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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

chalkboard paint ideas

It's time for Part II of chalkboard fun! We saw these vinyl chalkboard images called "Chakals" for children's rooms by Modern Dose and fell in love.


However, we did not fall in love with the price. Being the super budget-conscious gals that we are, we found a couple of ways to make our own chalkboard vinyl for kids' rooms.

Buy a roll of chalkboard contact paper for around $7. Trace/draw and cut out your own design and stick it to the wall. Super simple.



Or use chalkboard paint and paint a mural yourself. Chalkboard paint comes in many different colors, and you should be able to find it at your local craft store or online. You can design a picture that is perfect your child’s room. Or paint a section of the wall like a real chalkboard in the play room.



If you are really ambitious and not satisfied with the pre-mixed color choices out there, you can make your own chalkboard paint in any color. Thanks to Martha Stewart for this fun custom color chalkboard paint recipe.



Here's another chalkboard paint recipe for smaller batches.

Chalkboard Paint Small Batch Recipe

2 Tbsp. Acrylic craft paint, any color
1 Tbsp. Glazing medium, water based
1 tsp. unsanded tile grout powder (get this at a home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes)

Mix well and apply to wall. Only mix as much as you need immediately, because it does not store well for more than a few hours in an airtight container.

A friend of a friend made this chalkboard on her wall with a few pieces of molding and some chalkboard paint. She also painted a few layers of magnetic paint beneath it so she could hang things with magnets here. Brilliant!


Here's a link to the magnetic paint. How cool is this stuff?

Don't forget--you must condition your chalkboard before using if you make your own paint. Do this by running a piece of chalk on its side over the entire chalkboard area. Now wipe off the chalk with a clean felt cloth. With a damp cloth, wipe the chalkboard again to clean completely. Now your chalkboard is ready for use.

26 comments:

  1. Fantastic ideas!! Thanks, I'm trying it in my kids bedrooms!!

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  2. Great ideas, I've been playing around wih the idea of doing my kitchen cabinets with the magnetic and chalk board paint...think you pushed me into it!

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  3. Oh my gosh, my head is spinning. Love the idea. I definetely have to make some of these decals for the girls' room.

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  4. Great post! I love chalkboard projects!

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  5. That looks like a child's dream! I love the idea...

    Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Just a piece of advice from someone who's used it - the magnectic paint is HEAVY and takes a lot to make it really magnetic. We painted squares (and then painted over each in a different color) in our playroom in the art area for each kid to hang their masterpieces. It was really cute but took a lot of work and really strong magnets!
    I have chalkboard paint in the garage right now. Just waiting for a somewhat nice day to take the pantry door outside and turn it into a memo board!

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  7. We have already planned to do this in our kids paint room. We love the idea of having all the letter and number magnets off the fridge and into the playroom. We were going to try the magnetic paint and Chalkboard paint over the top, but weren't sure it would work so I'm glad you said that it does!!! Yeah!!!

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  8. My daughter is dying to carve pumpkins but she is a bit too young to handle a knife so I spray painted a pumpkin with chalkbosrd paint and she could draw all over it and it made her happy. That stuff is great!

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  9. I forgot about chalkboard and magetic paint. I want some! Thanks for the reminder!

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  10. Awesome!! All the ideas here are great. I have never even considered making my own chalkboard paint.

    You guys always have great ideas!

    Stumbling this!

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  11. How Fun! I love chalkboard ideas! I found this link on another blog... http://www.wallies.com/list/chalkboard/page-1
    I like your idea of making your own murals!

    http://theladyisablogger.blogspot.com

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  12. Thank you SO much for the link to the chalk board contact paper! I've just ordered my own roll and can't wait to get started!

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  13. AWE-SOME! i NEVER EVER thought of contact paper! brilliance!!! i'm revvin up my cricut right now!

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  14. Cute! I love the chalkboard calendar on the wall.

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  15. Wow! Super cool idea! I love it!

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  16. All wonderful ideas!
    I love the shapes like the owls as a chalkboard.
    What fun!

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  17. It is so funny because I just did the back of my cupboards that face the dining room. Me and my girls spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I thought it was a great idea for some unused space. The girls love it! I used the magnetic and chalkboard.

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  18. That is so funny because I just did the back of my cupboards in both the magnetic and chalkboard paint. It was a great idea for some unused space. My girls love it!

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  19. I had no idea there was even such a think as "chalkboard contact paper." NEAT!
    THANKS.
    Sandra

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  20. THANKS. I am inspired to use this idea!

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  21. we painted an entire wall in our bathroom with chalkboard paint and we use it for memory verses or math problems or letters...it's fun! Thanks for sharing, I had NO idea about the contact paper!

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  22. Great ideas! I plan to use the magnetic paint on my pantry door. It is command central for all school related items.

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  23. I just saw these decals last night and winced at the price too. Chalkboard contact paper?!?! Who knew? You're my hero! :)

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