I recently bought an adorable A-Frame chalkboard at Hobby Lobby for the Library. I had been thinking of making one for the Library, but it ended up being easier to buy the one that was right in front of me than to worry about which method would be easier to execute for a public space (and a very high traffic space.)
So my ideas of making my own chalkboard headed home, and it could not have been easier! This was one of those projects that was blessed with good karma from the get-go. No disasters. No blogs telling me it was easy peasy only to find out that many bloggers might be liars.
I got a good sized frame at Goodwill (all in tact) for $8. I took it apart and discarded the dessert scene print, despite its mauve and sandstone glory. I sanded the frame a bit and then spray painted it white (one can with paint and primer combined.) It took quite a few coats...5, probably, to get it looking good.
In the meantime (and this is the best part), the glass itself can be used for the chalkboard. Buy some chalkboard paint at Home Depot ($10ish). I did about 3 coats, but I think it could have taken less. Be sure to use a roller to apply the paint, it will work better.
Reassemble everything and voila - perfectly fun & cheap chalkboard, wall ready! One thing...my kiddo is old enough for this project to not be an in-home disaster. In other words, he knows chalk stays in the chalk bucket, he is very good at washing his hands after using chalk, and he has not ever drawn on a wall or couch (knocking on wood as I type). If you have teeny-tinies, you either need to wait until they aren't or keep the chalk in a cabinet and only play during supervised times.
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