Thursday, June 16, 2011

Making a Chalkboard For a Child's Room

This is what the boy's room looked like right before we moved in.

BEFORE
We painted the room Ash Mist in Olympic's No VOC paint and put in new flooring.  The room brightened instantly.  On one side I set up a spot for their toys and made a chalkboard to put on the wall.

AFTER 
 Making the chalkboard was quite simple really.  I already had a big picture frame that I bought at a garage sale for $5 and wanted to re-purpose so I decided to use it as the frame for the chalkboard.



To remove the backing and glass I first had to pull out many a staple from the wooden frame.  A simple little 5 in 1 tool hubby bought at the hardware store really made removing those staples a cinch.
 After removing the backing and glass I primed and painted the wooden frame.  The paint is Simply White by Benjamin Moore mixed in Olympics No VOC paint. While I was waiting for the paint to dry I took a piece of 1/4" plywood luan that I had leftover from our fireplace remodel and cut it down to size with a jigsaw (luan wood is a mid grade mahogany plywood). This was my first time using a power tool!  My boys watched wide eyed with wonder from a safe distance while I cut away.  The youngest exclaimed at the end of it all "You are the best mommy" with awe in his voice. The male fascination with power tools starts early I tell ya!

After cutting the luan plywood I painted it with chalkboard paint in the color 'Peapod'.  It was the perfect shade of green for their room and I was very pleased with the end result. This chalkboard paint is found at most large hardware stores and can be tinted in 12 different colors.
By the time I got to this stage my dear sister Stacy who lives in New Jersey (and blogs here ) arrived for a 2 week visit and helped me finish the project.  Here she is stapling the luan plywood directly onto the frame using a staple gun.
To hang the chalkboard on the wall we used this monkey hook that one of our local hardware store employees recommended. It was our first time using it and we were all quite impressed. It carries up to 75 lbs, is easy to use and makes only a tiny hole in the wall. My little brother hung the chalkboard for me, officially making this project a family affair during which much laughter was shared and many precious memories were made:).



Under the chalkboard are two trofast storage systems made of pine that I also painted Simply White.  Ikea sells the exact same frames in white but since those are laminate I was worried about sturdiness (3 boys!) and opted for the ones made out of wood instead. We have been using them for a year now and they are extremely sturdy.
Here are the trofast frames before I painted them. The boys were so excited that day to finally be able to organize all their toys in the different bins for the first time since our move! (the stools and the rug are are also from Ikea and can be found here and here )


 Before

 After 

I will be posting pictures of the other side of the room soon...
Checkout two more of our makeovers here and here.

Party Time! I am linked to the following  parties

A Creative Princess
Momnivores Dilemma

17 comments:

Desiree @ The 36th AVENUE said...

I am in love with this... Thank you so much for sharing it at the link party... Awesome job!

Unknown said...

I love this framed chalkboard. I've actually had a can of chalkboard paint sitting in my cabinet for some time now and I can finally put it to good use. Thanks for sharing this tutorial and showing how simple it is to make. I'm gonna try to make one soon. :)

Desiree @ The 36th AVENUE said...

I just want to let you know that I featured your chalkboard and room makeover on my blog today... Come to see and button up. Thank you so much for sharing it ;)

Anonymous said...

Your room is gorgeous! How fun, I bet any kid would just love this!

Unknown said...

What a fun room! I love the green board!

Unknown said...

I'm going to feature your room on my weekend wrap-up tomorrow. Check it out at www.alivedinhome.blogspot.com

The Charm of Home said...

Wonderful transformation! I like how that turned out. Thanks for linking it up at Home Sweet Home!
Sherry

malia said...

Hi, Just wanted to let you know I featured you today at Yesterday on Tuesday/A Crafty Soiree. AND I'm a new follower.
xo Malia

gertie @ The Old Block House said...

Very cool! I never thought of using luan for this.

I scored an old school green chalkboard at an auction last weekend for fifty cents. Now to figure out just what to do with it.

Anonymous said...

That turned out so good! I also love the shelf below with all the bins, it looks so clean! I am a new follower.
Stephanie
mylilpumpkinpatch.blogspot.com

Julia @ 551Eastdesign said...

What a cute room, and I love the frames with book pages!

Angela said...

Beautiful! I really love the green board and had no idea chalk board paint came in other colors! I'm a little slow on the uptake! Would you share this at my blog party Simply Creative over at 365 days to Simplicity? I'd love it if you did!

Angela

http://365days2simplicity.blogspot.com/2011/07/simply-creative-blog-party-5.html

Terri @ A Creative Princess said...

What a fun room!! You did a great job! Thank you so much for linking up!

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Anonymous said...

I really love the Green board - it's an excellent idea to add some colour into the room. I recently made a blackboard for my little girl's room here.

http://www.wallart2u.co.uk/blog/how-to-make-a-childrens-blackboard-easy-step-by-step-tutorial/

Thanks for demonstrating how to do the frames - because I wasn't sure how to put a frame on mine correctly.

Anonymous said...

Are the storage drawers from Ikea as well? I am looking for a toy storage system with see through drawers.

Unknown said...

wow! I love this ^^ thanks for the awesome idea :)
Picture Framing London