I have seen a few posts on Pinterest about homemade sidewalk paint, so of course I had to make some myself. Most recipes I came across said to use water, cornstarch and food coloring. I really didn’t like that idea, food coloring stains SO easily! So after a little researching I noticed some people saying they used non toxic washable paints instead. (I like this kind by Crayola) If you have young kids you probably already have some laying around anyways! Yes they sell washable sidewalk paint but it is more expensive for just a few colors. Why not make your own? It is cheaper and so easy! My daughter had a blast helping me mix everything together 🙂 I did not see any exact measurements for using washable paint, only to use equal parts water and cornstarch. So I just decided to experiment and I think it came out great! See how bright they are?!
Ingredients for each color:
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp washable paint
- In a cup, stir 1 tbsp of paint into 1/4 cup of cold water
- Slowly add in cornstarch while stirring water/paint mixture
That’s it!
You could probably just stir with paint brushes but since I didn’t feel like digging up that many I just used popsicle sticks I already had in the kitchen. Adding the paint to the water first makes it easier to incorporate. Some people just put everything in a jar and shake it up. If I had extra jars I probably would have done that because we have some left over and the jars would be perfect for storing it for next time!
You will need a brush with rough bristles that holds a lot of paint. I bought the one in the picture below at Michael’s craft store. It was only a couple of dollars for 3 of them and they were perfect for this! The handles are also thick and easier for little hands to grip. These or these brushes also look like they would be perfect!
Beware of hot pavement, if you have a shaded area that would be best. Now take those little bits outside and have some fun! If they get messy just hose them off! 🙂
Ashley's Homemade Adventures 
Thank you! This worked great! 🙂 I have lots of glass jars but was too worried my kids would break them (I am 100% sure at least one would have been broken haha!), so I used plastic cups too. Then we used little foam brushes and they worked well.
Hi ,
I was wondering what washable paint you used for the sidewalk chalk paint. Also, what did you use to store your paint?
Thanks for your help
Hi Rebekah, I use Crayola washable paint. You can order it here if you can’t find it in a local store: https://amzn.to/2UkogSy
To store the leftover paint you could use jars or cover with plastic wrap or foil. We don’t have leftover washable sidewalk paint for very long in my house because my kids have so much fun with it. I hope that helps!
Thanks for the great tip of using washable paint for the color! I always hesitate with food coloring for the same reason. Looking forward to making this version! Thanks!
Can you tell me how long it’ll last on the concrete? I am looking for it to last a couple weeks if possible.
I don’t know if it will last for weeks, but ours lasted for over a week, even with some big rain storms. So I’d bet it would last at least 2 weeks without water hitting it. =)