Cabinet door turned Chalkboard project

I’ve been wanting to make a chalkboard for a long time and I have been wanting to make my own chalkboard paint too so trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to paint hasn’t been the easiest thing for me.

Last September at Swiss Days I saw a booth that had used cabinet doors for picture frames and they were really cute so I started trying to figure out where I could get some cabinet doors!

I was pretty happy when a shelving unit we had been giving that was pretty old finally needed to be done being a shelving unit and I got to use it as parts.  The doors are solid wood which was even better.

I used this tutorial to make my chalkboard paint.  It worked awesomely, the only tip I would give is that   a damp cloth works much better at cleaning the chalkboard than a dry cloth or a chalkboard eraser.  I would also make sure and let the chalkboard dry for a good few hours before you do anything with it.

I painted the cabinet door pink (except where I was going to paint the chalkboard).  It took about 2 coats of the pink (a little more in the corners) and once it was dry I started on the chalkboard paint.  I think I ended up using 3-4 coats of that to make sure it was good and covered so it would hold up to lots of drawing and erasing.

Once I was done painting I let it dry for a full day and then I started accessorizing.

The brassy knobs were given to me by my friend Katie, I helped her (a little) with a dresser makeover and she didn’t want the knobs so she gave them to me, they worked well with this because they match the original hinges that I wanted to leave on because taking them off left a cut out of the wood.  The white/glass knobs I found at the DI.  They were actually glass and an ugly gold/brass color but I painted them white and they look so much better. The best part of them is that I got 6 of them for $2!!!

The little black one in the middle is a drawer pull I got from Hobby Lobby, it was like $1.50 ($2.99 and 50% off) and I put it on upside down so it can be used to hold chalk.

I knew it was a big hit when all the kids were fighting over who’s room it was going to go into.  I reminded them that there are more doors so we can make more and that seemed to cheer everyone up.

I am pretty sure before I hang it I am going to sand the edges a bit.  I plan to put it in the 8 year old’s room and am hoping that the knobs will help her keep her scarves and necklaces organized.

(My mother would like me to specify that for these pictures the chalkboard is sitting on an easel – the two black swirly things on the front are not attached to the board, they’re the front of the easel 🙂

After finishing this project I have decided throwing away anything is going to be hard in the future 🙂  It always seems like I can find a project to do with something old.  I love it.

Have a wonderful weekend.  I am headed off to a Young Women’s overnighter for a few hours this evening which will be followed up by a day at jazz dance competitions and maybe a trip to see some dinosaurs AND my dad will be here for a day so that will be exciting as well!!!  Never a dull moment around here.

~Jenn

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