DIY Chalkboard

My family came for a visit over the weekend. I'm always so excited when they come to see me! We went out to eat then hit up World Market and, of course, Michael's.

While at World Market, my oldest niece, Katy, showed me a chalkboard sign that she liked. I told her I could make her one and she got really excited. At Michael's I had her and her sister, Karleigh, pick out their favorite laser-cut wood piece and the paint colors they wanted. Then I picked up a bottle of chalkboard paint and some sponge brushes.

I used masking tape to tape off the laser-cut (fancy) section of the board then painted on my first layer of chalkboard paint with a sponge brush. The instructions said to paint a layer using strokes all in one direction, let dry at least an hour, then paint a second layer using strokes going the opposite direction. The paint covered really well and was easy to apply.

After letting the paint dry overnight, I taped off the chalkboard section so I could paint the fancy part the colors of choice. Katy went with a soft, Springy pink and Karleigh chose a bright, neon pink. I love how their choices reflect their personalities!!!

It took 2 coats of the soft pink and 3 of the neon to get the coverage I was looking for. I have a feeling that if I had given it a coat of primer first it would have taken less coats of the color. But either way, it worked.

After the coats were completely dry, I removed the tape and touched up any spots that bled through. The chalkboard paint instructions also said to "prime" the painted section by coloring over it completely with chalk, then wiping off. I want to send the boards to the girls clean and neat so I'm going to save that step for them to do.

I think they turned out really cute and they're going to look great in their rooms.

P.S. I was going to name this blog: DIY Little Girl's Chalkboards but then I realized that my nieces are not little anymore... This is both exciting and disheartening :-)