Chalking It Up: First Attempt With Chalkboard Paint

It worked out!  Here's the proof and how we did it:

After consulting with the resident professional here, we took a family trip to Lowe’s for a less than $5 ¼” board.  It’s awesome because Lowe’s even cut it to size for us at no charge.  (This means we didn’t have to spend time getting tools out and putting them away in 3 months.)  

We came home with birch rather than oak because it had less grain to it.  I wanted the surface smooth.  I know some sites say to use existing glass for the chalkboard, but I didn’t have glass in this frame and having glass on it made me nervous with the kids anyway. 

While we were there we also picked up thingies to hold the board in the frame (I’m sure that’s what they meant to label the box.), the chalkboard paint, and followed the directions on the back of the can- get a small nap roller. 

 

Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of this process. Hey, I’m new at this.  I was really in to it, too.  That’s gotta make up for it somehow. 

So here’s the nice bulleted summary of what we the hubs did:

          1.       primed it once, sanded it once

          2.       primed it again, sanded it again, waited until the next night to continue

          3.       shook the chalkboard paint for 5 minutes and then had to stir that weird concoction for 5 more minutes. (We didn’t expect it to be so runny for so long.)

          4.       rolled it, waited a few hours, rolled it again

5.       Waited until the next day and put it in the frame.

6.       Stood back, stared at it and smiled in a way that probably makes people uncomfortable. (Oh, wait, we’ve moved on to what I did now.)

Ahh, it was finally ready and all crisp and black.  And then we almost waited the obligatory 3 days (I was so close to making it the full 3 days…) and then conditioned it.

And then found this when I walked back by.  My husband is trying to brainwash my boys that I’m just as cool as they think he is.  :)  I love him. 

And then the 7 year old found the chalk.  I like it more than the fancy lettering I thought I’d be trying. :)

**Here’s a product I won’t endorse-  RoseArt chalk.  It’s really messy and I’ve always had better luck with Crayola brand anything but Target was out of it the day I was there.  

But I did find this cute little bucket in the dollar spot (sort of score! I bet they’re cheaper other places, but who cares.)  So now, this sits on the windowsill beside the board inviting people to use it.  

What do you think?  I’m a little late on the chalkboard trend, but I didn’t wear capris until they were around for a few seasons either.  Do you have a chalkboard in your home?  RoseArt or Crayola? Talk to me, people Mom.