Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint – All Your Questions Answered

My guess is you’re searching for a cheaper alternative to Annie Sloan so you’re curious about Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint. So was I!

The first thing you should know is that Rust-Oleum Chalked is not a true chalk paint. It’s an ultra matte latex paint.  That’s why it doesn’t claim to be “chalk paint” instead is says Chalky Finish.

There are benefits and drawbacks to using this paint.

Is Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint Good?

In short yes. It’s a good paint if you’re comparing it to a latex paint, which is what it is. It does not have the no odor benefit of a true chalk paint but it has the ultra matte look WITHOUT having to wax or use a topcoat (more on what topcoats work on chalk paints here).

Do you need to sand Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint?

Here is one of the drawbacks. Yes, you absolutely should prep the surface for the Rust-Oleum chalk paint. Because it’s a latex paint you want to make sure the paint will stick to the surface you putting it on. To be 100% transparent here, you really should prep a surface when using chalk paint too. If you read the directions on chalk paints they even make that disclaimer.

You can never go wrong prepping a surface. You will never say I regret sanding this piece, but you will at some point say I regret NOT sanding. I speak from experience here. After 100’s of projects painted I would absolutely sand any surface I wanted to have a good adhesion.

Or you can use Adhesion which is a high tack primer that will help paint stick to all kinds of surfaces.

Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint Spray

I love the ease and convenience of being able to use spray paint.  Yes, I have a Finish Max sprayer that can be used with all types of paint (you can see my video series on the Finish Max Sprayer here) but sometimes I I don’t want to use it. It takes too much time to clean it for a small project.

Enter Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint Spray. I use this spray paint a lot.  I love the ultra matte finish especially on things like figurines. Of course I’ve used it on furniture as well.  The coverage was smooth and the colors are true to the cap color. I treat this paint like I would any other spray paint. I do sand first to make sure the products adhere properly, because this paint like I mentioned is not a true chalk paint.

Overall, this paint is a good quality latex paint.  You get the matte coverage that people love about chalk paints at a substantially lower price. As long as you go in expecting the paint to be like a latex and prepare your surface accordingly you should be fine.

If you want to know about Rust-Oleum Metallic paints and want to see how they perform check out the thrift store makeover I did using their metallic spray!

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Many blessings to you all!

~S