Are you looking for a unique DIY project to make for your home this week? Perhaps you are in need of an accent piece for the kitchen or dining room, or maybe your kids want to create their own personal chalkboards. Whatever the case, today we will be showing you how to make a chalkboard step by step out of wood and a mirror. Making your own chalkboard can be quite a lot of fun. It’s cheap, easy and you can make it look however you like.
How to Make a Chalkboard: 2 Methods
If you have a wall that’s begging for attention in your home, try making a chalkboard out of wood and a mirror. It’s fun, it’s different, and it stands out. Your friends will wonder where you bought it, and you can tell them you made it yourself.
Method- 1: Make a Chalkboard Out of a Mirror
Step- 1: Choose the medium
Explore your house and see if you can find anything that may be repurposed. Mirrors and picture frames in all shapes and sizes would be ideal. Additionally, you can use an old tray or scrap wood-basically anything flat and smooth. Do something different. We chose to work with an antique mirror.
Step 2: Pick your paint
Water-based paints are all possible based on our research. The amount of paint you need isn’t much, and we’re all sure we have leftovers somewhere! It doesn’t matter what color you choose. As a simple way of making a custom dark green, we mixed Valspar’s random green with SW Tricorn Black to create a classic look of a chalkboard.
Step 3: Select your additive
You can make chalkboard paint from ingredients such as baking soda, unsanded grout, and cornstarch. Use the ingredients that you have on hand! We have grout on hand and it’s been a popular choice. The ratio is roughly 1/2 cup of paint to 1 tablespoon of grout (a 1:8 ratio).
Step 4: Blend ingredients
Do not worry that you’re doing it perfectly-this isn’t baking, it’s not an exact science, and you have plenty of room for error!
Add the grout to the paint, and we ended up with more than enough paint to cover the mirror surface with 1/2 cup of paint. It is best to mix only enough paint to cover one surface at a time because it thickens quickly with the additive. You should also mix the grout with a little water first so the paint doesn’t end up clumping.
Step 5: Apply paint
Use a short, angled brush, and it will go on smoothly. Alternatively, you can paint directly on top of a picture frame or mirror when it has a flat, solid surface behind it. Due to the lack of such a frame on our mirror, we used the mirror side as the chalkboard surface. Apply two coats of paint, letting each one dry between coats.
Step 6: Sand out any imperfections
The chalkboard paint’s surface will need to be primed once it has dried and cured. First, sand out any imperfections with a fine sanding sponge, then use a dry towel to wipe it clean.
You should rub a piece of chalk across the entire board while it is lying on its side. As a result, the paint will be sealed and will prevent any permanent marks.
Step 7: Clean the surface
After you’ve cleaned the chalkboard with a dry paper towel, you’re ready to go!
Method- 2: Make a Chalkboard Out of Wood
Step- 1: Sand the Wood
Sanded wood holds paint better, so at first, sand it properly. After the wood has been sanded, the paint adheres better.
Step- 2: Prime the wood
Apply wood primer all over the board. Wait until it is completely dry.
Step- 3: Paint your chalkboard
Paint the wood with two coats of chalkboard paint, and make sure that you let the paint dry completely between each layer of chalkboard paint. In addition to cans of paint, you can also use spray paint. Using spray paint is easier, but you can also use brushes.
Step- 4. Rub with chalk
Finally, apply chalk liberally to the chalkboard surface, then rub the chalkboard with a cloth or eraser.
Step- 5: Use the chalkboard!
You’re now ready to create your chalk masterpieces!
Final Words
So that’s how to make a chalkboard! We hope we showed everyone today that making a chalkboard is just not as hard as it looks; you just have to have the right tools and product. Wood is probably the best material to use since it would be the easiest to make. We hope the instructions above were helpful, and we hope that the chalkboard adds a touch of creativity to your home.