Introduction: Chalkboard From Recycled Materials
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About: Working with silver, wood, glass, FX makeup and many other materials in a crafty sense has been amplified by being taught how to conduct basic mechanics, home renovations and other 'hands-on' activities from a…
I recently turned some whitegoods packaging into a chalkboard! So here I am sharing the how to :-D
(once you get the knack for seeing the potential in items, you become a little unstoppable....)
(once you get the knack for seeing the potential in items, you become a little unstoppable....)
Step 1: Set It Up
you'll need:
- wooden frame
- mdf or ply board to fit the frame (a hand saw or jig saw to cut it to size if applicable)
- undercoat / primer
- chalk paint
- screws and a drill
oh.....and chalk! I forgot the chalk and was very disappointed when I went to play with it!
- wooden frame
- mdf or ply board to fit the frame (a hand saw or jig saw to cut it to size if applicable)
- undercoat / primer
- chalk paint
- screws and a drill
oh.....and chalk! I forgot the chalk and was very disappointed when I went to play with it!
Step 2: Make It Happen
So firstly get your backing board to the right size to fit your frame, taking into account you'll need to affix the board to the frame.
Paint the board with a primer or undercoat of some kind (mdf can be quite porous) and let dry.
When painting with the chalkboard paint, make sure you're in a very well ventilated area and that everything you do not want to have a layer of paint specks on is covered, including the floor (trust me on this)!
Hold the can about 15-20cm away from the face of the board and begin to spray in a sweeping/panning motion from left to right and back again. Try and develop a habit of commencing the flow of paint whilst you're still a few inches off to the left or the right of the board, this will help to reduce and 'splatters' and 'runs' of paint and will give you a better, more consistent coverage....
Be patient with this process as you want a nice solid finish by building up a few thin layers. Wait until each layer dries completely before starting the next.
Once you're done, affix the board to the frame. You might need to check if anything needs sanding and perhaps give it a quick hand-sand with some sandpaper.
Before using it, I'd recommend rubbing the board with the length of a stick of chalk to kind of 'break it in' as I felt like it needed a layer of even chalk rubbed off first to make it easier to erase in future.... see how you feel!
And that's it! Add a hanger if you want it on your wall
Oh and you could also carve out some grooves in the bottom frame to hold the chalk if you want to get really clever ;-)
enjoy! :-D
Paint the board with a primer or undercoat of some kind (mdf can be quite porous) and let dry.
When painting with the chalkboard paint, make sure you're in a very well ventilated area and that everything you do not want to have a layer of paint specks on is covered, including the floor (trust me on this)!
Hold the can about 15-20cm away from the face of the board and begin to spray in a sweeping/panning motion from left to right and back again. Try and develop a habit of commencing the flow of paint whilst you're still a few inches off to the left or the right of the board, this will help to reduce and 'splatters' and 'runs' of paint and will give you a better, more consistent coverage....
Be patient with this process as you want a nice solid finish by building up a few thin layers. Wait until each layer dries completely before starting the next.
Once you're done, affix the board to the frame. You might need to check if anything needs sanding and perhaps give it a quick hand-sand with some sandpaper.
Before using it, I'd recommend rubbing the board with the length of a stick of chalk to kind of 'break it in' as I felt like it needed a layer of even chalk rubbed off first to make it easier to erase in future.... see how you feel!
And that's it! Add a hanger if you want it on your wall
Oh and you could also carve out some grooves in the bottom frame to hold the chalk if you want to get really clever ;-)
enjoy! :-D
