Which chalk paint is the best? #chalkpaint

Shop van gogh<<<>>>Shop CeCe Caldwell's<<<>>>Shop Annie Sloan

I consider myself a chalk paint enthusiast and scientist, however, I am not a stockist or chalk paint expert.  It brings me great satisfaction to find new ways of using these very beautiful and incredibly versatile paints. I use three chalk paints regularly: Annie Sloan, van Gogh, and CeCe Caldwell's. Each of these chalk paints has their strengths and weaknesses. I am going to show you how to use these chalk paints and in what situation they work best.

Which chalk paint is best for the outdoors? 
Annie Sloan chalk paint is the best hands down! I have painted my shed and patio metal bistro table with great success. Even after a horrendous winter, I re-painted my Annie Sloan "Coco" metal bistro table simply because I wanted a new color. I repainted it with van Gogh furniture paintology paint in "bole". "Bole" is a beautiful brick red color. van Gogh is my #2 recommendation for outdoor use. van Gogh chalk paint flaked and bubbled a tiny bit. Annie Sloan drys very quickly and sticks to anything!

Which chalk paint is best for painting your walls?
Annie Sloan wins again. I painted my kitchen nook walls with Annie Sloan Country Grey about a year ago. I lightly waxed it. I have never retouched the paint or re-waxed the area and it has been almost a year. It looks the same as when I painted it a year ago. van Gogh chalk paint is my #2 recommendation. I just started painting my son's room with van Gogh as an experiment. It looks and feels satin smooth. I am impressed with the results thus far. I will update everyone in a few months.

Which chalk paint is the best for beginners?
CeCe Caldwell's is the winner in this category. I am incredibly surprised with this clay-based paint made in the USA. I love it and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite "chalk paints". I recently used CeCe Caldwell's in Seattle Mist for a few pieces of furniture in my home office. It paints like a dream. Smooth strokes with great coverage. I never had to add water{not once} to this paint! The consistency is fabulous. Open the can, give a few stirs, and go! The drying process is fascinating for CeCe Caldwell's, because it dries like a clay mask would on your face. No fumes and it really gives you that chippy-rustic feel prior to waxing!

Which chalk paint has the best coverage?
CeCe Caldwell's is the clear winner. It will cover completely in one thin coat. If you are trying to hide another color or paint over another paint. Use CeCe's. However, do not use CeCe Caldwell's outside. Annie Sloan comes dead last in this category, because although you can build up several layers this takes time. Also, depending on the base layer color you never know exactly what your Annie Sloan color will look like until it is too late to turn back. When I am painting over an area with Annie Sloan it always feels like a surprise{a beautiful one}, but a surprise none the less.

Which chalk paint is best for doors and kitchen cabinets?
Biased, but Annie Sloan is my choice. The only choice. I choose Annie Sloan, because it dries fast and stays put! Check out my kitchen cabinet makeover in Annie Sloan's Napoleonic Blue. I would not use anything but Annie Sloan on my cabinets. I will be trying CeCe Caldwell's on my walls and door soon. I will let you know the results soon!

Which chalk paint is the most versatile?
Annie Sloan. I have used Annie Sloan chalk paint outdoors, on walls, doors, kitchen cabinets, furniture, floors, and practically everywhere you can think of. The most versatile chalk paint I have ever used. You are limited only as far as your imagination allows.

Which chalk paint has the best color palette? #1} Annie Sloan, #2} CeCe Caldwell's, #3} van Gogh. This is my very personal preference. If you like circus colors and want your house to look like it was eaten by a rainbow then you will probably prefer van Gogh's color palette. Ha! Just kidding, I have a clear preference for Annie Sloan's muted palette. Annie and CeCe Caldwell's do have a few "popping" colors gracing their color charts as well.

Which chalk paint has the steepest learning curve?
van Gogh furniture paintology has the steepest learning curve. They have "furniture make up", which I have never used before. The van Gogh system does allow you to stop at clear and dark wax finishes. Annie Sloan is #2 on the difficulty list.  Annie Sloan is difficult for beginners simply because you have to get a feel for the paint. It thickens during use and needs to be thinned out occasionally with a little water.

Which chalk paint is the most Eco-friendly? I am simply going to say that all the chalk paints are water based. CeCe Caldwell's and van Gogh brand itself as "Eco friendly". No fumes are associated with either CeCe Caldwell's or the van Gogh system. In fact, the van Gogh clear wax is so Eco-friendly there are no worries about contact with the skin. My favorite wax of the three is definitely the van Gogh.