Tutorial: Chalkboard Paint

Chalkboard paint is really fun.

Really, really fun.

And easy. A post with a title such as this one could theoretically be reduced down to two steps: Pick an object. Paint it.

Chalkboard paint turns any surface into a writable chalkboard. It comes in regular paint and spray versions, so whatever you can paint with those two mediums can also become a chalkboard. Kitchen cabinets, refrigerators, walls, vases [or, you know, vintage porcelain horse bookends] become places for reminders, notes and doodles.

I scored these bookends for ten bucks at a local antique mall when I was back in Ohio. Though I usually cringe at the thought of forever and irreversibly covering up an original painted surface, these little guys had a lot of wear and tear, so I was able to get over my usual hangups and give them a facelift.

To do this project, all you need is a little sandpaper, a can of chalkboard spray paint [available at most hardware stores], and a paintable object to be chalk-ified.

Give your object a little roughing up with the sandpaper, just to help the paint stick. Wipe off the dust.

Lay down some newspaper on a flat outdoor surface and give your object a light coat of paint. Within an hour, cover with a second thin coat, and within another hour, a third coat.

[You'll notice I spray painted on my kitchen table. I do not recommend or condone this craziness, but I have no access to any outdoor area that I can get dirty. I put a box behind the bookends to catch the back spray, but even so my entire dining area was coated with a fine black dust when I was finished. Spray paint outside.]

After the objects dry for 24 hours, they are ready to go. To get the surface ready for writing, rub the whole thing with chalk and erase. Then doodle away!