I really should be sleeping....: Chalkboard

Who doesn't love that new chalkboard look. You know what I'm talking about. That nice clean blank black slate....just begging to be written on.

Ahhhh.....

The best way to clean it....POP! Yes. You read that right. Soda! Pepsi, Coke, Diet whatever you have around the house.

When I posted my original tutorial on how I made this magnetic board, I was shocked when "I heart Organizing" featured it.

I received a lot of sweet comments and questions from her readers. One of them surprised me though....and took me some time to try. This was how to clean it. A gentleman commented that he used to work for a bistro and they would clean their menu chalkboards with pop because it adds a tackiness that helps the chalk adhere. At the time I was in a no-pop-drinking-stage. I had just given up my Diet Pepsi and I wasn't about to bring the temptation back just to clean a chalkboard.

Silly me. I had been cleaning with plain old water.

Here is what it looks like after its just been wiped down with a wet rag. It looks nice and black right away, but once it dries, its a chalky grey.

Well, my weakness prevailed and I started drinking pop again. I had a little leftover in a can, so poured it into a rag and started wiping. It was a little messy, so I opted to use a little bowl and dip the rag.

Much easier!

Here it is part of the way through the first wipe down after it had dried. Look at the difference!

(My can was empty, so I only got partially through the board.

Don't worry....I ran out and opened up another can.

. . . . .

Finished the job and drank the rest, of course!

Here it is after one full coat and a little touch up.

Um...Yah! I was pretty shocked too!

I'm sure with another coat it would have been even darker, but after all that cleaning I was thirsty....so drank the rest.

Pretty impressive, right?

I'm back in a "no-pop" mode, but keep an extra 2 liter on hand that was leftover from a gathering we had. I wipe it down about once a month, because I love the blackness of the new board.

Hope this tip helps you, too!

This project has been 18 months in process, maybe longer. It started one day ~~drooling over the~~ looking through the pottery barn magazine when I found something similar to this....

...and being the DIYer that I am I thought....I can make that! So I approached dear hubs with it and he begged and begged and begged me (well, not really that much) to JUST BUY IT ALREADY. (I think its was like $150+ before shipping. Hmm....hubs telling me to buy something at Pottery Barn and I'm actually have to think about it? (It's a sickness, really....icanmakethatitis.)

So, after careful consideration, I actually bought it. Yep. I hit "add to cart" and then "checkout" and then I waited and waited and received the email that said it was on back order for 5 weeks and then waited and waited and waited and received another email that it was on back order for 8 weeks and then waited and waiting and then finally....

I got the email that said it was discontinued and my card was not charged.

This is the world telling me that its ok to want to make things, right???

So I did. And I love it!

Here's what you need to make your own:

Backer board (MDF, plywood, whatever) cut to size

Sheet metal, cut to size

Metal primer

Chalkboard paint

Baseboard or trim moulding

Paint

Finishing nails and glue

Here's how ya do it:

First go buy your backer board. (Then let it sit in the garage for a few months because its like 115 degrees all summer and too hot for hubs to work outside, plus he won't let me use the circular saw....which I don't get because I use the compound miter and jig saws just fine, plus the drill and nailer, and I drive his 4 children around in a car all day which is much more dangerous.)

It would probably just be easier for the store to cut it for you then you can skip over step 1b.

Or you can just wait until your BIL comes to town so he can cut it for you.

Mine is 4' x 5' (yes its big!)

Call a sheet metal place and have them cut you a piece of sheet metal slightly smaller than your board. (I live in small town USA, so I'm sure your city/town will have a sheet metal place.) I ordered mine to be 45"x57" to give me an extra 1 1/2" border all around (you'll see why later).

Adhere your sheet metal to your backer board using heavy duty construction adhesive. (Pardon the picture taken at night with my cell phone.)

Using an automotive primer, prime the sheet metal in a well ventilated area. Its kinda stinky. I did two coats.

On your next free day(s), paint it with your chalkboard paint. If two coats are good, three are even better. I knew this was going to be a permanent fixture in our kitchen and with four small kiddos in the house I thought it safe to ensure its longevity with more coats of paint.

Here's the part where I can't find pictures. My children have been playing with my phone lately and I'm thinking they might have "accidentally" deleted the pics of the trim etc. so I will try to explain thoroughly.

Measure and cut your baseboard trim to size. I mitered my corners and dry fit it first with clamps, to make sure it fit. Measure twice, cut once, right? Then I painted them before I attached them. I was not about to create an extra step of having to tape off the chalkboard and risk the paint pulling up with the tape.

Using the same construction adhesive you used to attach the sheet metal, draw a line of glue on the wood border, place your trim down and then clamp. I used a finish nailer to nail in place. I made sure I put my nails towards the outer edge (where you can see the wood in the above picture). This is why you want your sheet metal cut smaller than your backer board.

Then fill and paint any holes and the mitered corners. Here's a shot before I filled the corners.

I decided that I didn't want to wait for the hubs to return from his business trip so carried it into the house myself. Wow is this sucker heavy! It sat like this for a few days because I didn't have the heavy duty hanging hardware I needed.

I found the right hardware for the weight and then hung it....once again by myself.

I wish I had a nice pretty before picture with the chalkboard surface all crisp and black, but this is what happens when said children are in the house....