Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've used Annie Sloan chalk paint for years and love it. It's expensive, though, so I'd tried a couple of different craft store 'chalk paint' offerings in hopes that they'd be a good (and cheaper) option. They weren't anywhere near the caliber of Annie Sloan's paints. When I noticed the positive reviews for Renaissance Chalk Paint, I decided to try some colors in the small 8 oz size before spending more money on the quart or gallon sizes. I started with Robin's Egg, Old Linen, Snow, and Argentine. So far, of the cans I've tried, I've found it fairly comparable to Annie Sloan's chalk paint. The paint brushes on with a similar texture and thickness. It also dries in a similar time frame (which, with chalk paint, is fairly fast). As with other good chalk paints, it can be sanded to allow bare wood or other paint layers to show through. Also, adding a final coat of dark antiquing (or other color) wax to any of the dried chalk paint colors will alter the color and give an interesting effect (just be sure to first use clear wax first before adding the dark or you'll get dark splotches). I did notice a couple of minor differences. The Renaissance paint seemed to cover a bit better than the Annie Sloan with the first coat. Also, the Renaissance paint seemed to leave a tiny bit more noticeable brush stroke marks. Of course, with chalk paint, those brush marks quickly disappear with a light swipe of fine-grit sandpaper after the paint has fully dried. One concern I may (or may not) have is the durability of Renaissance chalk paint. I've always been amazed at how well Annie Sloan chalk paint sticks to whatever I put it on--even with minimal prepping of the to-be-painted surface. Only time will tell if this Renaissance paint sticks as well without peeling. I'll alter my review if it doesn't hold up. Since Renaissance Chalk Paint is, unfortunately, in a similar price range to Annie Sloan (Renaissance only *slightly* less), I'm not likely to switch over from using Annie Sloan. However, Renaissance offers whole new color chart options besides those available in the A.Sloan line. So it gives me more color choices between the two different chalk paint brands. I'd assumed that the "Robin's Egg" color by Renaissance would be very close to A.Sloan's "Duck Egg," but the colors are actually very different (as you can see from my pic). The Annie Sloan "Duck Egg" (on the left) is a slightly darker greyed blue, while Renaissance's "Robin's Egg" is really quite blue with a slight greenish cast (maybe almost a turquoise). In fact, in a side-by-side comparison, the 'blueness' of the Renaissance paint makes the A.Sloan paint not appear blue at all. They're both very nice colors. To show some other color comparisons, I've painted some swatches of chalk paint in some grey/beige tones that are available in the two chalk paint manufacturer lines. I've labeled them with the brand name and color. The two in the middle are Renaissance choices -- one a cool grey (Argentine) and the other a warmer beigish-taupe (Old Linen). The Annie Sloan paint on bottom is a much more yellowish-beige color (although it's referred to as a grey -- Country Grey). The top color (AS's French Linen) is a darker grey/taupe.