Chalk paint.

What chalk paint actually is.

Chalk paint is a thick, mineral-rich matt paint that grips onto wood, melamine and even metal with little or no sanding and priming first — the main reason it took off with furniture upcyclers. It dries to a flat, chalky, slightly powdery finish that takes distressing and waxing beautifully, but on its own it isn't washable or particularly hard-wearing.

Annie Sloan created and trademarked the original “Chalk Paint”, and the name has since become shorthand for the whole category. B&Q, Homebase and Johnstone's all sell their own chalk-style or mineral matt paints at a lower price point, which perform similarly for most furniture and feature-wall jobs, though colour ranges and coverage vary.

Furniture, feature walls — and where it isn't right.

Chalk paint's natural home is furniture: chests of drawers, dining tables, kitchen cabinets and painted panelling, where its grip on old varnish and laminate saves hours of sanding. It also works well as a deliberately textured, matt feature wall in a low-traffic room like a dining room or snug.

It's the wrong choice for hallways, kitchens' walls, bathrooms or anywhere that gets touched, scuffed or wiped often — the soft, porous finish marks easily and doesn't clean well unless it's sealed properly, which changes its character.

Waxing and sealing it so it lasts.

Raw chalk paint needs a topcoat to survive real life. Traditional clear or dark furniture wax is rubbed in and buffed for a soft sheen and genuine protection, but it needs reapplying every year or two on anything handled often. A water-based sealer or varnish is more hard-wearing and a better choice for kitchen cabinets or anything that gets daily wear, though it loses some of the chalky matt look wax gives.

On walls, chalk-style paints are usually left unsealed for the flat, velvety look, which is exactly why they suit low-traffic rooms rather than busy ones.

When to call a decorator instead.

For a single piece of furniture, chalk paint is a genuinely good DIY project. Where it gets trickier — full kitchen cabinets, panelling, staircases or any surface that needs a flawless, even, sprayed finish — a decorator's prep and application make the difference between a Pinterest result and a patchy one. Get a free quote and we'll tell you honestly whether chalk paint or a proper sprayed finish suits what you're planning.