Chalkboard Tutorial: How to Make Your Own Chalkboard with Just a Screwdriver

Today I am going to show you how I made this rustic chalkboard for our dining room. I actually had it figured out in my head this summer and had planned on making this same frame for my parents when I was up in NH in early October. I even went and bought the wood. We ended up working on some other projects though and didn't end up doing this one, although we do have all the supplies so I will be able to at some point. Once the idea was in my head, I really wanted to make it so when we got back here I thought I would go ahead and make one for our house (because we really needed another chalkboard...)

 

Here is what you need for this project:

4 pieces of wood for the frame ( I used two 29" long and two 35" long - the total frame size when finished is 29" by 42")

1 large piece of wood (mine was 24 inches feet by 38 inches)

chalkboard paint

stain (or paint) for frame

screwdriver

mending braces (I used 2" by 1/2" ones)

screws ( 8 by 3/4)

* If you are making this frame to use with our chalkboard downloads I would recommend using boards that are 28" and 33" and the large piece of wood should be 24" by 36". Those are the measurements I used on the frame in the product photos!

  

So here are my boards. I had them cut to size at Lowe's. I used 1 by 4's (which are actually about 3/4" by 3 1/2"). Make sure your board that is going to be for the chalkboard is slightly larger than the size of your frame opening.

The first thing I did was paint my board with my chalkboard paint. The more coats the better! I went with a cheap board so it was a little rough but that doesn't bother me. If it will bother you you could probably sand your board down a bit first.

 

While your paint is drying you can put your frame together. Here are the braces I used.

Just put the four pieces together and use the braces at each corner. I just used one on each corner (for a total of four) because I was doing it quickly. It was sturdier than I expected but if you wanted it to be extra secure I would recommend doing two braces on each corner for a total of eight.

 

Now I flipped it over and started staining. I used some tea and then a vinegar with steel wool mix. I loved how it looked on the board I was practicing on, but not as much on the actual frame. I am going to play around with it some more before I share any more about that. You can use any stain you would like or even paint your frame.

So here is how it looks at this point:

Now it's time to attach the chalkboard. These are the screws I had on hand. There is probably something better you could use but they were the right size and they worked fine.

I just screwed them chalkboard onto the back of the frame. If you have a drill it will make it a little quicker but it's still pretty easy with just a good ol' screwdriver!

I think I spaced them out every six to eight inches or so:

Here is how it looks from them back when you are done. I just leaned mine up on my mirrored dresser but if you wanted to hang it you could always attach something so it could be hung!

And there you have it!

 

 And if you want to see more photos and details of our hot cocoa bar click here.

And here is a photo of the frame painted:

You can see more photos of this baby shower here.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!