Rust-Oleum · Black Paint Colors
Rust-Oleum Black Paint Colors
all 2, sorted honestly
Every black in the Chalked deck — 2 colors, LRV 4 down to 0 — grouped by undertone and depth.
All 2 Rust-Oleum black paint colors
Grouped by undertone (warm → cool)Hex values are display approximations from Rust-Oleum's published swatch tools — not guaranteed to match a physical sample under controlled lighting. Order a brand-direct sample before specifying.
Rust-Oleum Blacks by Room
Each room page shows black picks from every US brand side by side — Rust-Oleum included — so you can compare in context.
Keep Browsing
See Any of These Blacks on Your Own Walls
Upload one photo of your room and try every black on this page — before you buy a sample.
TRY THE VISUALIZERMore on Rust-Oleum black paint colors
What Rust-Oleum's Black Chalked Colors Actually Look Like
Black Abyss (#000000, SKU 391444, LRV 0) is a true, flat black with no hex-level tint at all. Charcoal (#363B3E, SKU 285144, LRV 4) sits just a few points lighter and carries a visible cool blue-gray cast — under daylight it reads as a dark charcoal-navy rather than a pure black.
The two are close enough in depth that they photograph similarly in dim light, but next to each other the difference is obvious: Black Abyss is flat and absolute, Charcoal has a hint of color moving through it.
Painting Furniture in These Darks — and Why Topcoat Matters More Here
Both go on bare or painted wood, metal, glass, or ceramic without primer, and sand cleanly for a distressed look that shows wood grain through the dark finish. The one place these darker colors need extra attention is protection: an ultra-matte black or near-black shows scuffs, scratches, and fingerprints in stark white contrast the moment the raw chalk finish gets touched, more visibly than a mid-tone color would.
A Matte Clear or Protective Topcoat isn't optional on a black chalk-painted piece that sees daily use — skip it and the first month of handling will leave visible marks.
Where These Darks Work
Black Abyss and Charcoal both work as grounding accents — a single dresser, a picture frame set, a lamp base — against the deck's lighter colors like Chiffon Cream, Linen White, or Sandstone. They also do double duty as hardware-adjacent trim colors on a two-tone piece. If the goal is a glossier black for hardware or small metal accents rather than a flat chalk finish, Rust-Oleum's Painter's Touch 2X aerosol line covers gloss, satin, and flat sheens in a completely different, non-chalk formula.
Buying, Price, and Comparisons
Both run about $20 a quart at Home Depot, Walmart, and Amazon, with 30 oz can sizes also available. That's roughly half of Annie Sloan's $45-a-quart chalk paint, with the usual trade-off — less buttery brushing, shorter color deck. On black specifically, the price gap matters less than the topcoat decision: budget for the Matte Clear or Protective Topcoat as part of the project cost, not an optional add-on.
The Questions Everyone Asks
How many black colors does Rust-Oleum's Chalked line offer?
Two: Black Abyss, a true flat black at LRV 0, and Charcoal, a cool blue-gray near-black at LRV 4. They're close in depth but different in undertone — Black Abyss is absolute black with no cast, Charcoal has a visible cool tint under daylight.
Is Black Abyss a true black or an off-black?
True black. Its hex value (#000000) has no tint at all, unlike most "black" paints that carry a slight warm or cool bias. Charcoal, the other dark in this family, is the one with a visible undertone — a cool blue-gray cast rather than a pure black.
Do these dark colors scratch or show wear more than lighter ones?
Visually, yes. Any scuff, scratch, or fingerprint shows in stark contrast against a flat black or near-black ultra-matte finish, more noticeably than on a mid-tone color. That makes a topcoat (Matte Clear or Protective Topcoat) more important on Black Abyss or Charcoal than it is on lighter colors in the same line.
Do I need to prime before painting furniture black?
No — Chalked Ultra Matte sticks to bare or painted wood, metal, glass, and ceramic without a primer coat. A light scuff-sand only matters over a glossy or waxed existing finish, which helps the new paint grip instead of sitting loosely on top.
Where can I buy Black Abyss or Charcoal, and what's the price?
Home Depot, Walmart, and Amazon carry both in quart and 30 oz sizes, at around $20 a quart — the same price as every other color in the Chalked line. Budget separately for the Matte Clear or Protective Topcoat, which isn't bundled with the paint and matters more on dark colors.
Ask a Question