How To Fix Blotchy Chalk Paint!

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More and more people are starting to use chalk paint in a number of different situations and as the popularity of chalk paint increases, so do the number of questions that we see people asking about using chalk paint. Over the last year or so, the surge in chalk paints popularity really has spiked the various questions avoid how you can get the best possible performance out of the paint.

One of the common things that we have noticed being asked time and time again is how to fix blotchy chalk paint as well as why chalk paint starts to blotch. As we have noticed so many people reaching out about these, we have decided to publish this dedicated article to try and help as many of our readers as possible.

Blotchy chalk paint is quite common but the causes of it are usually very easy to avoid in most cases if you know what to do. This is why blotchy chalk paint is more of an issue for beginners due to them not really understanding what they should be doing to get the best end result possible from their chalk painting.

Why Does My Chalk Paint Look Blotchy?

The most common causes of blotchy chalk paint due to painting on an unsuitable surface, only applying a single coat of your chalk paint, using a low quality chalk paint, and applying an uneven coat of paint. Thankfully, these are all quick and easy fixes that even a beginner can correct to prevent their chalk paint from blotching.

As with most things in life, prevention is much better than cure and you can almost always prevent your chalk paint from blotching if you do everything in your power to avoid the common causes listed above. The majority of them are free so there is no real effect on your budget and switching over to a higher quality chalk paint is usually only around $5 more than the cheaper low quality chalk paint formulas anyway.

Depending on your exact situation, you may only need to change one thing in your painting process for your chalk paint to avoid it blotching up and ruining your end result. On the flip side of this though, some people may have to implement as many of the suggestions in this article as possible to prevent their chalk paint from blotching up on them.

How To Fix Blotchy Chalk Paint!

You can often fix blotchy chalk paint by adding an additional coat of chalk paint to the surface or by ensuring that the coat of your chalk paint is as even as possible. Both as quick, easy, and cheap to do but usually totally remove the blotches from your chalk paint without any other steps being required.

Noticed how we didn’t mention anything about the surface in our paragraph above. Unfortunately, there are some surfaces out there where you will simply not be able to fix blotches in your chalk paint. This is down to the chalk paint not bonding correctly with the material rather than any issues with the quality of the paint or its application.

One thing you may be able to try depending on the type of surface that you are painting with chalk paint is to try and use a primer as a base layer and then apply your chalk paint on top of that. This can be hit and miss though due to some of the materials that struggle to bond with chalk paint also struggling to bond with paint primer too.

Paint On A Suitable Surface!

The unique formula that gives chalk paint its unique look and feel is fundamentally different to what you can expect from other paint formulas. So many beginners to using chalk paint are not aware of this and presume that chalk paint will perform well on all surfaces when some types of plastic as well as other surfaces usually cause chalk paint to blotch.

Now, we know that chalk paint can work on some plastic types but what many people don’t know is that there are actually seven different types of plastic. Most chalk paint formulas will work well on the three that are commonly used for garden furniture although flaking may be an issue but they will blotch on the other four types of plastic.

Thankfully, the other four types of plastic are not commonly used as garden furniture or decorations so it is less common for people to try use chalk paint on them. In addition to that, there may also be issues with glass and other surfaces too. If your chalk paint is blotching due to the surface you are painting on, the only thing that you can really try is a paint primer but they may not work either.

Use A Decent Chalk Paint!

So many people make this mistake and we know that some people are on tight budgets but the majority of decent chalk paint products on the market right now are usually only $5 to $10 more than the cheaper paint formulas. The better chalk paint products tend to be much better at preventing blotching in most cases, even on surfaces that can commonly cause problems for chalk paint.

On top of the lower risk of your paint blotching, there is also less chance of your paint fading from the UV light from the sun too. As most people tend to use their chalk paint on surfaces that are outside of their home and in direct sunlight all day, this is definitely worth factoring in.

Another common mistake that people often make outside of their paint blotching is presuming that white chalk paint can’t fade in color due to it being white. This is not correct and low quality white chalk paint products will usually be able to fade from UV light and turn either grey or yellow over time depending on what they use for their pigment in the paint.

You Have Only Applied A Single Coat Of Paint!

So many people seem to apply one single coat of chalk paint to whatever item they are painting and expect the best possible performance out of their paint. Although this can happen, it is rare and conditions really do have to be perfect. The majority of the time you will need at least two or even three coats of chalk paint to prevent blotches from forming.

Depending on the surface you are painting as well as the weather conditions you may even need to apply four or more coats but this is rare. Our recommendation would be to apply at least two coats while ensuring that the first coat is totally dry prior to applying the second coat and then you can adjust from there if needed by adding a third coat once the second coat is dry.

We can’t stress how important it is that you wait for each of your coats of chalk paint to dry prior to applying the next coat. Although applying a fresh coat over a wet coat will not cause your paint to blotch, it can cause it to peel and flake quickly.

Use An Even Coat Of Paint!

Another common cause of your chalk paint blotching is that the paint has not been applied in an even coat. Unlike the other common causes above, if your issue is due to the coat of paint not being even then this is usually obvious as there will be other signs that there is issues with how even the coat is.

Applying additional coats on top of the uneven coat can help prevent this as well as help to prevent your chalk paint from blotching too. If you are having problems keeping your coats as even as possible then a paint roller or paint sprayer can be a quick and easy fix.

There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube showing you how to evenly apply chalk paint with a brush though. Although it does take a little practise, it really is a simple skill to learn and it may serve you well in the future too with other home decor projects so it can be worth putting the time in to learn how to apply an even coast of paint with a brush.

Conclusion

That brings our article going over how to fix blotchy chalk paint to an end. We hope that you have found the article helpful and that our tips and tricks explained above have been able to help you understand how you should be going about preventing blotches from forming in your chalk paint. It does tend to be easy once you know what is actually causing your chalk paint to blotch and most beginners will be able to prevent it without issue.