Can You Use Chalk Paint In a Paint Sprayer?

Usually, chalk paints are applied with a paintbrush, but can you use chalk paint in a paint sprayer?

One of the best methods to apply chalk paint to a surface is by using a sprayer. This will make the process easier and the finishing more seamless. It will also cover the surface with pretty smooth coats of paint while avoiding the marks that brushes usually leave.

Chalk paints are great for applying to different large and small furniture projects like chairs, cabinets, dressers, etc. But most people don’t know that the paint can be applied with so much more diversity if they used a sprayer instead. Let’s dive into some facts about that!

What Is Chalk Paint?

Chalk style paint can be categorized as water-based paint that develops its color from various natural pigments and slaked lime.

When it comes to eco-friendliness, chalk paint is usually put at the top. Manufacturers also might be using natural solvent instead of synthetic binding agents to make the paint more natural. A wide range of people regularly uses chalk paint for different purposes.

The chalk paint finishing can be described as a powdery, smooth finish with very few streaks and marks. It also provides the surface with a porous finish without getting inside the product but merely resting on top.

Chalk paint is an excellent choice for furniture makers because of its easy sanding capability and water-solubility.

Use Cases of Chalk Paint

The coverage of chalk painting goes from different absorbent surfaces like wood or clay to even non-absorbent surfaces like metal and glass.

Chalk Paint

For decoration of different pieces of furniture and coating them with colors, chalk paint is a great option that you can look out for.

Chalk paints are also perfect contenders for wood furniture because of their minimal soaking and low time requirement for drying. For example, cabinets, drawers, dressers, etc., look great with a chalk paint finish.

These paints are also getting pretty famous nowadays for walls.

People used emulsion-style paints before to color the wall of their houses. But this process had some problems like producing alcohol odor, requiring a longer time for drying, and paint marks that rarely go away after the job is finished.

However, chalk paints are great for walls because of their vibrant colors, matte finish, and accessible applications.

Chalk paints also look great on mineral surfaces. Different ceilings, plasters, stone structures, and concrete walls can be easily painted using chalk paint sprayers.

Use Chalk Paint in Paint Sprayer

The substrate binds to the surface pretty well without any hassle. For outdoor uses, chalk paints are getting more and more practical with their increased weather resistance.

So, the choice of using chalk paint for your next project should be a no-brainer.

Sprayer or Brush: Which One is More Effective?

For chalk paints, you can get away with using any one of them.

But using a brush or roller comes with its own set of problems. For example, using a brush a chalk paint leaves an impression of the brush that has been used. You can’t get a smooth finishing by using a roller or a brush.

On the other hand, using a paint sprayer like Wanger Flexio 990 gives you a much nicer finish because you can apply the paint without any sort of physical contact.

Another benefit is the faster drying time because of the optimum usage of the paint. It is also very time effective and can easily reach areas where brushes can hardly do anything.

So from a usability perspective, chalk paints can reach their full potential only when applied with an optimal paint sprayer or spray gun.

Can You Use Chalk Paint In A Paint Sprayer

How To Spray With Chalk Paint

How can you effectively spray with chalk paint to get the perfect result? Here are all the details that you’ll need.

Tools Required

  • Bucket of chalk paint
  • Water
  • Sprayer gun
  • Mask

The Steps to Spray with Chalk Paint

  1. Fill the spray gun with chalk paint approximately halfway through the barrel.
  2. Start mixing some water carefully with the paint. Only drop a little bit of water at a time, and stir it up gently. Make sure the paint is appropriately mixing with the water.
  3. After you’re done mixing the paints, time to prepare your spray gun. You would want to keep the tip of the gun facing downward at default.
  4. Now connect the gun portion with the pot. The optimal method is to keep them both on a flat surface like a table while you connect them both. Make sure the connection is tight and secured.
  5. Next, connect the gun with the turbine tube.
  6. Decide the direction you want to spray at. For streaming from left to right, you want to make sure the nozzle is horizontally placed. It should be kept vertical if you decide to paint up and down, though.
  7. Turn the flow dial to 2 and start spraying on a test surface with the gun. Make sure the paint is in the right consistency and everything is working as you intended.
  8. When everything is satisfactory, time to get onto the business; you should put on a face mask before any kind of painting application. Small paint fragments can end up in your lungs through your nose, which might cause breathing problems.
  9. Time to jump into some painting action! Start with the tricky, hard-to-reach areas. Then, apply the paint linearly and with consistency to get the best result. For the best coverage, you want to overlap each of the lines at least halfway through the previous line so that everything looks uniform.
  10. Apply a second coat of paint after the first coat of paint has dried off.
  11. Finally, after the paint has been set, apply the lacquer by using a sprayer gun or roller.

Finding Good Chalk Paint Sprayers

People think that to get an excellent paint finish on to stuff, you need to be a professional painter with years of experience. But the reality is you can get some pretty decent results if you know which paint sprayer to buy, along with some patience while painting.

Some of the best handheld paint sprayers in the market are made by manufacturers like Wagner, HomeRight, Greco Magnum, to name a few. They all have some similar characteristics like the ease of use, excellent spread, versatility, etc.

Making the Chalk Painting Stick

After you’re finished with spraying chalk paint to one of your dream DIY projects, now it’s time for you to wait. Once the painting gets dry, there is a crucial step remaining that many people forget to do.

After the paint has been dried off completely, you need to seal off the painting for long-lasting durability. Without applying any kind of sealant to the painting, it would get scuffed off very easily.

So you might need to repaint your whole project within a few months if you somehow forget to seal off the surface.

How to Seal a Chalk Paint?

The overall process is relatively easy to go through. One of the most famous methods that have been used for sealing off the paint is to apply wax on the surface. Many reputable chalk paint brands like Rust-Oleum, Annie Sloan, and Behr have their wax made optimally to be used with the paints.

Here’s how you apply wax to seal off the surface of chalk paint

You start by opening the bottle of resin and apply the wax to a rag. After applying it to a rag, you use the rag to coat the paint’s surface slowly and carefully. Of course, you’d want to make sure the wax is adequately applied all over the surface.

Now, wait for 15-20 minutes for the wax to get dry. After the wax gets dry, buff the whole surface with a clean rag.

The wax will not only protect your paint for longer but will make the paint with a soft sheen that is very attractive to the eyes.

Conclusion

Chalk paint is an excellent type of paint because of its matte finishing, low drying time, versatility, wide range of applications, and many more. However, the paint reaches its full potential only when used with a good quality paint sprayer.

We hope to give a satisfactory answer to the question, “can you use chalk paint in a paint sprayer?” So, if you’re thinking about using chalk paint, definitely keep the choice of using a spray gun at the top of your list. All the best with your paint project! Also if you want to know about Best handheld Paint Sprayer you can check our this article too.

About Lewis Traylor

Lewis Traylor is a certified Paint Sprayer Specialist who has been in the business for over 10 years. He has worked on both residential and commercial projects, and has a passion for making sure every job is done right. He takes pride in his work, and it shows in the quality of his finished product. He is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure his customers are happy with the end result.

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