Craaaaazy Idea - Chalk Paint?

[Bridie]

Don't shoot me.  Hear me out     After a long hiatus I'm looking at getting back into restoring my WE 202.  I'd stripped the crappy paint off the metal body months ago and haven't done anything with it.  I was originally going to spray paint it but would need to do that outside and it's getting a tad chilly for that, and to be honest I just can't seem to get the knack of spray painting. And baking it in my oven is out of the question.  So I thought...what about black chalk paint?  Not chalkboard paint, but proper chalk paint, as in Annie Sloane or DecoArt Americana Decor.  Now, I'm not talking about doing distressing, crackle finish or any of that other crappy "shabby chic" stuff - I mean just plain old painting by hand, light sanding between coats for a smooth finish, and then adding a very faint sheen with some sort of protective coat.  The paint on those phones is meant to be matte anyway, right?


Am I completely crazy to think chalk paint might do the job?  Feedback appreciated 


PS: I know generally chalk paint works on metal since I recently painted an old mogul lamp whose metal was too far gone to be saved.  Just don't know if it would look good on a vintage phone.

[.....]

I say go for it. If it looks good then nothing lost and if you don't like it, start over again. There have been people out there painting their phones for years. Some good and some not so good. What do you have to lose? There's nothing like a good educational project.   

Doug

[WesternElectricBen]

It is an interesting idea, but here is two things to consider before you go ahead.

1. You seemed to spend a lot of time cleaning up the base, and it would not be wise to mess it up now/ not like the finished product. I would recommend finding a like metal to try it on.
2. I have never used chalk paint, but I wonder how durable it is? You might want to compare that to a good paint job/powder coating.

Ben

[NorthernElectric]

The paint on those phones is meant to be matte anyway, right?

I don't think so.  You'll probably want at least a semi-gloss.  And if you're planning to cover over the chalk paint to give it a 'faint sheen' anyway, why not skip the chalk paint altogether?

There are primers and paints formulated for metal finishing that you can apply with a brush if your main concern is dealing with paint overspray.  Most of these should be used with 'adequate ventilation' due to VOC fumes.  If that's a problem, there are low/no VOC paints designed to finish metal.

Whatever you decide, keep us posted with photos and details of products used!  I have a couple of phone refinishing projects myself that I didn't find the time for yet and probably won't until January.   

[Bridie]

Thanks for the responses guys - very much appreciated. Some very good points raised! 

Doug, I agree - what have I got to lose? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  Chalk paint is very easy to strip, so it wouldn't be too much trouble to remove it if I don't like it.  Much easier than the original paint which took alot of hard slog to get rid of.  Mind you, I am extremely commitment-phobic on some of these projects and I'm afraid if I don't like my first effort, it may get put away for another year before I venture another attempt.  I've got lamps that have been waiting a couple of years to be finished and wired :embarrassed:

Ben, that's a very good question about the durability of chalk paint.  There is some debate about that, but I've had some good experiences, myself.  I painted an old mogul lamp with chalk paint (Martha Stewart brand) a couple of months ago.  I haven't gotten around to putting a clear coat (wax or poly) on it but the paint doesn't come off when I scrape a fingernail across the metal.  I'm delighted about this, considering I'd originally spray painted the lamp with a good brand paint, only to have it chip off and have to strip the whole thing, and the last time I used a primer made for metal it didn't adhere at all.  

Cliff, yeah, unfortunately I live in an apartment - with an asthmatic cat - so need to avoid working with anything with fumes.  Can you recommend any low/no VOC paints designed to finish metal?  I'd be interested in checking those out.  I'll definitely take photos and post details of my experiments.

Meanwhile if anyone else has feedback please feel free to chime in - all opinions very much appreciated

[NorthernElectric]

Can you recommend any low/no VOC paints designed to finish metal?

Not personally, no.  I have never used any, but was familiar with the concept so I googled 'low voc metal paint' a bit after reading your topic.  When you're looking at the search hits, make sure they are for finishing metal surfaces, and not metallic paint.  These days Google thinks I'm too stupid to type exactly what I am searching for and throws in lots of crap.  Also, some of the search hits will point to pages that list low voc latex house paint on the same page as pait for metal that is not low voc.

A couple that I thought were promising were TCI Coatings Aqua Clad High-Solids DTM Enamels and IVY Coatings Direct To Metal, but I am no expert.  You will have to determine if either of these products or others that you see in the search link or from your own research are available in/can be tinted black, availability in Canada, etc.

[Bridie]

Thanks Cliff, I appreciate it.  I'll check those out and look at availability here in Canada.