We have officially been in our new home for six months now! Confession – we still have a crapton of boxes that we haven’t unpacked, our guest room is complete chaos, and H’s new room is a little lackluster, but that’s ok! We’re getting there! Yes, we still have a lot to do, but one of the things Hubs and I agreed upon when we moved in, is that we both really wanted the house to reflect us, and we wanted to have a lot of personalization.
In the last few weeks, our biggest goal has been the public areas of the home – especially our walls. H has taken it upon himself to ‘help’ us decorate with lots of crayons, chalk and marker decorations all over the place, such a doll. To combat this, we finally decided to create a giant chalkboard wall for all of his masterpieces, and to hopefully hone his artistic skills in a contained area, instead of all over the house.
We actually had a Lowes gift card that our realtor’s company gifted us at closing, and I already had a pack of Chalkola chalk markers from a previous project, so after gift cards, we spent less than $5 out of pocket for everything!
Supplies needed + Where to find:
Lowes:
paint tray
roller and brush
painters tape
chalkboard paint
Target:
3 aluminum mini buckets from the dollar bins ($1 each. Amazon also has some really cute options and way more color choices than my Target had in store)
Amazon:
Chalkola premium wet wipe markers ($16.95, but mine were a gift)
Crayola Sidewalk Chalk ($6.99, but ours were a gift)
White vinyl mug hooks ($5.99, but ours were leftover from a previous project)
We also used some little vintage personal chalkboards that I found at an estate sale a few years ago (Not into thrifting? Amazon has a ton of options, as do most craft stores!), and a few rare vintage Bob Dylan colored vinyl records that my dad gifted us two Christmases ago that I framed.
It couldn’t be any easier.
Directions:
1. Tape off designated area.
2. Using a brush (or an edger), paint around the baseboard and edges, then using a roller, apply one coat of chalkboard paint.
3. Let dry according to paint instructions (Mine recommended 6 – 8 hours, or overnight).
4. Repeat steps 2 – 3 until you have applied three layers of chalkboard paint.
5. Screw in mug hooks, then add your chalk and chalk pens into your mini buckets.
6. Voila! You have a beautiful new wall, just begging to be drawn and created on!
The Chalkola pens that I used for the “hello FALL” handwriting, and decorating the aluminum buckets are so much fun to use! I love the bright and bold neon colors that were included in my pack from Chalkola and they are very easy to write with. In order to ‘activate’ each of the pens, you do have to shake them and then press down on the tip until the chalk paint starts to come out, but you only need to do that once for each pen and you’re set to go!
I like that the points are so fine and precise on these Chalkola chalk pens– it means I can do fun detailed work, like my attempt at an abstract pinecone, and the paint works on multiple surfaces, so I have gotten a ton of use out of this ten pack of neon colored pens. I still think H is a little on the young side to be maneuvering these independently (more so because of the fact that he bangs everything, so I have a feeling that the tips would be destroyed in seconds), but I can see these being great for kiddos who are a little bit older, as the regular chalk we have for H leaves dust all over the floors when he draws that I constantly have to clean up. With these chalk pens, there is no dust left over, or messes to clean up, and although they don’t wipe off the aluminum cans or chalkboard once they’ve dried, they are easily wiped clean with a wet washcloth. I’m also really impressed with how vivid the colors are – even the purple and brown show up very strongly on the black chalkboard!
As I mentioned, for this project I used them on both the aluminum buckets as well as the chalkboard, but these Chalkola chalk pens can be used on any non-porous surface and I can do so much with them! You can use them on your mason jars, ceramic jars, DIY projects, to leave personal notes on mirrors & calendars, chalkboard stickers, chalkboard contact paper, tile, metal, plastic, thank you card, accessories, glasses doors, cafe menus, gym boards, sewing patterns on fabric, marking expiration date on food canisters & containers, chalkboard labels, business folders, lunch menu for school, kitchen, mega mugs, Plants, and even in the garden!
The whole process took me about 3 days, but that’s just because I wanted each coat of chalk paint to have the chance to dry completely overnight before I added another layer. Once the third coat was on and I let that dry overnight, the final steps took under 30 minutes – so this is definitely a great weekend project for the family to do together. I painted at night while H was asleep and the Hubs was at work, and then we all took one Saturday morning to finalize all the details – where to hang the buckets from the mug hooks, what to hang above our new chalkboard, etc. I love that not only did we add a huge new personalization to our home, but we also created this fun space together!
