DIY Chalk Paint - Dining Room Table Makeover

A few weeks ago a friend called to tell me about some new phenomenon called chalk paint. I'd never head of it (how I'd missed this on Pinterest, I don't know). Apparently it requires no sanding or prepping and can be used on most surfaces. I had a couple painting projects I was thinking of doing, so I thought I'd look into it. The only drawback.... it's super expensive - like $30 something a quart! I wasn't sure I thought it was quite THAT cool, but thought I'd look up some examples. 

Well, what do I find??? DIY versions of this awesome paint. I'm just going post a link to the one I found most helpful, Testing 1... 2... 3... Versions of Chalk Paint rather than go into much detail about the different kinds of recipes. (I used the non-sanded grout version)

So I gathered my supplies - which cost me about $20 total and will last me for MANY batches of this paint - and tried it out on my dining room table.

Now this table has been working fine for us for a few years now. It's something I picked up on Craigslist with 4 chairs for about $80. The legs and base are wood, but the top was a fake wood laminate stuff - which was not too attractive. I bought two of those little sample containers of paint at Lowe's for $2.98 each and mixed up my paint to try to remedy the table look. 

I painted the top a solid dark brown and the legs an off-white. I sanded down the legs for a slight distressed look, which Malachi was NOT impressed with. He was very upset that I "scratched" the table. I had to finish the project after bedtime - when the critic was asleep. =) Distressing the top wasn't really an option, since it wasn't wood underneath.

I think the laminate made the grittiness of the chalk paint more obvious. I don't know that I would use it again on a non-wood surface, but I really liked the result on the legs. I used about fifty layers of paste wax on the top and it's still not exactly how I'd like, but I attribute it to what I painted over. 

I have been informed by a friend who has now used both the Annie Sloan paint and the DIY version that the real stuff is thicker and apparently doesn't smell. Although, mine was so thick I had to add more water, so I think there is probably some variation in how it is mixed when you make your own. It's nice that you don't have to sand ahead of time, but if the choice was sanding or spending $30 on paint - I think I'd choose sanding.

Next up I have a headboard and footboard I need to re-finish for Malachi. I think we're going to work on that today! I'm excited to see how it turns out!