Waverly Chalk Paint Review

Is Waverly the best chalk paint out there? Or is it a waste of money? This is my Waverly chalk paint review.

Short on Time? Here’s the Key Takeaway

Waverly used to be amazing for the price. It was a good deal. It’s not the best quality out there but it’s acceptable. I made a long post about the best chalk paints and Waverly didn’t make the list. The main problem is that their color selection is a bit smaller than some of the other brands. I would actually recommend getting Folk Art instead. It’s basically the same quality as Waverly but for a fraction of the price. I’ve tested it and it works. Save yourself a trip to Walmart by getting Folk Art chalk paint online.

What Is Chalk Paint?

Chalk paint, also known as “chalky paint” or “chalk style paint”, is a decorative paint that has become very popular with both DIY crafters and professional interior designers. This type of paint has a very distinctive flat matte, chalky appearance once it dries. With a little bit of light sanding, you can transform any piece of furniture into a vintage-style distressed piece that looks like a family heirloom.   

Waverly Chalk Paint vs. Annie Sloan and Other Chalk Paint Brands

Chalk paint was first invented in 1990 by the artist/interior designer Annie Sloan. Since then, this type of paint has steadily gained popularity. There are now dozens of paint brands that manufacture similar products. Her brand of chalk paints, wax sealants, and accessories are considered to be top-of-the-line.

Waverly Inspirations Chalk Paint is a product manufactured by Waverly, Inc. Waverly is a well-known home decor and lifestyle brand that has been around since 1923. Waverly Inspirations Chalk Paint is a budget-friendly paint that comes in colors synonymous with the “Waverly look” of interior design.

Let’s Look at These Two Different Chalk Paint Brands

Both Waverly and Annie Sloan have a good variety of color choices. Waverly comes in 28 different colors, and Annie Sloan has 42 colors to choose from. The selection from Annie Sloan has more neutral colors than Waverly. 

One very nice thing about the Waverly paint line is that the colors are designed specifically to complement Waverly brand fabrics and home decor. So, if you’re decorating a room with Waverly brand linens or accent pillows, it should be easy to find the perfect Waverly chalk paint color to match your decorating scheme.

Both brands describe their paints as not needing any preparation before painting. You can just open the can, give it a quick stir, and begin your painting project. However, with any brand of chalk style paint, if you’re applying it to a glossy surface a light sanding will help the paint stick better.

The first noticeable difference between these two brands of paint will be the texture. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is thick, but easily spreadable. The Waverly brand of paint is very thick. It’s almost the consistency of yogurt! Fortunately chalk style paints are water-based, so you can thin the Waverly paint with just a little bit of water. You need to be careful not to add too much water, or your paint will dry with streaky looking visible brush strokes.  A good method for thinning overly thick chalk paint is to pour some of the paint into a disposable bowl or paper plate, then spray it with water from a spray bottle. Stir it up, then spray again if it still seems too thick. If the thicker consistency isn’t something you mind, you don’t even need to thin it out if you don’t want to. Of course, one advantage to having thicker chalk paint is that you can get good coverage with just one coat on some projects.

How Quickly Does Waverly Chalk Paint Dry?

Both the Waverly and Annie Sloan chalk paints apply very smoothly and dry quickly. They should be dry to the touch in approximately one hour. Whether you need a second coat of paint or not will depend mostly on the surface you’re painting. Once they dry, there is very little difference in appearance, other than colors.

If you want to distress your project with a bit of light sanding, the Waverly brand seems to require a little bit less pressure than Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Both of these brands can be sealed with a wax sealant. In fact, both Waverly and Annie Sloan sell their own brands of wax for this purpose. The Waverly brand of wax doesn’t apply quite as smoothly as Annie Sloan’s brand, so it might take a little more effort to get it buffed to a nice even coverage. In spite of it being described as a wax, the Waverly brand is more like a thick liquid wax, while the Annie Sloan brand is more of a solid wax product.

