Make your own Chalkboard Paint

I’m such a snob that once a project appears on several blogs, I normally turn my nose up at it. I never want to be a slave to trends, which can sometimes mean ignoring the perfect solution to a problem just because it’s reached Pinterest saturation. Yes, chalkboard paint is EVERYWHERE. But that’s because it’s awesome.

The door to the furnace in my garage is placed so that it’s the backdrop in all my videos, and it was UGLY. A chalkboard door would not only be pretty, but would provide me another surface to hatch all my grand plans. But with only one small door to paint, I did not want to pay the exorbitant costs that chalkboard paint can run. And, if I do this again, I’d like the freedom to branch out from the typical black or green. So I made my own.

My gallon of paint was a charcoal gray semi-gloss from the oops section that cost me a whopping $5. If I wasn’t going cheap I’d choose a flat finish, but the gloss didn’t slow me down any. Then you’ll need some non-sanded grout, which you can find in the tiling section. The ratio you need is about 1/2 cup of paint to 1 Tablespoon grout. I added a little more to cut the gloss.

Mix very very thoroughly. A paint mixer attachment on a drill bit would be ideal, or a handheld mixer with beaters that you dedicated to crafting purposes. You wouldn’t want to make a cake with those after they’ve mixed paint.  You can see mid-mix in the picture how many of those little lumps still exist even after a good stirring. You want to make sure those are all out. If you paint with the lumps they’ll just rub off once the paint is dry and leave you with spotty coverage.

Paint your door and let it dry at least overnight.

Once the paint has cured you have to condition the chalkboard before you can use it, or else every letter you write will leave behind a permanent shadow. All you have to do is rub chalk all over the chalkboard. I used one of Atti’s jumbo sidewalk chalks and rubbed the side all over it. Then once you erase your board you’ll be able to organize your life with it.

This weird little door was so ugly before, but now it looks like a framed chalkboard. I can make my lists and my videos with a pretty backdrop, and this whole project cost me $7, with enough grout and paint leftover to paint a whole chalkboard room. Given my Obsessive Compulsive tendencies, I think I could use a whole room ready for list making.