THE CUTEST CHALKBOARD SIGNS

A few weeks ago I was at a yard sale and I noticed the “trash pile”.  A couple of old and outdated cabinet doors were sitting there.  When I was told I could have them for free, I made them mine!

Now let me say that these started out ugly.  To my eye they are out of style and I do not like the color of the wood.  The shape is what drew me.

That is the thing about furniture and home finds like this: much of the time what draws you will be the shape and the line of a piece.  Keep that in mind when you are hunting for things to work with.  During the 80’s a lot of ugly furniture with scroll work was made and I stay away from that because I just dislike it a lot.  The shape is unappealing.  There is no need to gather junk when you can gather goodness!

In other words, always start with what YOU like.  Paint will not cover up “ugly”.

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Chalkboard Signs DIY

General Materials Needed:

• Sandpaper
• Dixie Belle Paint (color of your choice!)
• Paintbrush
• Misc. Tools
• A piece of Luan cut at the size you need

The first thing I did was to remove the glass from the cabinet doors.  Once I had the frame in hand I cleaned the wood with a mix of one gallon of water with one cup white vinegar.  This removes grime, dirt, and odors.  To be honest I have cleaned wood pieces with warm water and soap, although that seems to be frowned upon among people who work with wood. As of now, I have never had a problem with it, and it works great on extra dirty or smelly pieces of furniture.  Just be sure no matter how you clean a piece, let it dry completely before doing anything further.

Next I removed the hardware with a screwdriver.

Next, I painted.  No, I do not sand before painting as long as I use chalk paint.  The frames took 3 light coats to cover the wood completely.

I also painted the Luan that I cut to size using a table saw and a jigsaw.  This is my “chalkboard”.  Chalk paint works well as a chalkboard surface.  I generally apply three light coats to completely cover the wood.

Once everything dried I lightly sanded the frames to expose a bit of the dark color.  I like the vintage-y look that this gives a piece. I also lightly sanded the chalkboard surface.

Using a nail gun I attached the chalkboard to the frame.

Now you have a cute and usable chalkboard!

Check out this tutorial for adding the lettering to your board!

If you love this look of Chalkboard Signs DIY, but you do not want to make one yourself try one of these cuties:

Happy DIYing, Friends!

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