Where to use chalkboard paint around the house
Chalkboard paint is not only a cafe thing
Most people have only ever seen chalkboard paint on a menu board, so they think of it as a shop thing, and then it never occurs to them that a tin of it would solve an actual problem at home. It usually does, because the problem it solves is the one where you need to write something down in the exact place you will be standing when you need to read it.
A 500ml tin covers far more than you would expect, since almost none of the jobs below are a whole wall, and that means one tin will normally do two or three of these with some left over.
The inside of the pantry door
This is the one I would do first. Everything you write on the fridge ends up under a magnet, behind a school note, or on the floor, whereas the inside of the pantry door is a flat surface you open every day and nobody else sees. Shopping list on one side, the thing you have run out of on the other, and it wipes off.
A board you can pick up and move
You do not have to paint the house. A smooth offcut of MDF, a tile trivet or the back of an old picture frame takes the paint just as well, and then it lives on the bench next to the kettle instead of being stuck to a wall you might not want it on in two years. This is also the low risk way to find out whether you will actually use one before you commit a wall to it.
A strip by the back door
Not a whole wall, just a panel wide enough for appointments and whatever the week is doing. Frame it with a bit of timber trim and it reads as deliberate rather than as something you started and did not finish.
Somewhere the kids can actually draw on
A section of rumpus room wall, or a shape rather than a rectangle if you are feeling brave, and then they can go for it and it wipes clean. The flat, slightly grippy finish is what makes chalk work properly on it rather than skidding about and smearing.
Something rescued from the op shop
An old mirror with cracked glass but a frame still worth having is the classic one. Pop the glass out, cut a backing board, paint it and you have got a message board with a better frame on it than anything you would buy. It is water based and low odour, so you can do it inside without opening every window in the house.
Getting the finish right, which is mostly patience
Give glossy timber a light sand first so the paint has something to key into. Use a small roller rather than a brush if you want it flat and even, because brush marks show up badly under chalk, and do not go back over an area that has started to tack off. Two thin coats beat one thick one every time.
Then leave it alone for at least 24 hours before the first scribble. And when it is cured, rub the side of a piece of chalk over the whole surface and wipe it off, which seasons it and stops the first thing you write ghosting there forever.
Shop related products
- Uni-Pro Little Ripper Roller Frame and 2 Covers, 100mm. The right size for a pantry door or a panel, and it comes with spare covers.
- Uni-Pro Microfibre Roller Cover, 180mm 4mm nap. Short nap for a flat finish, which is what you want under chalk.
- Uni-Pro Heavy Duty Roller Tray, 270mm. Worth having a decent one, because the flimsy trays buckle when you lean on them.
- Heavy Duty Blue Plastic Drop Sheet. For the jobs where the surface is already part of the furniture.
Did you know we stock Haymes Artisan Chalkboard Paint in store, in black, in a 500ml tin. It is not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.
The rest of the gear is at paint and accessories, and if you want a hand picking a colour for the rest of the room, we mix and tint to order at the paint desk.
More from the blog
- How to paint a sign using Haymes Chalkboard Paint
- How to Choose the Perfect Roller Sleeve for Your Paint Finish
- Preparing a Room for Painting: A Basic Guide
I still write the shopping list on the pantry door and still manage to walk out without half of it, so I am not claiming this fixes everything.
Cheers,
Candeece
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