Annie Sloan vs Homemade paint

I think I have mentioned before that I love the Annie Sloan paint.  I love how it sticks to whatever you are painting and that it is so easy to distress and that when finished with wax the finish is absolutely beautiful!   The only thing about Annie Sloan paint that I don't like is the cost.....at $39 a quart it is quite expensive so....  I wanted to see for myself whether or not it is worth the price.  


There are recipes all over the internet for a paint you can mix up yourself that is supposed to be just like the Annie Sloan paint so I looked up recipes....I also looked for reviews and basically all I could find were people who would start their posts with I have never used AS paint but I love the knock off I can make myself.  Having decided on a recipe I carefully measured 1 Tablespoon of unsanded grout into a cup of latex paint.  (I purchased a cup with markers on it specifically for the purpose of mixing my on AS paint and started mixing and stirring.)  As I assumed would happen, the paint thickened slightly with the addition of the unsanded grout.  I added a couple drops of water to thin it out more to the consistency of the AS paint making it easily go onto the bench I was painting.    After applying the paint I lightly sanded everything and put on another coat....and then another coat and continue to sand between coats like I would do with the AS paint.  Finally, I distessed the piece with more sanding and came up with some conclusions.

• The paint continues to thicken if you don't use it all.  I had to add more water to the paint between coats
• I did not get as smooth a finish as I do with the AS paint. 
• It didn't distress as well as the AS paint but I didn't mind the difference there
• I needed 3 coats of the valspar and unsanded grout mixture to cover what I am pretty sure AS would have done in 2 coats
• It did not adhere to the surface as well as the AS paint does.  I initially bought the AS paint because I wouln't have to prime!

That said, it is not AS paint, nor is it a close knock off.  Was it acceptable?yes, it was ok.   Is it inexpensive?  Yes the price was certainly right.  I won't say I won't use it again.... But I still love Annie Sloan paint and I think it is worth the extra money it costs.


ps.....I do not work for, nor have any affiliation with AS paint company, I'm just a big fan of her paint and wanted to share the results of my experiment!


The photo is the bench I painted this weekend by using Valspar's Queen Anne's Lace and one Tablespoon of unsanded grout per cup of paint.