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DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint {includes 3 recipes!}

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint {includes 3 recipes!}

SIDEWALK PAINT CHALK

I wanted to write this post for those of you searching out out diy sidewalk paint recipes because when I was figuring out what to include and testing certain things- some mind blowing tips came up that HAD to be shared!

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We tried two different styles- sidewalk chalk ice and sidewalk chalk paint.

I’ve included all the recipes and some tips to save you time and frustration. Whenever I find recipes that make it seem super easy and fun to do- I’m skeptical.

It’s easy to suck people in with “try my SUPER EASY recipe- it’s so EASY and your kids can do it too!

Okaayyyyyyy…… Hope that’s true!

I will tell you what is easy, what’s not and what you can just skip because who wants to grate a piece of chalk on their cheese grater with their toddler? Not me 🙂

When you have kids you NEED things to be quick and as painless as possible!

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure at the bottom of the page.

Does it wash off?

Yes! These recipes are made from chalk or cornstarch and food coloring. Don’t go too crazy on the food coloring and you should be fine 🙂

What can I use instead of sidewalk chalk?

Equal parts water and cornstarch mixed with your choice of food coloring makes for an excellent alternative to chalk. It’s a lot of fun to paint on the sidewalk with old paint brushes!

Can you use flour instead of chalk or cornstarch?

Mix either equal parts flour with water or 1:1.5 (example 1 cup flour to 1.5 cups water) and add food coloring. Stir and paint!

This is a great option if you don’t have cornstarch to use but in all honesty it’s just not as bright and doesn’t dry as vibrant as the cornstarch paint or the chalk paint.

I don’t want to make it- can I buy it?

Yep!

This is a full kit with brushes, rollers, paints and paint markers with refills for the paints.

This set comes with 8 colors, 2 brushes and 2 foam rollers.

Neon sidewalk chalk paints with a brush.

And here is a set of colorful kids paint brushes!

washable sidewalk chalk paint
Cornstarch paint
sidewalk paint chalk
Ice chalk paint
chalk paint for sidewalk
Sidewalk chalk paint

I DO NOT recommend the recipe below for ice chalk. It was time consuming and they did not “paint” well at all. The popsicle sticks came out too quickly and then there was no handle. Kind of fun to watch them melt but NOT worth the amount of time it took to make.

However I do think it’s worth it to follow the recipe and use it as paint instead of freezing if you are really set on using sidewalk chalk!

Yield: 1 tray

Sidewalk Ice Chalk

Sidewalk Ice Chalk

Ice chalk for fun summer days! Sidewalk chalk paint frozen into ice cubes with popsicle stick handles.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 piece of sidewalk chalk, ground finely
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2-4 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Blend a piece of chalk in your blender on high speed until it's a fine dust with no lumps.
  2. Whisk together with the cornstarch and water until smooth.
  3. Repeat for all colors you'd like to use.
  4. Pour into an ice cube tray.
  5. Wrap the tray carefully with cling wrap (I did a double layer.) The cling wrap will keep the popsicle sticks upright.
  6. Carefully make a slit with an exacto knife and stick the popsicle sticks in. (Feel free to use a toothpick instead but we found popsicle sticks make better handles.)
  7. Place in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours, preferably overnight.
  8. Paint!

Notes

It seems to work better if the cement is already wet before paint with the chalk cubes so throw a bucket of water down first! (note: these do not work as well as we had hoped. Please see the other recipe or use this one but skip the freezing and use as paint!)

I found a lot of recipes that said to grate the chalk with a cheese grater- that wasn't for me! It was way too time consuming. A blender does a much quicker job 🙂 Just blend on high until there are no chunks left!

The amount of water will depend on how big your piece of chalk was- play around with the consistency you like.

I DO recommend the recipe below because it is EASY and QUICK to make and fun for kids to use!

Yield: 2 cups

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Sidewalk chalk paint makes for super vibrant and fun summer painting! Completely washable and easy to make.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • Food coloring

Instructions

  1. Mix the water and cornstarch together, whisk until no lumps remain.
  2. Divide into desired containers (or use a muffin tin) and die each container desired colors.
  3. Paint!

Notes

You will have to stir the mixture well and keep stirring every so often because the cornstarch will harden slightly at the bottom.

We used 2-5 drops of food coloring per color!

More fun kids activities:

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