My New Chalkboard for the Kitchen

August 29, 2011 /
Ever since we moved into our new home I’ve been wanting a chalkboard for the kitchen.  My first inspiration came from Janell at Isabella & Max Rooms.  She has a great tutorial on how to build your own chalkboard message board, which you can find here.  I would have loved to do this, but decided to go with something a bit simpler.  During a recent trip to Goodwill, I stumbled upon this beauty:

For $4 I couldn’t pass up such a great wooden frame.  I didn’t want a huge board, so this was just the right size, and I loved the depth of the wood–perfect for what I wanted. 
After removing the glass and picture from the frame, I spray painted the entire frame with Krylon gloss white (sorry, no pictures).  When I turned it over to finish, I didn’t check to make sure the paint was dry, so when I thought I was ready to complete my project, there was newspaper stuck to the frame!  Distressing hadn’t been in my original plan, but thanks to my moment of neglect the chalkboard frame is beautifully distressed and I love it!
My husband told me a few weeks ago that if I was going to distress anything else I needed to research more how to do it.  This was his gentle way of saying that what I had tried didn’t look right.  He agreed that I did a much better job with this distressing job.  Thanks, honey.
The chalkboard is simply the original picture and glass, just spray painted with chalkboard spray paint.  I applied 4 coats of paint, allowed it to dry for 24 hours, and then rubbed chalk over the entire surface.  It sat like this for a couple of weeks until we finally got around to hanging it last night. 
Here’s a little tip for hanging large frames that might move around (such as when writing on a chalkboard):
Cut triangle shaped pieces of felt for each corner of your frame.  Then attach with hot glue.  

The hardware needed to be replaced, so Bradley attached some new hooks and placed a piece of wire across the entire frame.  

Here’s the finished product:

I love that I can use this chalkboard for all kinds of things, but right now it’s a scriptural reminder of what I need to work on this week.  

The breakfast nook with new chalkboard and fresh flowers from a sweet friend.

 Linking to:
End of August Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

5 Comments

  • AmyLovesDavid

    August 29, 2011 at 3:16 pm

    So did you paint just on the glass (not the pic as well)? I’m really loving this, as I have pics I no longer want to hang, yet I’ve been looking for some way to make a chalkboard for e. Is there anything you’d do differently if a 4-year old would be using it instead of an adult? Fo you think the paint would adhere as well if I replaced the glass with a sheet of plexiglass? And finally, did you use regular,brush-on paint it spray paint? Sorry for so many questions, but you have quite piqued my interest here! I’ve brought my mom to your page several times for inspiration on projects we are doing at her house. Thanks!! 🙂

  • sherri lynn

    August 29, 2011 at 7:03 pm

    This looks so good! I like the distressed look 🙂 Your breakfast nook is so perfect – the pretty walls and curtains and placemats, and especially the flowers!