How Much Does Waverly Chalk Paint Cost?

Waverly Chalk Paint is considered a “budget” brand. It is sold in 8 fluid-ounce size bottles, at a price of just $6.98 a bottle! Compare that price to Annie Sloan paint, which sells at $46 for a liter can, and you can see why Waverly is a great bargain. Four bottles of Waverly brand (approximately one liter) will cost you just $27.92. 

Waverly Chalk Paint Wax also sells for $6.98 per 8-fluid-ounce bottle. Since you only need a small amount of wax to seal even a large painted piece, one bottle should be enough for a couple of projects.

Waverly also sells its own brand of paint brushes made especially for the application of chalk paint and wax. A pair of these brushes sell for a very reasonable price of $14.12.

Where To Buy Waverly Chalk Paint

Waverly Chalk Paints and associated products are sold primarily at Walmart. They can be found in Walmart stores, as well as being available to order from Walmart.com. Additionally, there are a few of paints available to order from Amazon.com. 

Pros and Cons of Waverly Chalk Paint

Just because Waverly is a bargain, doesn’t mean it isn’t a good quality product. Here are some of the pros and cons of Waverly Chalk Paint.

Pros:

The biggest advantage of choosing Waverly Chalk Paint is the price. It’s a bargain at under $10 per bottle, especially when compared with many designer chalk paints. The eight-ounce bottles seem small, but this paint has good coverage so you might not need to use as much of it. The smaller bottles are also nice if you are working on a smaller project and don’t want to buy more paint than you’ll need. 

The color selection is great. While Waverly might not have as many colors as other brands of chalk-style paint, the colors they do have are quite nice. It’s a good mix of neutrals and brighter shades. The best part of their color collection is that they are made to complement the Waverly fabrics and linens. This makes it fun and easy to achieve a designer look for any room of your home.

Waverly Paint is easy to use. You can literally open a bottle up and start painting. Because it is thicker than other brands of chalk style paint, many people like to thin it out with a little bit of water. Thicker paint usually means you can cover some projects in just one coat, so you might be using less paint than a brand where you have to apply two to three coats of paint.

Even though it is only sold at Walmart and Amazon, you can order it online from either if you don’t want to physically go to the store. Shipping is fast from either location, so you won’t have to wait long to get started on your chalk paint project. You can also place an online order from Walmart and have it ready for pickup on the same day.

Like most chalk style paints, Waverly is water-based. You won’t have to use any solvents to clean your brushes and work area; you can clean everything with warm soapy water.

Cons:

Waverly has a really good color selection, but it’s not as extensive as other brands. If you’ve got a  “perfect” shade in your head that you’re having trouble finding, you might end up having to buy a more expensive brand.

The smaller bottle size isn’t really a huge disadvantage, but if you plan to paint a large piece of furniture and know you’ll need a larger quantity of paint, it would be nice to be able to just buy one larger bottle instead of several smaller sizes.

Even though purchasing from Walmart or Amazon is pretty convenient, it would be nice if Waverly paints were available from more sellers. Being able to buy it at large craft stores and home improvement stores might be easier for people who don’t want to order online, or who don’t live especially close to a Walmart.

Conclusion for Waverly Chalk Paint

Overall, Waverly Inspirations Chalk Paint is a good product at a budget-friendly price. If you’re new to using chalk style paints, you can try the technique using Waverly brand without having to spend a lot of money right away. The Waverly brand of wax sealant and specialty brushes are also very affordable.

For a “budget” paint, the end results look pretty good! Waverly paint is perfect for transforming older furniture and home accent pieces. Pair your painted projects with Waverly fabrics, and your home will look like it was decorated by a professional interior design expert! You’ll get a nice smooth, matte finish with Waverly paint that can easily be distressed and buffed to a velvety sheen with their brand of wax sealant.  The end results can appear just as nice as what you’ll get with many higher priced chalk style paints.