I never had a place to make a note and could never find a pen and paper when I needed it. I purchased some chalk paint at Home Depot. I taped off a section on a pantry cabinet I have and spray painted the section with the chalk paint. I actually did 2 light coats and used a sponge brush to smooth it over. It's very easy to use, the craft stores have a brush on chalk paint that you can buy. It dried fast and looks really nice. Now I always have a place for a note or I can write a cute message for my husband on it.
By jill from Blue Bell, PA
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We have an old home. The doors have 4 panels in them. I painted the door panels with chalkboard paint carried at home improvement stores. I then painted the name of each grandchild on a panel.
I spray painted an old photo frame. Traced the inside on my kitchen door. Painted the space with black chalkboard paint and attached the frame with high quality glue.
You can make a chalkboard to fit any size of frame. Just take a thin, smooth board (smooth plywood works well for this), cut to the desired size and paint it with dark primer.
I loved the idea of using chalkboard paint in a child's room, but in our tiny apartment we just didn't have enough wall space. To give my son a place to draw, I decided to paint the front drawers of his dresser and armoire with chalkboard paint.
If you have an available wall in a playroom or basement, paint the lower half with chalkboard paint. The kids will have a ball writing on the wall! By Chell
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I AM DESPERATE FOR HELP!! I am trying to make chalkboards. They are 2'X2' so I want to paint them with a roller. I am now on my 3rd can of paint and no chalkboard.
Ann,
We painted the back of a steel door with chalk board paint and it worked quite well. The door was white when we started so two coats were necessary. We just used a regular paint brush and it didn't come out perfectly smooth but it was definitely functional.
I must admit I was concerned when we first started painting the door I could see lots of brush strokes and I was sure it would dry that way, but it looked great once it dried.
Good luck!
Stew
I just painted my son's closet doors with chalkboard paint. I've never used it before & the can said to use a brush,but I like rollers too so tried that-too much texture, like you said. Here's what I did that worked. Just keep in mind it's not going to look perfect like a chalboard you'd buy at the store.
First, if your surface is really bumpy or orange-peeled, you probably need to sand it down good before trying again. Also, stir well, I didn't & got some grit on my first coat-or throw a couple of nuts (as in nuts & bolts) in the can, put the lid on & shake well to mix.
I had a smooth surface with white primer. I put 3 coats on with a wide brush (use a good one with soft bristles,I used Rubbermaid brand from Walmart).
Lightly sand with fine grit sandpaper between coatings.
The secret to using a brush & not getting a bunch of lines- 1st just get the paint on & even, when the surface is covered, you have to go back over it to smooth it out. Hold the brush at an angle & starting at one end, BARELY let the brush touch the surface & very lightly & evenly, pull the brush across to other end. Keep doing this, overlapping strokes slightly. It should look pretty smooth, look even smoother when it's dried. If you have any small bumps or streaks, you can lightly sand it again.
Hopes this helps!
You may be using too much paint. Make sure you use a proper paint tray, load the roller, then roll on the tray a few times so that there are not huge globs of paint in any one place, and the paint is evenly dispersed.
I just painted my son's closet doors with chalkboard paint. I've never used it before & the can said to use a brush,but I like rollers too so tried that-too much texture,like you said. Here's what I did that worked. Just keep in mind it's not going to look perfect like a chalboard you'd buy at the store.
First, if your surface is really bumpy or orange-peeled, you probably need to sand it down good before trying again. Also, stir well, I didn't & got some grit on my first coat-or throw a couple of nuts (as in nuts & bolts) in the can,put the lid on & shake well to mix.
I had a smooth surface with white primer. I put 3 coats on with a wide brush(use a good one with soft bristles,I used Rubbermaid brand from Walmart).
Lightly sand with fine grit sandpaper between coatings.
The secret to using a brush & not getting a bunch of lines- 1st just get the paint on & even, when the surface is covered, you have to go back over it to smooth it out. Hold the brush at an angle & starting at one end, BARELY let the brush touch the surface & very lightly & evenly, pull the brush across to other end. Keep doing this, overlapping strokes slightly. It should look pretty smooth, look even smoother when it's dried. If you have any small bumps or streaks, you can lightly sand it again.
Hopes this helps!
Thank you so much for your comments. I do think one of my problems is too much paint on the roller, it just seems like no matter how much I roll up and down the tray there is still a ton of paint on it. I think I will try with a brush and see what happens. I do know it won't come out perfect, but I would like to see if I can't get a better finish. I will be making these all through the winter, so maybe in time I will get the hang of it.
Thanks again, you guys are GREAT! I will let you know how things go.
Ann
I know for sure that using a foam roller will give you that orange peel effect. I've used it to get that same effect on a frig, so it does not show finger prints. I don't know about regular rollers but it sure does with a foam one.
We are having a family get together soon. For the grown-ups, I wanted to try to paint a strip of chalk on plastic cups so everyone can write their name on the cup. I end up doing so many dishes over a weekend, it would be nice to have less to do. What do I prime the cup with and then can I paint a strip of chalkboard paint on top? Will it adhere? I wanted to use insulated plastic cups. Thanks.
By Sarah
I have a very inexpensive chalkboard which I have used liquid chalk markers to write on because they come out so vibrant! When I wanted to erase and change the message it wouldn't come off. I scrubbed with everything until the finish came off in several places.
I went to the craft store and told them I needed black chalkboard paint and they handed me a bottle. I was in a hurry and didn't look at it until I got home and saw that it is shiny, like black gloss paint! I can't use that and have it work can I? I've never seen shiny chalkboards before. What should do? Can I fix this paint so I can use it? Or do I need to buy different paint? What is this gloss chalkboard paint used for? Please, any help would be appreciated.
Can anyone tell me what is the best chalkboard paint to use when painting your board so you can use liquid chalkboard markers? It has very vibrant colors, but is very hard to get off most boards.
I know sometimes people in restaurants use them for menu boards, so they can change their specials.I have a round plastic picnic table with removable legs that I set up in the children's play room for our grandchildren. They like to use it to color, play with playdough, etc. I was wondering if I could paint the top of this plastic table with chalkboard paint, and if it would adhere. Does anyone have any experience with that?
By Deb S.