How to Upgrade an Old Chalkboard w/ Spray Paint

Sometimes when we’re out shopping, on the hunt for our latest and greatest treasure, we come across something unexpected.

Our chalkboard we found used - before the DIY upgrade!

Last time we visited New Uses we found this old, beat up chalkboard.

Many would bypass this hidden beauty. But Bridget & I gave her a good once over instead.

Dirty trays and chalkboard we found at a thrift store.

Yep, she was definitely dirty. But like many treasures we find, she had loads of POTENTIAL.

The only problem was Bridget & I didn’t need a chalkboard for our own homes. We already have one in our kitchen (perfect for grocery lists & sweet notes), and Bridget simply doesn’t have the room for one at the Longview Lodge.

So we decided to venture into unknown territory here on the ol’ blog. Us rookies spruced up this chalkboard for a children’s room #gasp

See, we both have a few more years (okay maybe many years!) until we’ll be decorating our own nurseries and play rooms. But our good friend (& hot mama of 2) is currently jazzing up rooms for her lil’ ones. We immediately thought of her when we saw the chalkboard, and decided that we must makeover the chalkboard for her 2-year-old girl.

Chalkboard makeover before photo. Here's the chalkboard before we spruced her up with spray paint!

But there was no way we were gifting this chalkboard with it looking like this.

The old chalkboard came with a few dust bunnies.

As Bridget would say, “look at those dirty secrets!”

The first thing that old chalkboard needed was a good wipe down with a wet rag and some vinegar. Here is is post-cleaning. See how much better it looks already?

My first step was washing away all of those dirty “secrets.” A mixture of vinegar and water did the trick.

When everything was dry, I covered up the chalkboard with an old issue of Us Weekly (recycling at its finest) and taped off the edges.

Then it was sanding and priming time.

Rustoleum Primer Krylon Ballet Slipper Pink and the other supplies I needed to clean and scrub down the chalkboard to prep it for painting.

I sanded down parts of the wood, so it had an even, smooth surface.

Then, I busted out Rustoleum Primer and gave the piece a nice light coat.

For the top coat of color, I chose Krylon’s Ballet Slipper pink in gloss. Similar to choosing nail polish, I chose this spray paint based solely on the name. How adorable is a color called “ballet slipper”? I couldn’t resist…

I ended up giving the piece 3 light coats of the pink.

The chalkboard after we sprayed it with three coats of pink spray paint! It looks so much better already!

Now the frame was looking good, but the chalkboard itself needed some TLC. Even after wiping down the black chalkboard it still had some scribbles going on. I wanted this chalkboard to be so incredibly easy to draw on, and that just wasn’t going to happen with a quick clean-up job.

I decided a new coat of chalkboard paint was the only way to give this chalkboard a new life.

Tip 1: I’ve used chalkboard spray paint before and I have had no luck. This Rustoleum Chalkboard paint works for me every.single.time. It is incredibly easy to apply and always turns out great.

Tip 2: Be sure to follow the directions on the back of your chalkboard paint. Before writing on the board you have to “condition” the surface by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface, and then erase it. This will leave a coat of chalk dust that will provide the best erasability.