Chalk paint is awesome for many reasons, including no priming, low odor, and for achieving a beautiful matte or distressed finish! I really do love using it on many kinds of projects, especially when I am trying to distress wood with paint.
I've always used Annie Sloan chalk paint in the past because it's really high quality and works amazingly. However the price is pretty high, usually around $35-$40 for a quart!
Note, this post contains some affiliate links. For more info see my disclosures here.
Recently, I finally tried Rust-Oleum's Chalk Paint. I decided to try two colors, Linen White and Charcoal Grey, on two different types of projects. And it's officially become my new go-to chalk paint!
I thought it would be helpful to share a Rust-Oleum chalk paint review of my experience, including the pros and cons.
Most importantly, although Rust-Oleum chalk paint has become my new go-to chalk paint, it's still not my favorite chalk paint! My favorite chalk paint is still Annie Sloan chalk paint, however, you just can't beat the price of the Rust-Oleum (less than $18 for a quart) and it has lots of other good features too.
My first project, with Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint Linen White, was a 16x20, black, picture frame. I wanted the frame to be distressed and let the black show through.
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The second project, with Charcoal Grey, was painting my DIY Rustic TV stand. I wanted a chalky matte finish but no distressing.
Here are the pro and con observations I made after using the chalk paint:
PROS OF RUST-OLEUM CHALK PAINT
- Distresses easily and nicely just like other chalk paint
- Great for distressing wood and furniture with paint
- No priming needed, good coverage, but I did need at least 2 coats for both colors/projects
- Lots of pretty colors to choose from
- Best price for the quantity and quality - less than $18 for a quart
- Very easy to find and buy, both online at Amazon and home improvement stores
- Results in a beautiful, matte slightly chalky finish - a lovely chalk paint texture
CONS OF RUST-OLEUM CHALK PAINT
- It scuffs up extremely easily, even just touching it with oily fingers leaves marks. This was more of a problem on my TV stand with the dark charcoal paint where I didn't want any distressing. I think adding a sealant such as wax or a water based poly would help prevent this, however that does take away from the beautiful matte look
- It's very thin and makes handling it with a paint brush a little harder
- Does not cover up spackled nail holes and other touch ups well
- Dries streaky in some areas, but a second coat helps to fix this
As you can see from the cons, this chalk paint isn't perfect. I definitely liked using it more with my distressed picture frame than on my TV stand. So, I will remember that for future projects. Still despite the cons, it has some great pros too and I will definitely be using it again!
Hope this Rust-Oleum chalk paint review has been helpful if you are planning to use chalk paint on some future DIY projects! If you have used the Rust-Oleum chalk paint before, do you have any other pros or cons you'd add to this list? Feel free to share in the comments!
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Hello, I just finished using the Rust-Oleum charcoal chalk paint on my kitchen cabinets. I’ve done 3 coats and keep getting dark and light streaks. I need help!! I’m all done except for the sealing. Any suggestions on how to get rid of the streaks?? Thank you
I'm not sure why the streaks are happening! To get rid of them I would paint over them with a latex paint that's color matched to the same color as the charcoal chalk paint. Benjamin Moore Advance line of paint is great for painting cabinets and doesn't require a sealant.
I used Ben Moore Advanced on my white kitchen cabinets. So easy to work with and drys quickly. So putting 2 coats on in one day can be achieved easily. Cures to a hard finish in 48 hours.
That's great to hear! I love Ben Moore Advanced for cabinets!
i used BMA on my kitchen cabinets several years ago and they still look great. you have to look really hard to tell it was brushed on. the prep work is really important.
I use the Rust-oleum for small broad and agree on the pro & con. I have an old metal shelving that we have used outside. It has been many colors but, now bringing it into the home and the spray caulk Rust-oleum is not working. So, I am going to use a brush caulk Rust-oleum.
Thank for all your suggestions. I follow you at least once a week.
You're welcome Margaret! Thanks for following along!!
Thank you for your review. I am about to start my first project ever and I chose this paint. Your review leaves me hopeful that this will work beautifully on my vintage china cabinet.
You're welcome Daphne!
I just used Linen White chalk paint on an older dresser that was in great shape; not painted previously. I used 3 coats; when I applied the second coat, and even more with the third coat, it's kind of streaky and seems like it wanted to pull the paint off when applying the last coat. It's very uneven, especially the top flat part of the dresser. What can I do to even it out??
Hmm did you us a roller or brush for application? And if you used a roller, was it foam or woven? Brushes and foam rollers can cause streaking, so I would recommend using a woven roller. Also, although chalk paint typically doesn't need primer or sanding before painting, sometimes if the piece has a very slick, lacquered top coat or a laminate type of finish, it helps to roughen the surface up a little with sandpaper and it can help even more to prime it (if you are going for a full coverage paint look and not distressed) so the paint has a better surface to adhere to. At this point after 3 coats, it's tough to say what will even it out best...you could try lightly sanding the top part to eliminate some of the streaks and then paint another coat with a woven roller and see if that helps!
@Wanda, Make sure you stir the paint a lot.
I was thinking about painting a night stand with the the charcoal color, but it looks like it turns out more blue than charcoal. Is that your assessment?
Yes, I agree it is more of a blue than charcoal black for sure.
I do like this paint also but having problems with white marks on the grey when I sand....what am I missing? I do this better each of 2 coats then before top mate coat. Do I need to use a darker colored sandpaper?
Hi
I just painted a dining table with Rustoleum charcoal chalk paint. I would like to use glaze on the top part of the table. Which one should I use? If you have a picture it would be better. Thanks.
Here is a link (affiliate) to a water based poly: https://amzn.to/2W96JLK
@Darquise, How did your table turn out? I am going to chalk paint my dining room table amd my microwave cart . Did you put a protective coat on the table ?
Hello I just painted my night stands and they turned out so beautiful. I applied the paint with Then I sealed it with the rustoleum chalked matte clear, the color is darker and the finish is no longer smooth. I stopped after the first night stand. Is there a better way to seal these?
Thank you, that is so exciting to hear!! To keep the matte chalk paint finish you can use a clear wax, my favorite brand is Annie Sloan. Some top coats work differently with different surface materials, so I would always try and test it out before applying to the whole project.