DIY Chalkboard

I volunteer to hang out with a kiddo a couple times a month and this time we'd decided that doing something crafty would be a fun way to spend our time together. I'd done some research ahead of time and thought that making our own hanging chalkboards was something that was age appropriate and able to be completed within a couple hours time. I followed a tutorial found here and gathered all my supplies from Hobby Lobby.


I prepped the area that we were going to do our painting in and then headed outside to mix the paint. The grout is really dusty so being in a well ventilated area is a must. I just used a plastic cup to put the grout and paint in which worked just fine.


You have to make sure to mix the grout and paint together really well. I noticed that it was a pretty watery consistency so there were a few little splashes of paint that escaped the cup. The marks washed right up but just wanted to put that warning out there. Once it was mixed, we got busy painting. I'd purchased pre-cut little wooden boards so it was pretty quick to cover the entire surface with a nice layer of paint.

After painting is complete, you let the surface dry and then it's time to "slate" the surface. You just have to rub a piece of chalk all along the board and then wipe it off.


Easy! Then you're able to write on the chalkboard. I also hot glued a cute piece of ribbon the back of the board so it's easy to hang up.

I think it turned out really cute but truthfully I don't really have a place to hang up a bright purple chalkboard. Maybe I'll take it into work someday or something. It was a fun little activity though, and easy to do with a kiddo (I will say that I did all the measuring though). What do you think of it? Anyone else dabbled in colored chalkboard paint? Share in the comments below! :)