Saturday, June 21, 2008

chalkboard

The far wall in our kitchen is an open space, not visible from the family room, and yet big enough to demand some sort of embellishment. When trying to decide what to use to fill the space, I came across the idea of a magnetic chalkboard. I had seen chalkboard paint before, but a magnetic one was new to me. After a little research I discovered all we need was magnetic primer. So a couple coats of magnetic primer and chalkboard paint, and some white framing was all we needed for an inexpensive, practical wall treatment in our kitchen. I'm envisioning many a grocery list being written here.










**the child-like drawing is from peter's brother, who left for Heartland Camp today to work all summer, thus not from a child at all

9 comments:

Sra. Brooks said...

Yeah! It turned out so great, I love the frame. So are you and Peter going to be taking a vacation up at Hartland to visit Aaron???

Katie said...

Love it! It was just the thing to complete that space.

Tara Frantz said...

HAHAHA, Aaron is such a goofball! That is so cute, Toni! I really need to come soon and see all the wonderful improvements you've made to your home! Great blog, by the way. :)

Toni said...

Jill--We are planning on going up there every weekend. Wouldn't you? I just love vomit-inducing car rides.
Katie- thanks!
Tara- Please come visit soon!

Mr. McIllwain said...

Chalkboard grocery list, that's awesome! Good idea. :)

Corey said...

Great idea! We just bought a chalkboard but are disappointed with the quality. How thick was the primer and chalkboard area after painting it? If we remove it someday I was wondering if this section would stick out much.

Toni said...

Corey--Thanks for the comment and I love your blog! We used four coats of the magnetic primer and three coats of the chalkboard paint. So yes, that area was pretty thick! We wanted to make sure the magnetic strength would come through, and although it is not as strong as a refrigerator, we are very happy with the end result. And I would definitely recommend the chalkboard paint--the quality is great! I would think twice about doing this project on a more prominent wall or somewhere I would want the option of changing the look more frequently. Simply because of the thickness of the area. Hope this helps!

Corey said...

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

I'll try to get some actual work done on the house, or at least take pictures of progress. Well, I guess I'll do that after vacation. :-)

Anonymous said...

Toni: Just discovered your blog so I'm catching up. Love the magnetic chalkboard. Before we remodeled our kitchen, and still had the old water heater in the laundry room, I did the same thing to the entire door. Very fun. I really miss it. I have a pottery barn chalkboard on the wall now. Fun, but not nearly as clever as the DIY magnetic chalkboard door. Way to go! Cindy W.
P.S. Miss you guys....