Chalk paint chalkboard

Today I finally received a package I had been waiting on for an entire week. What was in the package, you ask?

While we were on vacation we went to a festival. I carried around my camera bag, and had my little monkey on my hip. Once home, I went searching for my spare battery and found the pocket with my cleaners and chargers open. My spare battery AND charger were gone.

Terrible. Just terrible.

So my package today was my replacement battery and charger! Finally! I can take more pictures to share with you!

Anyhow, back to the topic...the chalk paint chalkboard.

Last month, at the same spot I picked up the Eastlake Victorian chairs, I happened on an old mirror. The frame was adorable, but the mirror itself was cracked...and had really pretty hearts and and green swirls along the bottom of it.

I remembered that I had seen a mirror about the size I would need for this at Habitat for Humanity that had been marked down really low. I went right out and bought it and got to work on the chalkboard. I took the broken mirror out of the frame, and put it together on top of the new mirror and traced it.

Then I went to cutting it. Which, by the way, is not easy. Not if you're not really familiar with what you're doing (like me!). So, I bought my scoring tool, dipped it into lamp oil, and scored along my traced lines. Hint-- Glass is scored via sound. Practice and listen to for the "nail on chalkboard" sound. If the line didn't break easily with pressure, I used the back of the tool that's ball shaped and tapped gently on the back of the mirror along the scored line. That helped the glass break along the lines more easily, though they weren't always the cleanest breaks.

(You know you wanted to see my basement "ceiling"...or lack thereof!)

I fit it back into the frame to make sure it fit, and made minor adjustments to ensure it's fit.

Then I took it out, and went to painting it. I made my own chalkboard paint using 2 T of unsanded grout to 1 cup of paint. You can use this recipe to make chalkboard paint in any color, but I wanted the standard black chalkboard, so I used black paint.

I decided to paint the back of the mirror since it was already a darker color...and that way if I really wanted the mirror back, it's as easy as turning it over.

I rolled the chalkboard paint on with a foam roller, and sanded gently between each of three coats. Then, I took a piece of chalk and rubbed it gently all over the chalk board using the long side to season the chalkboard. This is a must step! If you don't do this, you'll "burn" your first marks into your chalkboard, and they'll always be there as ghost marks even if you wash the chalkboard.

While the mirror was out of the frame, I painted it with my new Annie Sloan chalk paint (!) in Paris gray. I liked the way the mirror looked when I picked it up, but the bottom of it wasn't painted, and that wouldn't work out for someone if they wanted to hang it on a wall.

Can I just say, I love this paint? I don't know if I'll on use another paint on furniture ever again. It goes on so smoothly, dries fast, and distresses like a dream. I distressed it, went over it with the clear wax, and then with the dark. After the wax dried (about 24 hours), I buffed it and it has a really nice sheen to it.

I the chalkboard back into the frame, added cardboard behind it to give it a snug fit, and tacked the backing back on, and voila! Chalkboard in a pretty frame!

The note on the chalkboard is something I've had on my mind a lot this last week. I finally found a spot where I can sell my furniture, and I'll be moving in November 1st! I'm excited, but nervous about the "what if's." I know I'll never know until I try, so I'm going all in for it! I definitely have a busy couple of weeks ahead of me as I get everything cleaned and ready to go to the shop!

Until next time...



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Coastal Charm
I ♥ Naptime
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