[aldyn]

i had bought a can of black chalkboard paint to paint my one room wall with, and liked the idea until i had read a few scattered comments about the texture not being great, and not erasing well...

has anyone had any issues with this? i bought a 1/4" nap roller with teflon coating to apply the chalkboard paint.

what have you used? does yours erase well? any other comments?

[DesignDiva]

Are your walls smooth, or textured? It will not work on anything rougher than say, drywall. Any texturing will make it fail.

Once you paint (and follow the directions on the can as to how to apply EXACTLY) you need to then condition the dry blackboard with a piece of chalk...rubbing it sideways all over the board to fully coat and "powder" it. Then you rub an eraser in circles around it to spread the powder and condition the surface. Once you've done that, you can wash it with a warm wet cloth and it will be as good as it's going to be.

[dalbrough]

HI Eva,

I know this is an old thread.....but that being said, just wanted to let you know you are amazing!!!

Is there anything you guys don't know......

I just wanted to say a big thank you!!!!

I am putting a chalkboard inside a rather large frame in my kitchen and now I know how to use the paint without even asking!!!

Deb

[quiltmaster]

Originally Posted by EvaPerconti

....Once you've done that, you can wash it with a warm wet cloth and it will be as good as it's going to be.

I think your last line holds a lot of truth in a very few words. "As good as it's going to look" might not be very good looking in real life...

I painted the top panel of a kitchen door with chalkboard paint. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but we ended up painting over it. It was always messy and messy around it. I suggest you live with a small area of it first to see if you can stand the generally grungy look. It always looks so cool on decorator shows and in magazines. But, if you remember back to your school days, the chalkboards were never very nice except just after they were washed. Your chalk painted area will ultimately pretty much look like those chalkboards. If that's OK, then it will be OK for you. Hope it works out for you.

[uniblonder]

It's great to find this thread. I was actually considering painting cabinets like this: ikea kitchen installation using chalkboard paint kitchens from Cribcandy - the household design blog. Daily picks of the best designed or most unusual finds, for your home

...as I have 2 small children and thought it might be fun way to make the kitchen unique. At the same time I'm starting to wonder if it's a practical design decision. Will it end up messy and get old very quickly??? It looks so great in theory.... has anyone ever actually done this and lived with it?

[dalbrough]

I have put up a small chalkboard in my kitchen and as long as the kids do not touch it (insert laugh here) it looks great.

They however are drawn to it like a chocolate bar.....they are always dropping the chalk on the floor and it breaks into a million pieces - the scribbles or writing on it was not what i had envisioned for the kitchen.

But that being said - it is great place to jot down numbers or messages to each other.

if you can get past the dust and kids scribbling - i say go for it.

[GardenOfDarwin]

I painted 2 panels cut to fit inside the 'frame' of our old fashioned paneled door that leads to the basement 2 years ago. Got the can, used a brush, sanded, did a second coat...and then stood them up in the corner to await their third and final coat. They're still waiting...

Maybe I'll finish that project, and by the time I do, the kids will be old enough to not make a huge mess of it!

Susan