So I decided to use only gesso, a blob of black acrylic paint( to get the grey color) and a little bit of water. I chose Stevenson gesso( bought at Opus store) because it has a bit more “tooth” to it.What I liked:
- – it dries quickly, with a nice, chalky finish.
- – I didn’t need to sand or prime my table before painting it with gesso.
- – the stain I used on top of the gesso ( to get the grey-brown look I wanted) sticked with no problems.
- – in my case, I didn’t wax it, because I knew the table will be heavily used every day; I went for “Circa 1850 – Antique Paste Varnish” for the final coat. This paste has a hand-rubbed look and a soft sheen; it protects against heat and spills.
So far, I’m more than happy with my choice of using gesso as a chalk paint to refinish furniture!
