It can be a neutral, dropping into the background, or it can be the shining star of a color scheme." Related: 12 Earth-Tone Paint Colors That Will Make Your Home Feel Grounded and Serene Louis Blue ...

For a long time, I used to be so intimidated to even think about painting things, then I learned about chalk paint. Take a look at these easy chalk paint projects and ideas anyone can do.

A Chalk Paint dresser, showing the range of color mixing and highlighting Barcelona Orange and Greek Blue from top to bottom. Image Courtesy of Julia Duke at Susan Becher & Associates/Annie Sloan.

Paint the second color on the top Apply a generous coat of the fired clay chalk paint over the yellow to cover the whole tabletop. Yes, paint right over the wax resist rubbed on earlier. Allow it ...

1. Mix up a batch of chalk. Using a ratio of 1 part warm water to 1 1/2 parts Plaster of Paris, stir together as much wet chalk as you want in a certain color. Add paint, squirt by squirt, until ...

Photo by R. Stephanie Bruno -- Color samples. Photo by R. Stephanie Bruno -- Paintbrushes create texture in milk paint or chalk paint. Photo by R. Stephanie Bruno -- A painted buffet.

The last step is to apply two coats of polyurethane. This is the fun part to me — when you apply the polyurethane, it makes the chalk paint color come alive! What a difference a quart of paint made!

Or, you can leave it the natural paint color and apply a light clear wax. Chalk paint requires a top coat of sealer. You can use either a polyurethane sealer, or a wax. To add some detail and ...

She loved the outcome so much she even used the Chalk Paint on her floor. “I always love the look of a patterned cement tile, but that was a down-the-line investment,” she wrote. “I realized ...