A DIY alternative to a chalkboard wall

I’ve been wanting some sort of chalkboard in my son Jackson’s playroom for some time now — I just wasn’t sure what would work. The room was built to be a living room and has outlets everywhere. We have them baby-proofed, but the placement of the outlets blocked me from being able to just paint a chalkboard onto the walls.

When I discovered chalkboard spray paint exists, I knew just what I wanted to do. I measured out the wall where the chalkboard would be to find out how wide I’d need to make it so it could both be centered and cover the outlet. Three feet wide was just perfect.

What you need

In the clearance aisle of the craft store, I purchased a 2′x3′ frame that was 50% off. It was a tacky gold that wasn’t my style at all, so I also grabbed some spray paint. At the hardware store, I had them cut down a 2′x4′ piece of chipboard (I brought my frame and tested it after he cut 12″ off the board. Good thing I did — it was too short because the board hadn’t been 2′x4′ after all!) I also grabbed the chalkboard spray paint there. Here is the full list:

• Wooden picture frame
• Chipboard cut to fit your frame
• Chalkboard spray paint
• Regular spray paint (I used Apple Red Gloss)
• Gloves
• Sanding block & sandpaper for crevices
• Drop cloth
• Chalk
• Paper towels

How you do it

I started by sanding the frame so it was no longer shiny and sanding one side of the chipboard to rough it up. Then I set up a drop cloth outside and laid out both pieces. I did three light coats of spray paint on the frame, waiting 15 minutes or so in between. I did about four light coats on the board with the chalkboard paint. (Quick tip: I thought my paint was clogged, but it turned out my too-big gloves were blocking part of the spray and causing spatter!)

The hard part comes next: waiting! When everything was dry, I brought it inside to cure. Resist the urge to try the chalkboard for 24 hours. Easier said than done!

Twenty-four hours later, it was time to prime the chalkboard with a layer of chalk. I found that the spray paint left a layer of black sooty dust after it dried, so I covered the whole thing in chalk as directed, then used paper towels to get all the chalk and black dust up.

All that was left was to put the frame back together (minus the glass it came with) and hang it up! My frame came with one teeny tiny picture hook so I got a picture hanging kit rated for up to 50 lbs. It looks great under his art gallery! I chose a frame that had a perfect dip in the molding to hold our chalk.

My son absolutely loved our little project — what do you think?