DIY Chalkboard

I’ve wanted a chalkboard in my kitchen for a while now, but I was waiting on getting the majority of the kitchen finished before adding decor to the walls. It’s kind of humorous…I wanted a chalkboard that would be magnetic, too because my fridge is not. I was so disappointed to find magnets don’t stick to stainless steel. Does everyone already know that, or am I just that dingy?!  Anyway, I set out to find a chalkboard that we could frame and didn’t have much luck finding one that was magnetic. I decided to make one. Randy and I went to Lowe’s and bought a piece of sheet metal, then to Michael’s for some chalkboard spray paint. I found a frame at Hobby Lobby and we were good to go. Or so I thought.

I came home one evening from the gym, intending to paint the sheet metal, but my sweet hubby had already done it for me. So I painted the frame with Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint (LOVE this stuff!) and Randy put it all together for me. We got it hung last week and guess what? The chalk would barely mark on the board, and it left scratch marks all over it. I even tried chalk “ink” like they use on restaurant chalkboards and it wasn’t much better. Randy just kind of chuckled and told me to go buy one. 🙂 So I searched again…only this time locally instead of online. Wilson’s Office Supply had one that was magnetic! It was the size I needed and would be shipped overnight with no extra charge.  Now why didn’t I just try that to begin with?? OH well. I’ve got my chalkboard now and it is fabulous!

Here’s what my frame looked like when I started.

I added ASCP in antique white. I purposely didn’t completely cover the black.

Then I added ASCP in Emperor’s Silk.

I then added a coat of clear wax to seal, then dark wax to deepen the red. It seems like a lot of steps, but it really only took me about 20 minutes. This paint dries so fast, so I didn’t have to wait long between coats. Here’s what the dark wax made it look like. It made the white parts turn a tannish-brown, giving it the “old” look.

Here’s how it turned out. I love it! And no laughing at my “artistic” abilities. I’m NOT an artist. 🙂

We hung the eraser on a nail for now, next to the board. I’ll probably find a cute knob or something later to hang it from.

Now my cute magnets have a place in the world again!

 

 

In this shot you can see the beadboard my hubby put on the walls (it’s missing a little on the end because he’s finishing up some woodwork around the pantry)…..Just a teaser for the big kitchen “reveal”. Can’t wait til it’s finished so I can show everyone. We still have a few things to go…the ceiling, the venthood, a door to the laundry room (excited about that) and finishing up the tile. Seems like a lot, but we’ve come a LONG way!

I hope everyone is having a great week!
Til the next time,
~kassie