Ever wanted to make black Annie Sloan Chalk Paint? After getting a little tip from Justin at Paint In My Hair, I decided to do just that. While I did successfully make my can of Graphite darker, I still did not get my Graphite to black!! We picked up 3 ounces of black pigment (the typical amount of pigment used to make a can of black paint) from a Duron store and I probably added half of it to my can of Graphite. I was being cautious because the Duron clerk said if you add to much pigment the paint won’t dry. Yikes, I definitely didn’t want to waste a can of ASCP, so I added a few drops at a time, then shake shake shake, and repeat until I got a darker shade of Graphite. After adding about what I assume is half of the pigment I chickened out and decided to stop there for fear of the dreaded always-wet-paint-syndrome I’d been warned about. So without further ado I’ll introduce you to Graphite: In the Dark.
Justin told me to use “pure black pigment” which I could not find anywhere, so I’m not sure if my results would have been different if I had found some. I used clear wax to coat but I’m sure if I had used dark wax I might also have been able to achieve a blacker look! A couple bucks of pigment vs. $20 something and more of the wax on, wax off action and I think we have a winner! Next time maybe I won’t chicken out and I’ll keep going until I get black and paint it on to see if it dries.
I scored this solid wood American Drew in off of Craigslist for $30. That’s like free for my area. Woohoo. Paint on the bottom, stain on the top! I’ll tell you my staining story next week.
have you had any success (or failures) with either custom tinted ASCP or mixing colors to achieve the one you want? If you have a post link it in the comments so we can all take a peek!
Have a great weekend everybody!
Nice job on the dresser. I have made my own black chalk paint and it is pure black. Just take 2 parts of any good black paint, and add 1 part of plaster of paris (mix the plaster w/a little hot water first to dissolve the lumps, then just mix in your paint. Works just as good as ASCP. I've used it dozens of times.
So clever! I love the dark charcoal color you created. The dresser is gorgeous! Great job!
Thanks for the tip Beth. I've been meaning to try making my own "chalk paint"! If you recommend your recipe…i'll have to give it a try.
Very nice! The dark wax will get the Graphite to an "almost" black, kind of like a matte black. I did some end tables that way and was suprised at how dark the wax made the color.
visiting from Tatertots and Jello. I've never experimented with mixing colors… except to add white to make a color stretch further for a room! 🙂 I do love the way the dresser turned out!
That is a dark and lovely dresser – sophisticated! Love it Jessica!
Stacey of Embracing Change
Thanks ladies! I was hoping to get it close to black without going the dark wax route. If I hadn't chickened out it may have worked! If I ever get to the point that I can eat the cost of a can maybe I'll try adding more. I was thinking of trying the pure black pigment powder as well.
I have about given up on a truer black chalk paint. However someone told me you can actually use chalkboard black paint and wax it. I have CeCe Caldwells slate chalk paint. It's not black either, but a very dark gray, so I'm thinking a bit of pigment in that and it would be black.
~Bliss~
One suggestion I have heard is adding 3 bottles of india ink to 1 quart of graphite, but no more than 3 bottles because it will mess with the integrity of the paint. I have a baby grand piano that I am going to do this to.
There are now also several other no prep paints on the market that sell truer black paints. I would probably try one of them if I needed a black paint again.