If you follow me on instagram, you might remember this pretty frame I found a while back. I’ve had a lot of interest in it, but I knew it was gonna take time to find the right person who had the space and the vision for it in their house. At The Vixens of Vintage Spring Fling after a bunch of ooo’s and ahhh’s the right person claimed it and requested that we make it into a shabby chic chalkboard for their kitchen! First of all, I want that kitchen that can house a huge chalkboard like this – i don’t think my whole house has the wall space to make this frame it’s home, and second of all, I was sooooo excited to tackle this challenge!
First thing first, I went to Lowes and bought a gigantic sheet of hardboard, and asked them to cut it for me, ps. have you seen those saws they have!? How do i get one of those!? Also the guy who cut it for me is a ginger. Being a mom of the sweetest ginger boy I feel like I have this new soft spot for gingers. Like I want to tell them I’m on their side, I’m on the same team, I’m protective of them. But that might be a little weird, so i stayed quiet and let him do his job, I didn’t want to freak him out!
Once I got home, I primed the smooth surface of the hardboard to ensure my chalkboard paint would stick, and I also primed the frame, both with a white spray primer. It would be ideal to prime the chalkboard with a darker primer but I just used what I had and it worked perfect!
(I hope I’m not the only person who’s projects take over their kitchen/house. I have a great work space in my garage, but some days, the perfect time to work on a project are those quiet moments when the kids are eating their bedtime snack and your hubby is out at a hockey game. You just gotta make it work!)
I frame using MudPaint in Manor White, i pretty much just did one coat and touched up a couple areas that went on thinner. Once it was painted and dry (the next day) I mixed together some dark glaze using Ralph Laurens Faux finishing glaze and some black paint. I applied it with a brush in small sections and then wiped off as much as I could with a clean damp rag. Making sure the glaze stayed in the details to make them pop. I forgot to take a picture of the glazing process but here’s how it looked before and afterwards with some light distressing using a sanding sponge. After i had it looking how I wanted i used a spray clear coat to seal it.
I ended up using 4 coats of chalkboard paint on the chalkboard to ensure complete coverage and then used wood glue to secure the chalkboard into the frame. I don’t have clamps for some reason but i made sure to apply pressure to the edges and let it sit for 24 hours to make sure the chalkboard was secure.
Once it was all set, i made sure to rub chalk all over the frame to season the chalkboard. This prepares your chalkboard to be used. If you just write on the black unseasoned chalkboard – it will be tricky to removed completely what you’ve written.
Once I’ve wiped off with a dry cloth or brush the chalkboard is ready to be used! Here are some finished pics of this shabby chic, vintage chalkboards!
Hope that all of that mumbo jumbo was pretty clear and straight forward! Feel free to comment if you have any questions! Happy Monday!