Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Colors: The Complete Palette and Project Guide

The genius of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors is that the entire palette of roughly 40 shades is designed to be mixed and layered with one another, so you are never limited to what is on the shelf. Annie Sloan invented Chalk Paint in 1990 as a decorative furniture paint that grips almost any surface, wood, metal, laminate, even glass, with little to no prep. A quart-size tin runs about $40 and covers roughly 150 square feet, enough for a dresser or a couple of chairs. Here is how the palette breaks down and which colors to reach for.

What Makes Chalk Paint Different

Chalk Paint is not the same as chalkboard paint. It is a water-based decorative paint with a naturally matte, velvety finish that adheres without sanding or priming. That ease is the whole appeal: you can transform a thrift-store dresser in an afternoon without stripping the old finish. It also distresses beautifully, sanding back to reveal layers, and takes wax or lacquer as a topcoat for durability.

The Neutrals: Whites, Greys, and Earths

The backbone of the palette is its sophisticated neutrals, which sell fastest for good reason:

• Old White — a soft, warm antique white, the most popular shade for farmhouse and vintage looks.
• Pure White — a clean, crisp bright white with no undertone.
• Paris Grey — a soft blue-grey that reads calm and classic.
• French Linen — a warm greige, endlessly versatile.
• Coco — a warm mushroom brown-grey.
• Graphite — a soft near-black for dramatic pieces.

Old White and French Linen alone can carry an entire room of furniture, and both look expensive under a coat of clear wax.

The Blues and Greens

Annie Sloan’s blues and greens are among her most recognizable colors:

• Duck Egg Blue — the iconic soft blue-green that arguably built the brand’s fame.
• Louis Blue — a light, cheerful powder blue.
• Aubusson Blue — a deep, rich Prussian blue for statement pieces.
• Provence — a vivid turquoise-teal.
• Antibes Green — a bright, punchy emerald.
• Chateau Grey — a muted khaki green-grey.

Duck Egg Blue over a coat of Old White, then lightly distressed, is the classic shabby-chic look that never goes out of style.

The Bold and Warm Tones

For color that makes a room, the warm end of the palette delivers:

• Emperor’s Silk — a vibrant, true red, one of the boldest in the line.
• Barcelona Orange — a warm burnt orange for mixing rich earth tones.
• Arles — a golden yellow.
• Primer Red — a terracotta brick-red.
• Scandinavian Pink — a soft antique rose.

Mixing Your Own Custom Colors

Because every color in the range is intermixable, you can create infinite custom shades. A few classic recipes:

1. Old White + a touch of Graphite = a custom soft grey.
2. Duck Egg Blue + Old White = a paler, softer sky.
3. Emperor’s Silk + Graphite = a deep oxblood.
4. Arles + Old White = a creamy buttermilk.

Keep notes on your ratios so you can mix more if you run short mid-project. Annie Sloan even publishes a color card showing dozens of tested mixes.

Finishing: Wax vs. Lacquer

Chalk Paint needs a topcoat to seal and protect the porous matte finish. You have two main choices:

• Soft Wax (clear and dark): buffs to a soft sheen and deepens color. Dark wax adds an aged, antiqued look in the crevices. Wax is the traditional finish but needs occasional reapplication on high-use pieces.
• Chalk Paint Lacquer: a water-based sealer for tabletops, kitchen cabinets, and high-traffic surfaces that need more durability than wax provides.

Use lacquer on anything that gets wet or heavy daily use, like a kitchen table or bathroom vanity, and wax on decorative pieces.

Choosing Colors for Different Rooms

Because Chalk Paint works on furniture throughout the home, it helps to think about which shades suit which spaces. In a kitchen, the durable-when-lacquered blues and greens like Duck Egg or Chateau Grey give island and cabinet updates a soft, timeless feel. In a bedroom, the gentle neutrals, Old White, French Linen, and Paris Grey, create a calm, cottage retreat on a dresser or nightstand.

Living rooms can carry a bolder statement piece, an Aubusson Blue bookcase or an Emperor’s Silk accent cabinet, against neutral walls. Bathrooms benefit from the moisture resistance of a lacquered finish over a soft blue vanity. And for children’s rooms, the cheerful Louis Blue, Antibes Green, and Scandinavian Pink bring color that is easy to refresh as tastes change.

Distressing and Layering Techniques

Chalk Paint’s signature look comes from distressing and layering, and a few techniques deliver that vintage character reliably:

1. Two-color layering: paint a base coat of one color, let it dry, add a top coat of a second color, then sand back the edges to reveal the base beneath, mimicking decades of wear.
2. Dry brushing: drag a nearly dry brush of a lighter color lightly over a darker base to catch the raised grain and details.
3. Wet distressing: wipe back fresh paint with a damp cloth for a softer, less dusty distress than sanding.
4. Dark wax antiquing: work dark soft wax into carved details and crevices to add age and depth.

Focus distressing where natural wear would occur, edges, corners, around handles, so the aging looks authentic rather than random.

How Much Paint You Need

Chalk Paint covers efficiently, which softens the sting of the $40 quart price. One quart-size tin covers roughly 150 square feet, enough for a large dresser, a set of dining chairs, or a small bookcase, usually in two coats. A small project like a side table or a picture frame needs only a sample pot, sold for a few dollars.

Because the paint is intermixable and the neutrals are so versatile, a small collection of three or four tins, say Old White, French Linen, Graphite, and one accent color, can carry you through many projects and mix into dozens of custom shades. Buy the wax or lacquer topcoat separately and factor it into your budget, since the finish is essential to durability.

The Best-Selling Colors and Why

A handful of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors consistently outsell the rest, and it helps to know which ones earn their popularity. Old White leads because it flatters nearly every piece and every home style, reading as a warm, timeless antique white. Duck Egg Blue built the brand’s fame and remains iconic for its soft, versatile blue-green. Graphite serves as the go-to soft black for dramatic, modern pieces, and Paris Grey wins for its calm, endlessly usable blue-gray.

French Linen rounds out the top sellers as the perfect greige that bridges warm and cool schemes. If you are building a starter collection, these five, Old White, Duck Egg Blue, Graphite, Paris Grey, and French Linen, cover the widest range of projects and mix into countless custom shades. The bolder colors like Emperor’s Silk and Provence sell in smaller volumes because they are statement colors used for accents rather than whole-room neutrals.

Comparing Chalk Paint to Regular Paint

Homeowners often ask why they should pay $40 a quart for Chalk Paint when latex costs less. The answer is time and prep. Regular furniture painting demands sanding to scuff the old finish, priming to ensure adhesion, then multiple topcoats, a multi-day process. Chalk Paint grips most surfaces with little to no prep, dries fast between coats, and delivers that signature velvety matte finish latex cannot match.

The tradeoffs are real, though. Chalk Paint requires a wax or lacquer topcoat for durability, an extra step and cost, whereas some cabinet enamels are self-sealing. Chalk Paint also covers less area per dollar. For a quick, forgiving furniture transformation with a distinctive vintage finish, Chalk Paint wins on ease and character. For a hard, washable finish on kitchen cabinets that see daily abuse, a dedicated cabinet enamel or Chalk Paint sealed with lacquer is the more durable route. Match the product to the project and the wear it will endure.

Getting Started the Right Way

For your first project, keep it simple: clean the piece, stir the paint well, and apply two thin coats letting each dry about an hour. Sand lightly with fine paper if you want a distressed edge, then seal with clear wax buffed after 24 hours. Because Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors grip almost anything and forgive beginners, a tired side table can become a showpiece in a single afternoon, and the intermixable palette means your next project can be a color that exists nowhere but your own workshop.