How to make a chalkboard

With lots of scrap timber around the place I decided I’d set about making a few chalkboards for the house. We currently have one I made in our fireplace but I decided to make a few more to put around the house.

Most surfaces will need a decent primer, I use white emulsion and paint a few coats on, leaving to dry between coats.

Once you have a well primed surface, paint with a chalkboard paint. I used Quick Dry Blackboard Black Paint; it provides a matt black, non reflective surface and is suitable for interior and exterior use. Again, you will need a few coats but most chalkboard paints you don’t need to apply too many, just as long as you have covered and sealed the board all over.

The next step is to prepare the chalkboard. All you need is a few pieces of white chalk. Cover the whole board with chalk in a vertical direction.

Once you’ve covered the whole piece, go over it again with your chalk horizontally.

You will then be ready to rub the chalk in and seal your surface. You can use a blackboard eraser or a cloth and be sure to take care to really rub it in. By preparing the surface properly you will avoid any future ghosting problems when you rub out any writing or designs.

Now you will have a perfectly prepared chalkboard ready to use. Finished! x

You can make chalkboards/blackboards from any scraps you have laying around just as long as you prepare your surface well you can make a chalkboard/blackboard from anything. Visit your local bric-a-brac shop and pick up an old mirror, use the back of a door in your house or anything you think would work well upcycled into a chalkboard/blackboard.