Fusion Mineral Paint: Is it Worth Your Money and Time?
Fusion Mineral Paint seems to be exploding over the internet. Like one big plume of mineral color (and a pretty plume at that). What is the hype about one little container of paint? Is it worth it? And which Fusion Mineral Paint colors should I choose?
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Dear mama– we are too busy to explore and experiment with paints. So you can imagine the surprise to Jordan when I said “I bought a paint that I’m seeing everywhere. I want to give it a try… on the biggest piece of furniture we own. 😉 “
To manage your expectations of my painting expertise, I’m a complete, impatient novice. Utter beginner. Big ambitions, little effort over here in Michigan.
Heavy on the impatient and light on experience. Hey– that’s why I have Jordan around here. 😉
My First Experience with Fusion Mineral Paint
Fusion Mineral Paint is based out of Canada. They have a retailer about 30 miles away from my work (60 miles from home). To save time, I purchased the Fusion Mineral Paint in Midnight Blue on Amazon.
According to Fusion’s website, their paint is zero VOC, which means I could paint in our basement in the wintertime! A total score for this cabin-fever stricken Michigander.
Do you need to prep your furniture?
Fusion has a few videos on their website showing how various materials ‘take’ their paint. I was really impressed with the ability to skip prepping. The impatience in me loved that idea!
However… Jordan was leery about applying paint to the wax on our red buffet. You know, he was probably right. It was my fault for covering the 1970’s varnish with red latex paint and then wax.
We prepped the furniture by removing ALL waxes, paint, and varnish. I feel confident that if this was a non-wax covered piece, it would’ve been fine.
[See the steps to remove paint from any wood furniture here]
Want a free shopping list for your own furniture refinishing project?
or click the image below!
How many jars of paint will I need?
So I was nervous about this, too. The jars of Fusion Mineral Paint aren’t large and since I ordered them online, I was worried that I would have my project half done and need more paint.
That wasn’t the case.
Each jar will cover 2-3 dressers! I was really impressed to see this. I used one jar of paint to cover the buffet. With my leftovers, I painted the insides of the cabinets to cover the bright red.
[Want to see the Before & After pictures of the Buffet?]
Will I need to plan on waiting for 2 coats?
I didn’t! One coat of the Midnight Blue was perfect. It’s described as being self-leveling, so this painting novice was actually pretty proud of her work. If you love neutral,s you’ll love this side by side comparison of 11 Fusion Mineral Paint colors!
If I can do it, you can rock it during nap-time, too.
How do I finish the paint?
While I was shopping, I picked up some Antiquing Wax in Espresso that I fell in love with from a project Lauren at Bless’er House completed a few months ago.
Note: The finishing wax is not required by Fusion. I simply wanted to add some depth to my buffet.
If you decide to add the wax depth, use a chip brush to apply the wax, wait a few minutes and wipe it off.
I didn’t see a huge contrast between the wax and the paint because it was already so dark. If I had known this, I probably would’ve saved myself 30 minutes and skipped the wax part.
I will buy the espresso wax again for lighter colored paint.
Is Fusion Mineral Paint worth it?
If you want to easily paint over furniture, I’d happily recommend Fusion Mineral Paint. While I pre-sanded my furniture, it definitely wasn’t necessary! The color turned out beautifully and the effort was worth the time. I’m already thinking of my next Fusion colored project!
PIN FOR LATER:
The buffet looks great! What products and procedure did you use on the wood stained top? I see it also used to be red- do share!!
Hi RLAL! I have a post on creating the blue & stained top. I used Minwax Dark Walnut with a satin poly finish. Thanks for stopping by! -Brittany
You might look into Fusion’s Stain and Finishing Oil next time you refinish a wood top. It’s the best stain I’ve ever used, designed for floors so super durable, and doesn’t need a top coat.
Very pretty! How does mineral paint compare to chalk paint?
Thanks Mary! While I’ve never painted with Chalk Paint, I think it’s pretty comparable. I loved that it was self leveling so that you don’t see brush strokes. It took the pressure off of being perfect. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! -Brittany
I am getting brush strokes. What am I doing wrong? I am trying to paint dining room chairs and am using about a one inch Annie Sloan brush. Thank you.
Fusion is all in one base to foundation with top coat built it. Chalk Types of paint is porous and needs a topcoat applied. Fusion Mineral Paint recommends prep as the most important part of the process . clean with TSP, light sand , remove dust then apply paint. Wax MUST be removed before painting or it wont adhere properly to wither types of paint.
I love how the dresser turned out and the dark wax does add to it! I am about to start my fusion midnight blue project and I wanted to check out pinterest before I began and I saw your blog!
The only thing chalk paint and fusion (which is more like a milk paint) have in common is that people use them for refinishing furniture. Chalk paint you need to seal or it will keep chipping and flaking. Fusion is basically the bare minimum of paint with calcium added. This is what I was just recently told anyways.
