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DIY Chalkboard Paint

By Bre

As some of you might know, we have been plugging away at what seems like the never ending kitchen project. And we haven’t even done any major construction projects, like tearing the ceiling down, or swapping out the lights above the sink and island, or changing the countertops. We have, however, been plugging away at phase 1 things, like new paint, plate rack wall, new backsplash, new shelves, and making a focal wall out of DIY chalkboard paint! Which is what I’m going to share with you today. And hopefully as we wrap up the shelves with new corbels this week, I can show you where we are at so far in the rest of the kitchen.

Kitchen Progression | Rooms FOR Rent Blog
If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve already seen some of the progress photos. I will say that this make your own chalkboard paint is not for the weak at heart. And if I knew how much work was going to go into it, I might of just opted to paint the wall, when we painted to rest of the kitchen. But it’s done now, lessons have been learned.

Kitchen Progression | Rooms FOR Rent Blog

So with the age of our house, we certainly have some weird wall set ups. Like for instance, in the kitchen. I’m not sure when it was done, but there is an addition off the back of the original frame of the house, where the kitchen and downstairs bath are. In the picture below you can get a better idea of what I’m talking about, but the doorway leading into the dining room jogs out, this is also the wall that the fridge is up against, so I thought it made a good wall to become an accent,
however with the lighter paint choices, I didn’t want something that was too dark either.

I really LOVE LOVE LOVE the whole chalkboard walls,
and constantly went back to this pic:
{insert swoon worthy barn door}
 It was all over after that!
I loved the vintagey feel it had, reminding me of the old school
chalk boards that were green. I knew I wanted something like this,
and after much research, and deciding that I would just mix some paint colors I already had,
and DIY my chalkboard paint.
Fall Home Tour | Rooms FOR Rent Blog
1 cup paint
+
2 Tbls unsanded grout
{you will also need sand paper for sanding in between coats}
I started out by mixing the grey paint I used in my dining room, and the new paint I used in the
kitchen. I figured that way tones would flow together nicely, and it wouldn’t clash with the color scheme I already have going on. Plus I already had the paint and that = FREE!
Once the first coat was dry, I sanded the whole thing, until I could run my hand over it and didn’t feel any sand pop out and poke me:) I repeated this process after each coat, for a total of three coats.
And let me just tell you, I was freaking out after the first coat! Like “OHMYGOSH” what did I just do, and how can I press the rewind button?!?! For me this was one of those projects that I didn’t love, until it was completely, and I mean COMPLETELY done! Sanded, cured, chalked up!
Holiday Housewalk 2017 | Rooms FOR Rent Blog

But once it was complete, it was everything I was hoping it would turn out to be. Perfectly subtle, but enough to grab your attention. It disguise’s the wall, that awkwardly popped out, and adds the perfect touch of character. I scribbled all over it quite quickly, more or less because I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like finished, but I’m so happy I didn’t resort to my black chalkboard paint left over from the dining room door. Will I be rushing into making some more of my own Chalkboard paint, probably not anytime soon. But am I glad I waited to see what it was like when it was all done, You better believe it!

DIY Chalkboard Paint | Rooms FOR Rent Blog

DIY Chalkboard Paint | Rooms FOR Rent Blog

You can see our Farmhouse Kitchen decor HERE, and to see how I transformed our kitchen into the space you see today full of character, check out our Kitchen Progression post HERE.

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Comments

  1. Julie says

    You said you let it cure. Exactly what was this process and how long did it take? Also, I know when you use the pre made chalk board paint it says to rub chalk on it. Was this part of your process??
    Thank you!!

    • Bre says

      Hi Julie! Curing it is rubbing chalk on it. Sorry technical term, didn’t mean to make it confusing 🙂

    • ~ rooms FOR rent ~ says

      Thank you Lisa!!! So happy to have connected with you 🙂 For the door I used the Anne Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite. So it has a tiny hint of navy with a good amount of charcoal grey 🙂 Thank for stopping by 🙂 XO~Bre

    • ~ rooms FOR rent ~ says

      Hi Carissa!! So the chalk paint I did was total trial and error :/ so while I don’t have an exact color or portion, I used the grey paint from my dining room – woodsmoke, and then the paint in my kitchen – horizon. I wanted it to have the same undertone so I used the same colors and then added the grout. At first I tried 50/50 and it was still a bit too dark for me, so I kept adding more horizon (kitchen color) until it was what I wanted maybe like 60/40? Sorry I don’t have an exact, it was just kind of off the cuff 😉 Good Luck! And thanks for stopping by 😉 ~Bre

  7. Taylor Root says

    Looks great! Would this work for exterior too? I want to paint my concrete fence in chalkboard. Also, did you have to paint 3 coats because of the chalkboard factor? I only want to paint 1-2 coats. Thank you, Katie 🙂

    • ~ rooms FOR rent ~ says

      Good question Taylor, I’m not really sure how it would hold up outside, due to the water factor? rain / snow/ ice? My thought it that over time it would chip, however Home depot came out with a GREAT line of outdoor paint for wood or concrete this past year, I believe it’s called deck over, and I would probably go that route instead. Hope that helps! ~Bre

  9. Jenn @ Clean and Scentsible says

    So pretty!! I love how soft the gray is. Thanks so much for sharing this at The Inspiration Exchange. We will be featuring this tomorrow. Have a wonderful weekend and we hope to see you back next Tuesday night!
    Jenn 🙂

    • ~ rooms FOR rent ~ says

      HI Sarah!! Thanks so much for the sweet comment 🙂 They grey color is Wood Smoke by Glidden, and I mixed it with the new paint color in the kitchen, Horizon by Ben Moore 🙂 Hope that helps! ~Bre

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