Hiya friends! And happppppppy Monday to you. Today’s post is one I’ve been thinking about doing for quite a while now and it’s a comparison between the Annie Sloan chalk paint vs the Rust-Oleum chalked paint. Now you guys know I’ve been a big fan of the Annie Sloan chalk paint for a looooong time. I’ve been using it for about six years now and I even wrote a post about my top ten chalk painting tips, which you can check out here if you’re interested. It’s actually what led me to fall in love with painting furniture in the first place.
Recently I’ve been growing more curious about some of the alternatives that are popping up on the market, like the Rust-Oleum chalked paint. I picked it up at Home Depot about a month ago and I’ve used it on a few small things here and there. Well this weekend I was in the mood for a little painting fun so I decided to do a side-by-side comparison between these two products. I grabbed an old table that worked perfectly for this little experiment and I got to work. I was actually pretty surprised at some of my observations and I’m excited to share the results with you fine folks today!
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint vs Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint- Covering the Basics
Now before I get into the comparison, I want to start with sharing a few basics about both paints in case you’re not familiar with chalk paint.
- Both the Annie Sloan chalk paint and the Rust-Oleum version allow for minimal prep work. No sanding is required, no primer needed. You just grab your piece of furniture and start painting.
- Can be applied to a variety of surfaces, such as wood, glass, metal, ceramic, and even plastic.
- Can be easily distressed for a vintage look.
- Both are low-odor and easy to clean up.
- Both are supposed to dry in a matte finish.
- The Annie Sloan chalk paint retails for $34.95 for 32 oz and can generally only be purchased at a painting boutique or shop.
- The Rust-Oleum chalk paint retails for $17.83 for 30 oz and can be purchased on Amazon, as well as many home improvement stores.
Comparing the 2 Brands
Okie dokie. Let’s do this comparison! Here’s the table I used for this project. I chose this one because of its dark finish and the fact that there’s some damage on the top. First of all, I wanted to see how well these paints would cover the scuffs and markings. I used the Annie Sloan paint in Old White and the Rust-Oleum paint in Linen White. I applied both with a regular paint brush.
Here goes the first coat of paint. I did no sanding or prep work on this table before I started painting. I put Annie Sloan on the right side of the table and the Rust-Oleum on the left side of the table.
Thoughts After First Coat of Paint
- Both had very similar coverage and went on fairly streaky for this first coat, as you can see. The Rust-Oleum paint claims that a “1-coat coverage allows projects to be completed easily”, but that’s obviously not the case. Both offered decent coverage on the first coat, but both sides definitely needs a second coat as you can see.
- I noticed right away that the Annie Sloan chalk paint has a much thicker consistency, while the Rust-Oleum paint reminded me of normal latex paint.
- Between the two, I felt like the Rust-Oleum paint was easier to work with and easier to apply due to the fact that it isn’t as thick.
- The Annie Sloan paint dries in a a very rough, dry finish while the Rust-Oleum is more of a semi-matte, smooth finish.
Now let’s move on to the second coat of paint:
Thoughts After Two Coats of Paint
- Both sides dried completely in about 20 minutes and were ready for the second coat.
- I found the second coat of Annie Sloan paint a little harder to apply compared to the Rust-Oleum paint. I think the difference was largely due to the fact that I was painting on such a dry, matte surface from that first coat. The second coat seemed to cake up for me a bit, which I have experienced in the past with Annie Sloan paint. If you look closely you can see how it caked up in the top photo above.
- Since the Rust-Oleum paint dried in a more semi-matte, smooth finish I found it a lot easier to apply the second coat.
- The Annie Sloan paint seemed to offer a bit more coverage on the second coat.
- Both covered the damage/scuffs on the table really well.
- I was able to easily distress each with sandpaper for a vintage look.
Here’s the finished look of my little table:
Overall Thoughts on the Annie Sloan vs. Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint
- Overall I’d say these two paints are extremely similar. However, if I had to pick just one I’d go with the Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint. I’m honestly a little surprised by that, just because I’ve loved Annie Sloan paint for so many years now, but I really do think this version from Rust-Oleum is just as good after going through this comparison. And you can’t beat the price-it’s almost half the cost, which is a HUGE savings. It’s easy to apply, it adheres well, the finish is smooth, and it’s overall a really great option.
- Both brands also offer a protective top coat or wax, which is supposed to seal the paint and help protect against damage. I think you could get away with not using it with the Rust-Oleum paint. It dries to a very smooth finish that is actually really nice. I’m just not sure how helpful that would be. And to be really honest with you guys, I don’t think the Annie Sloan wax makes much of a difference either. You might remember that I chalk painted our bathroom vanities and after that experience, I can say the wax doesn’t do much “protecting” in my personal opinion. Not only is it crazy expensive, but I don’t think it does much at all other than smooth down the rough, dry finish. You can read about that fiasco with our bathroom vanities here.
- The only real limitation I see with the Rust-Oleum paint is that you don’t have a large color selection. It looks like Amazon currently offers seven different colors, whereas Annie Sloan has three to four times that many.
My Final Thoughts
All right, that was a LONG one folks. I’m going to stop here, but I hope you found my side-by-side comparison between the Annie Sloan chalk paint and the Rust-Oleum chalked paint helpful. Let me know if you have any questions at all about my review or about these two paints. You know I’m always happy to help!
You might also enjoy these other posts:
Review of the Rust-Oleum Chalky Spray Paint
Review of Chalk Painted Bathroom Vanities
Dining Table Makeover with Chalk Paint
