DIY Chalkboard Photo Prop - Tutorial

Hi there!

I have a new tutorial to share to day.  I have seen a lot of chalkboards being used as back to school photo props, and I love the idea. I don't know why but I have always loved chalkboards.  Since I do not own a small one, but I do own a lot of alterable objects and some Martha Stewart chalkboard paint I thought I would DIY one.

 I am using a dollar store wood plaque to create my chalkboard that I have had kicking around for a while now.  You probably have something in your stash that you could use too! I also pulled out my Chalk paint to paint the edges of my plaque once I am done the chalkboard process.

 I taped off the edges of my plaque with painters tape. I wanted a framed look on my finished project.

 Next I used a foam brush and added a good coat of chalkboard paint, making sure to keep it really smooth.

The label suggests a minimum of 2 coats, with an hour drying in between.  It literally takes seconds to add the paint and it sure isn't hard to find something to do between coats.

After two coats I gave my plaque a really light sanding.  Pine is a softwood and the fibers tend to raise a bit after a coat of paint.  It only took a minute of sanding to make it smooth again.

I ended up giving my board 4 coats of paint, I wanted a really good quality chalkboard finish.

 Bonus tip - Storing your paint brush between coats, in a ziploc keeps it from drying out.

 Once I pulled off the painters tape, I decided I liked the wood edges and opted to skip painting them with my chalk paint.

 The instructions recommend leaving the project to dry and cure for 24 hours after the last coat.  Given that it was 2am I opted to head to bed, lol!

Once cured you need to treat the board by rubbing the chalk all over it and then wipe it off.

 Now you are ready to go!

Super, super easy and I love it!

Here you can see that I have already put this to good use.

I can also see me incorporating this into my Christmas decor, as a countdown board or something.  I will definitely get some use out of this and the chalk works great on it!

Email the store to find out how you can get a jar of this great paint, it lasts a long time and you can do so much with it!


Thanks for visiting!
Laura
xoxo