Chalk it Up

I was working on 2 really awesome easy projects this weekend but right when I was about to finish I realized I was missing some final touches so those are going to have to wait...but today I have the super awesome chalk board paint to talk about!  No I dont know how to make the paint myself (but if you want to know check out this link), my neighbor had a whole quart left from her project and let me use it.  We have all seen the chalk board paint menu boards on pinterest, but they are so pretty how can you do it yourself?!  Well I decided to try my hand at the chalk board paint menu board and you can see below (along with a sampling of our menu, arent I making you hungry lol) how it turned out.  Yes I know its red/green/white, but sometimes its hard for me to give up Christmas, I cant help it!

This was really easy because I didnt do one step I will have to recommend to you.  We have textured walls (and I am going to assume so does pretty much the rest of America) so that presents a challenge when you write on the board.  People will tell you to smooth out the wall before you put the paint on and I will have to agree with them.  I didnt because I have engrained in me that you want to remember the re-sale value of the house and not doing anything to crazy to alter it.  I think if someone came to buy our house they would find it a little weird that one wall had no texture and the rest of the house didnt so I left it textured.  I put painters tape up against the cabinets and around the edge of where I wanted to stop painting, then busted out the paint brush and paint.  I used a brush because I didnt want to pour the paint out into a tray to use the roller but you can use a roller if you want, it didnt really take me that long to paint this whole area.  After I had the first coat I thought that would be enough, but after writing on it once I realized that yes I did need 2 coats.  After the second coat went on Im happy with it now. 

Ok this is where the "you want to smooth out the walls" comes into play.  I bought chalk board paint (which is so much more fun and easier to write with than real chalk) and wrote on the walls.  Well the texture #1 makes it a little harder to write on the wall and #2 makes it harder to get it off.  The chalk paint gets in the crevices of the wall and makes it hard to wipe it off, it comes off eventually but patience is required.  If you are ok with those 2 things then by all means skip the smoothing out of the wall!

I love my menu board, my husband has stopped asking "What's for dinner" and will even start cooking sometimes when its easy and he knows how to do it.  I also love that I had this one random wall that you cant see from the living room but it totally visable throughout the kitchen.

I hope you have fun with chalk and let me know where you used the chalk board paint and for what, I would love to hear your crafty ideas!!

Project Housewife Out!