What exactly is this Chalk Paint stuff?

If you have been around various blogs over the last 2 months, you have seen the explosion in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

So, just what is IT that everyone is talking about?

Annie's paint really is like NO OTHER paint!

-Chalk paint is VERY EASY to use.

-Woodwork does not need Priming, Sanding, or ANY Preparation.

-Water based and eco friendly with extremely low VOCs, virtually no odor!

-Use on furniture, walls, floors, exterior surfaces, or on any surface.

-Gives walls a soft matte velvety finish or wax it for a polished plaster effect.

-Very highly concentrated in pigment to produce an extensive covering power

The chalk paint does not follow the rules, rather it allows you to work with it in an independent, intuitive and creative way.

Colors range from soft and pale to bright and strong. There are 24 very distinctive colors to pick from, but unlimited creative possibilities for achieving exactly the right tone. With the exception of Graphite, none of the chalk paint colors contain black pigment. This allows for mixing and combining colors and layering without the paint dulling or getting a dirty look. The colors are rich, with a palette based on 18th century European furniture. To age and give texture and dimension, simply apply the Annie Sloan waxes to show a patina of history.

Annie Sloan developed her own line of paints more than 20 years ago because she was unhappy with the uniformity of all other paints on the market. She was looking to create something that would have diverse uses and applications and colors that were true, rich and vibrant and did not rely on the use of black, which tends to dirty the color. Annie, a painter for over forty years, evolved towards decorative work and particularly studying and understanding color. Drawing on her knowledge of paint, pigments, love of color, and fine art training, she developed her now famous Chalk Paint.