We will use the upper area to make shopping lists, notes for each other, and whatever else strikes our fancy, and the lower part will continue to be for H to use and draw as he pleases. I love that this is right next to our kitchen, but it is also still visible from almost anywhere downstairs. That means that I can let H play independently while still keeping an eye on him, and he loves doodling as I’m cooking him lunches – so I love having something to keep him out from under me in the kitchen and keeps him happily occupied.
We have had the wall about a week and everyone loves it! I also see this being great as the weather cools down and we spend more time inside, and I’m even starting to brainstorm ideas to use it for educational purposes with H. I am so glad we finally decided to ‘go for it’ with the chalkboard, and am so happy with how everything turned out!
Could you use a chalkboard in your home?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, and I may have received one or more of the aforementioned products at a deep discount or free in exchange for my honest review. Regardless, all opinions are my own, and I would never recommend something I didn’t personally use.
I purchased chalkboard paint for my daughter's room a while ago then somehow lost the nerve to just go for it. You make it sound like it's worth the effort. I'll have to give your directions a try!
Go for it! She will love it!
Btw, you did such an amazing job with this! Love it!
Oh my gosh, thank you! That is so sweet!
I want a chalkboard wall in my house so bad. Yours looks amazing!
Doooooooo it! It is so much fun! Thank you 🙂
In our family we all work on bizarre ever changing schedules and we are FOREVER leaving each other notes. Either about who gave the pup her meds, to what we need at the store, to when we will be home from work, etc and so on. This is an awesome idea for the grown ups too and I know just the spot I could do this in! Thank you for the idea!
Yahoo! I am so glad I helped inspire you 🙂
I love this idea! I keep wanting to do it for my kiddos 🙂
I bet they would love it!
I want to make one of these SO bad!!! Thanks for the tips!!
It is such a fun 'detail'!
I love chalkboard walls! We did a small section of a wall in my son's room, but I would love to do a full wall! It looks amazing!
That sounds so fun!
Thank you 🙂
That is such a cool idea! I would love one in my house!
Thank you so much!
Chalkboard walls are a brilliant idea. Even useful for adults if you had a space to write your to do list or shopping lists.
I've wanted one for so long – even before we had our son 🙂 They are awesome!
I love chalkboard paint, great idea!
Thank you so much Ashley!
So simple and so much fun! Thanks for putting the new Crayola product on my radar – lordy I am so frazzles I've forgotten the name, but will not forget how vibrant the colors are! Great captures too!
I need some of those markers! (and we need new regular chalk, too) We have a full chalkboard wall in our kitchen and it has been very neglected the last few months. My kids need new chalk. Your wall looks great, by the way!
My boys would flip for a wall like this. They do have a chalk board to draw but not this big.
This is perfect for back to school, i love it for my kids. Thank you for smart ideas.
I definitely need to get me some of those chalkola markers– those look awesome!
This is such a fun and easy idea! My kids would love this.
i love chalk board wall in my house. because my son was always writing on our wall love this idea
i love chalk board wall in my house. because my son was always writing on our wall love this idea
So great! I bet your little man loves that. My niece draws all over the walls of houses so I feel your pain in some ways on that one! Good work! 🙂
This is too cute! We could seriously use one of these in our house, just for our notes. I could even use one for my office! Pinning 😀
I never wanted to do a chalk wall because it seemed like the chalk would cause duct everywhere. But with those markers? Seriously tempted now!
This is so cute and such a good idea to let kids draw on the wall in a healthy way! You did such a good job! I love it!
Those chalk markers are so cool! At our old house, we had our front door painted with chalkboard paint on the inside and my son loved it. We have to find a spot in our current house.
What a great idea!!! Must share with my daughter for their new home!
I think you made a smart decision to create a chalk board wall space for your son. Hopefully, he'll stick to drawing on it too. Awesome idea!
Omg what a cute idea!!! I should totally make a chalk wall in my daughters room!
My girls will be so thrilled with this. I love the idea! I have to plan this project soon.
Love the chalkboard paint! =) I want to try this at home.=)
I want a chalkboard wall! How fun!!
Totally love this! A Wall they can actually write on!
What a fantastic idea for kids.
This would be so much fun in a kitchen with the weekly menu on it <3
Love, love, love this!!!! I did this in my last apartment and used it constantly. Love your ideas.