Valspar Chalky Finish Paint Review from a Novice Painter

Whether you are new to chalk paint or not, I think you will find this review of Valspar Chalky Finish helpful. Personally I am a novice when it comes to chalk paint.

I love the way those cute farmhouse pieces look, but I don’t like paying for them. It also seems to be a very expensive hobby to get into. Just look around at some of those famous brands and you will know what I mean! I did not want to drop a ton of money on products, especially not knowing if I would even be remotely good at this or not.

Why did I decide to do this product review on Valspar Chalky Finish?

I really wanted try my hand at chalk painting! So after tons of research on what products are the best to use, I decided to try out this Valspar Chalky Finish paint. Though a total lack of real-life reviews of this product, left me feeling a bit nervous.

Here is a little background on my decision…

After recently renovating our home, I really wanted to make our space more like “us.” We never really decorated our home with items we enjoy. Instead our home is filled with gifts from family members or worse, those hand-me-down pieces you are too afraid to chunk. And so you find a spot for them as you feel an obligation to hold on to this crap. (Come on.. I know I’m not the only one here!).

In search of my unique decorating style, I found myself drawn to antiqued style furniture. The problem with this style is that these pieces tend to be rather expensive!  So I decided to try my hand at chalk painting, but first I needed to do a bit of research.

I looked through thousands of reviews on different brands and tools I would need. I watched countless videos all done by people who knew exactly what they were doing. How was this going to help me!?! I came to the conclusion I would try this product, which is relatively cheaper than most and I could use regular home improvement store tools.

Items used to conduct this review:

• Valspar Chalky Finish
  • This product comes in a variety of colors! I chose to use Corset Ribbon, which is like an off-white color. Click here to view more color options.
• Valspar Sealing Wax
• Valspar Antiquing Wax (this is totally optional!)
• Small Roller brush
  • I used a touch-up kit with a 2-inch roller
• Variety paint brush pack
  • I decided to use a pack that had more precision brushes. I also bought a regular 2-inch paint brush firm blend (you can use any combination you want depending on the look you are going for!)
• The piece of furniture you want to paint.
  • Since I wanted to try this product before I used it on my office desk, I used a small cheap table I purchased from a retail store.

*This post may contain affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small commission, (at no additional cost to you!) if you purchase something through the links provided. I will only link items that I use and love and under no circumstance would I ever recommend a product I did not use and totally trust! You can find my disclosure policy here. 

Step 1- The Chalk Paint application:

The instructions on the can of Chalky Finish paint said you did not need to sand your furniture down before painting.

The piece I was using was so cheap, it was actually only particle board with a black paint coating on top. I could not really sand it. Even if I was crazy enough to try I was afraid it would soak up the paint too much!

The paint can states only one coat is needed, and this was definitely NOT the case! I had to paint almost 3 coats to get the coverage I needed. Seriously this was to basically just hide the black.

I used the roller brush on most surfaces and came back with a brush for the hard to reach places. Then I let the piece dry for about 2-4 hours between coats.

Step 2- The Sealing Wax application:

Now that I finally was able to get the coverage I desired I had to seal the table with the Sealing Wax. This was super easy, as it entailed brushing the wax on and wiping off the excess with a clean rag. Easy Peasy!

I did notice that the paint wanted to chip off while I was wiping off the excess wax. I’m not sure if this is common or if it was due to me using such a cheap piece of furniture. I didn’t sweat it though because I was going for a distressed look anyways!

Step 3- The Antiquing Wax application:

This is the fun part! It is also where the magic happens! I brushed the Antiquing Wax in places I wanted to age and then like the sealing wax, I wiped off the excess. I also added extra wax to the corners.

This made the those places where the wood meets look more aged. After I applied the wax to the top of the table, I really liked the striped look it had and so I decided not to wipe in the excess wax. It gave the top a nice fun look! (See the last picture)

My final thoughts:

Overall I think this was a fun product to use. I enjoyed the antiquing part the most, though it is also the part I was most nervous to start! I think the Valspar product is a great chalk paint to start with.

Pros: It is relatively affordable and easy to find. It also comes in a variety of colors and you can basically get it tinted to match any Valspar color available, though this is not recommended.

Cons: I did find the coverage to be lacking. It took multiple coats to get the desired color, even to just cover over the original color of table. If you are going to be tackling a large product, you will need multiple cans, which could get expensive.

I will be trying my hand at chalk painting again. I want to paint my office desk pink, so stay tuned for updates. I will be using Valspar Chalky Finish again.

Please share your chalk paint projects with me in the comments. I want to see your awesome pieces!