How to Make a DIY Chalkboard? | Decorating Centre Online

How to Make a DIY Chalkboard?

Chalkboards can be a wonderful way of transforming a mundane piece of furniture, organising box, wall, or anything else into a creative and, sometimes even very organised, unique piece!

Whether we just want a chalkboard accessory for fun or creative purposes, or whether we need a chalkboard accessory for organising, they can easily be made with only a few simple products!

Making a chalkboard is a very easy way to up cycle a variety of different household items!

Decorating Centre Online- Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint 750ml £12.99

Below is not only a step-by-step guide, but also a wide variety of ideas on how to style and use chalkboard accessories to the best of their abilities!

What you will need:

· Wood off cut, picture frame, or anything else which you want to make into your chalkboard accessory.

· Rust-Oleum Chalkboard paint £12.99 OR Rust-OleumAerosol Paint £9.49

· Rust-Oleum metallic Leafing Pen in Gold (or any other colour, depending on what you prefer)

· Paint (in the colour and finish you prefer) from £13.99

· Decorator’s masking tape £2.99

Step 1: Choose what you want to make into your chalkboard

In order to make your unique and creative chalkboard accessory, you must first choose what you want to make into your chalkboard area.

Whether it is a full wall to fully express all your creative ideas or, let’s be completely honest, just your doodles, or a frame, a box, palette, or practically anything else, you must first decide what you need your chalkboard to do.

If you need an organisational table, a frame with permanently marked tables drawn onto it might be best for you.

However, if you need a space for your children to draw all over the walls- which this time you can hopefully wash off!- then perhaps painting an entire feature wall might be the way for you.

Even if you just need to organise some of the boxes in your home and de-cluttered a little bit, you can add a changeable label with the use of chalkboard paint.

Below is a list of a few accessories which you can use chalkboard paint for:

· Frames- for all your creative doodles and notes for the household!

· Rustic Wooden Welcome Sign- These can be used either in your household, or as part of a rustic wedding scene. These chalkboard signs can even be multi-purposed for your wedding, or special event and then for your household! The possibilities are endless!

· Chalkboard wine glasses- these glasses can be a wonderful addition to any party. Gone are the days of mixing up your wine glasses, or accidentally picking up another person’s glasses. Chalkboard wine glasses can be a great addition to any party!

· Chalkboard table- these tables are great organisational tools which you can either use as a menu chalkboard or any other organisational tool too!

· Chalkboard Travel Map- If you have a luist for travelling, you can cover a board with chalkboard paint and either use chalk to outline a map of the world, or you can even use a permanent marker and fill it in with your favourite vacation spots!

Decorating Centre Online- Rust-oleum Chalkboard Paint Aerosol 400mls £9.49

· Portable chalkboard games- If you chalkboard paint smaller wooden planks, you can even create portable noughts and crosses games, by following the steps above!

· Chalkboard candle jars- if you have misplaced the labels on your candle jars, you can use chalkboard paint and you will be able to label your candles easily!

· Chalkboard Spice Jars- if you like to use specific jars for your spice rack (for example, other spice jars do not fit in the rack) you can use chalkboard paint on the jars in which you can dispense new spices into your jars.

· Chalkboard filing cabinets- if you are short on space in your office area, a good way of making a chalkboard ideas area is by painting your filing cabinets! Cheap and nifty too!

· Chalkboard gift tags- if you like the idea of never having to buy another gift ag again, then chalkboard gift tags may be the right option for you! Reusable and vintage- what more could you ask for?

· Chalkboard plant pots- if you are an avid gardener, reusing plant pots for your different gardening needs might be a great way of labelling your new growths! Pretty too!

· Chalkboard fridge- if you like putting your kids pictures up ion the refrigerator, making your fridge into a chalkboard fridge might be a wonderful way of re-imagining this time-tried tradition!

· And anything else you want to use your chalkboard paint on!

The opportunities are practically endless when it comes to making your own chalkboard accessory!

That’s why its such a popular and great way if up-cycling, organising and creating too!

Decorating Centre Online- Colour Match Paint from £13.99

Step 2: Painting with Chalkboard Paint

Although above I have detailed about how versatile chalkboard paint really is, for the sake of this step-by-step guide, I will detail how to make a chalkboard frame organising table for any (or all!) of your organising needs!

However, if you are wanting to make any other chalkboard accessory, merely follow the steps detailed in this guide, but with whatever accessory you have chosen.

1.) Make sure the wood you are painting is clean, free from dust and any other contaminants.

2.) Smooth down the wood as this is going to create the background of your chalkboard. This means that any imperfections such as blobs or blebs will show up when you paint your board with chalkboard paint. This can be done by simply lightly sanding the board between coats.

3.) Choose your chalkboard paint. There are two options available- either the traditional ‘paint on’ chalkboard paint which will require a paintbrush and very light strokes randomly to create a smooth background.

Or, you can use an aerosol chalkboard paint which will make it much easier to create a smooth background, however, be wary of any drips which may occur if you hold the can too close to the object you are spray painting.

Step 3: Paint the Frame of the Chalkboard

Once the paint is fully dry (this will be stated on the tin which you have chosen- follow the directions on it carefully).

1.) Mask off the portion of the chalkboard frame which you wish to paint a different colour to your chalkboard paint.

2.) You can use either masking tape, or a more delicate decorators masking tape which will not pull up any chalkboard paint which you have already sprayed or painted onto your frame.

3.) Paint the area, making sure that you do not fully paint over the masking tape area in order to keep a neat and perfectly straight line.

4.) Make sure that you remove the decorator’s masking tape before the paint is fully dry- although it should be partially dry- to prevent the chalkboard paint from cracking or tearing away with the masking tape. Although, again decorator’s masking tape really should help with this more so that traditional multi-use masking tape.

Step 4: Draw in Dividing Lines for your organising table

Make sure that you measure up and divide the piece of wood which you have chosen so that you can have an accurate table size, making sure that you divide each space equally (or to whatever spaces you will need to).

Mark it out with a pencil where you need to draw your lines so that you can have an accurate layout, before fully committing to the table size and layout with a permanent marker.

When you are fully satisfied with the layout of your table on your chalkboard frame, draw over the table carefully with the Rust-Oleum Metallic leafing pen, or any other pen which is considered a permanent marker and therefore will not be able to scrub off with either a dry or a wet cloth.

Step 5: Stencil in the Days of the Week

On one of the rows, stencil in the days of the week using the same permanent marker pen as detailed above. You can use a stencil which will ensure that your font is the same size and very even throughout.

However, if you would prefer a handwritten look, just write on the days of the week on your table.