I LOVE the wood calendar on top of the dresser can you tell me where you got it?
Thanks Christina!! I don’t think you need you to seal it either, I did it to add some extra ‘oommphh.’ We picked up the calendar at our local Meijer a few years ago! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Brittany
So glad to hear you had such a positive experience with Fusion Mineral Paint!
I just need to tell you that FMP is not a no prep Paint – we do advise that in the very least a piece needs to be thoroughly degreased/ cleaned before painting and a quick scuff sand to key the surface.
Having said that – your piece looks totally fab in Midnight Blue!
It’s such a brilliant Paint and as a uk stockist I couldn’t be happier to sell such a professional looking product.
Thank you for the helpful advice, Kate!
Hi – are my eyes going bad or did the midnight blue color actually turn out to be almost dark brown? I think it looks great, btw. I’m about to do the same to a couple pieces of used furniture I got off of craigslist. If that is what the midnight blue turns out to look like I may go with it…is it just the picture/lighting in the room? Or was it maybe the combination of the wax you used?
v/r
JB
Hi JB! Without wax, it’s a beautiful deep blue color. The espresso brown wax definitely made it darker and less colorful. If you want a pretty blue without the brown age, stick with just the paint!
Is Fusion water cleanup? I haven’t used mineral paint, but with AS chalk paint, the brush strokes do show, and she recommends that you apply the paint to maximize them. They are what grab the dark wax and give depth to the paint. I’m thinking that self-leveling ability of the mineral paint would be the main difference in it and chalk paint. I know the chalk paint can be used on any surface, from glass/plastic to fabric. Would like to know if Fusion paint is as versatile. I love some of the colors!!!!
Can I use mineral paint to paint our old garage refrigerator?
Hi Kim! I’d email Fusion Mineral Paint and ask them. It seems like their primer product would be perfect for a glossy surface like a fridge, but they’d know for sure. Thank you for stopping by!
I’m loving what you’ve done with the dresser! It’s amazing in Midnight Blue! As to Kim’s question, I just painted a refrigerator in Fusion and it turned out great! I’ll be blogging about that soon! I notice you purchase your paint on Amazon. I’m a Fusion merchant and can ship to you cheaper than Amazon if you decide you want to take on another project!
What is your site name to buy paint?
your project turned out beautiful. I read in one blog that one difference between chalk paint and fusion mineral paint is that FMP has a build in top coat. Would this be correct info?? I love their colors as well. Thanks for sharing .
FMP does advertise that a top coat isn’t needed. If I hadn’t wanted a little bit of contrast, I would’ve skipped the wax and still loved the piece. Thank you for stopping by! –Brittany
Top coat definitely needed and lots of brush strokes. I need to do touch ups already after 2 months. Not impressed
I just got started painting projects I did a bit of research between Fusion Mineral and Heritage brand. I chose FMP because I have a close proximity to a retailer. So far, I have been more than pleased. I really don’t know what differences any of the chalk, mineral, etc paint are but I have enjoyed doing a few tiny projects. I wish I had someone to sit by my side to help me with questions but youtube has helped somewhat.
Is fmp for outdoor projects, like on the porch, not out in weather ? I’m thinking about doing a 5 foot board with WELCOME and want to know if I should seal it and if so, what would you recommend?
Hi Annette! I found this article, perhaps it can answer your question? https://fusionmineralpaint.com/how-to-paint-outdoor-furniture/ Thank you for stopping by!!
Would you recommend Fuishion Mineral for kitchen cabinets?
Yes! Here is a great link explaining how to do it correctly https://fusionmineralpaint.com/kitchen-makeover-with-fusion-mineral-paint-in-2-simple-steps/
I’m using this now on fabric chair… Unfortunately, the chair is bright orange and was trying to do it sage green. NOPE! NOT WORKING ! I bought the darker green and it seems to grab but I think this paint is too expensive, and at this point it’s not working the way I plan. Oh WeLL!
Have to go back and buy more jars before I sand it down. 🙁
Hi Maria! Are you using the paint on the fabric? I’ve never done that before, but found this tutorial on Fusion’s website: https://fusionmineralpaint.com/painting-fabric/ I hope that works for you! –Brittany
I am having a hard time finding Fusion Mineral paint in Midnight Blue in the pint size. I am able to find it in the tester size. How many tester bottles would you recommend to paint a 36″ bathroom vanity?
Hi Katrina! Do you have any local furniture shops that sell Fusion paint? They may have some supply on-hand that’s not listed online. Those testers are tricky, they are small BUT cover so much, too. My gut says 3 or 4 testers, but if you can, I would check at your local store, they would know best. Thanks for stopping by! –Brittany
I was hoping to paint my exterior wood door with fusion mineral paint would that work?
Can you put a transfer decal on fusion paint?