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Krylon Chalk Paint Video Review

Lowe’s Home Improvement dropped Valspar Chalky Finish Paint. Is Krylon Chalky Finish Paint a good replacement?

Looking at Krylon Chalky Finish paint and want to know how it performs?

To my surprise, Lowe’s dropped Valspar Chalky Finish Paint recently and I recommend it in one of my most loved paint tutorials.

Here I test to see the Krylon how it applies on wood, how I think it performs and if I think it is a good replacement to the Valspar brand chalk paint.

OK, talk about frustration when I learned that Lowe’s Home Improvement dropped a product I recommend and love.

Valspar Chalky Finish Paint was what I recommended and used to paint my stained dining room credenza.

It was a BIG makeover to paint this stained piece of furniture, but I LOVE how it completely transformed the  look of not only the credenza, but the room.

Before I Painted with Chalk Paint Stained Credenza

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Before Painting Stained Furniture with Chalk Paint

after painting stained furniture with chalk paint

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So now…my MOST IMPORTANT HOW-TO CHALK PAINT STAINED FURNITURE tutorial has become NULL and VOID because the product I used doesn’t exist.

It is no my DUTY to make sure I can confidently update this tutorial with a new chalk paint option.

PLUS I need to recommend an option that can be tinted into the color I chose!

Contains hand selected products, with affiliate marketing links where I may make a small commission if a purchase is made. {full disclosure here}

Krylon Chalky Finish Paint Review

Before I even purchased the Krylon at Lowe’s Home Improvement, my sincere HOPE was it was a quality replacement to the Valspar Chalky Finish Paint.

Why I thought this may be a possibility is because Sherwin Williams bought Valspar and Krylon is one of their brands.

Could it be possible it’s the same girl in a different dress? Please oh please!

FYI, I worked for Valspar for 5 years in the group that trained the Lowe’s paint staff…so I know a thing or two about paint 🙂

Head to head test of Krylon Chalky Finish Paint against my original can of Valspar Chalky Finish Paint:

  • Krylon Chalky Finish Paint test can in a factory tint Misty Gray
  • Valspar Chalky Finish Paint test can in a store tint Valspar, Sharkfin

I purchased a craft piece of wood for this test to see how the paint covered over a darker colored wood.

Plus the heavy wood grain gave me a good test to see how the paint really covered the wood itself.

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My test plan comparing the chalky paints:

  1. s the paint thick and the same viscosity as the Valspar brand?
  2. Does it apply easily and smoothly?
  3. When brushing onto the wood, does it easily cover in one coat?
  4. Is the paint flowing and leveling, so when dry it fully covers the surface?
  5. In general, does the Krylon Chalky Finish paint stand up to the Valspar Chalky Finish paint when dry?
  6. Plus paint furniture with the new chalk paint!

I applied both paints with exactly the same brush: Wooster Shortcut Nylon/Polyester Brush

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Painted with Krylon Chalky Finish Paint
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Clear Coated after Painting with Krylon Chalky Finish Paint

Krylon Chalky Finish Paint Video Review

The good news is I can CONFIDENTLY recommend the Krylon Chalky Finish Paint as a direct replacement to the Valspar Chalky Finish Paint.

This is great because now you have a good chalk paint option that can be tinted into 1,000s of colors or you can buy a pre-tinted color right off the shelf.

Tips for Painting Furniture with Chalk Paint

Please visit the FULL tutorial for how I painted my dining room credenza here:  Yes! You Can Use Chalk Paint Over Stain

Painting with chalk paint is a little different than regular paint, so I’ll provide some of my general tips.

  1. Chalk paint brands say you don’t need a primer
  2. Chalk paint requires a top coat to protect it and traditionally a wax is the go to option
    • I DON’T AGREE. My recommended top coat is a clear water-based matte polyurethane.
    • Painting over wax is risky due to possible adhesion issues. You would have to sand off the wax before painting-what a hassle!
    • You can chalk paint right over polyurethane without sanding.
  3. Chalk paint for cabinets?
    • Many will choose chalk paint thinking it is easier due to it being a no-sand option.
    • Well, guess what? You still need a top coat so it’s a BIG project to apply several layers.
    • INSTEAD I recommend Valspar Cabinet & Furniture Enamel: Valspar Cabinet & Furniture Enamel: What You Need to Know

So there are my two cents take it or leave it.

Many Annie Sloan or Amy Howard fans will argue with me, so you decide for yourself the product that is best for your project.

These are my experiences and I recommend what I believe will give you the best results.

Here are some other helpful painting posts you may enjoy:

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Until next time,

Porch Daydreamer

Tracey

2 Comments

  1. Thank you for your comparison. I was skeptical to trust Krylon as a replacement and hate buying and wasting my time plus ruining even a cheap piece just to find a dismal failure. I really appreciate your blog on this. Also I have to thank you for being maybe the only one to support me on NOT using wax to finish my chalk paint projects. Some of us are just not fit enough to go that step. Even though I love the look I have only waxed one buffet and it nearly killed me. I’m not saying I would never do it again but when you have limited use of your arms and hands a good matte or satin polycrylic is very nice as a top coat.

    1. Oh thank you! I’m so glad this helped…I’ve been trying to come up with a demo of why wax is a bad idea to share in a blog post too 🙂

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