Fix

Turn Cheap Furniture Into A Chalkboard Table

That four-legged relic you’ve kept since uni? Nothing to write home about. Layer on a few coats of chalkboard paint, though, and it’s a surface that holds ideas, jokes, and designs, along with your meals.

The Design*Sponge blog suggests it only takes about two coats of chalkboard paint and a three-day wait for it to dry to turn pretty much any flat furniture into a creative eating space. Since the gray/black tones do wonders at covering up scuffs and nicks, you could likely rehab even the most busted-looking curb discoveries for this purpose. It could definitely win over the kids, too, and keep them at the table long enough for at least their first few bites to digest.

Hit the link for more pictures, and share your own blackboard paint ideas or tips in the comments.

before & after: kate’s chalkboard table [Design*Sponge]

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • GeorginaCadman

    Make your own chalkboard paint on the cheap. Buy a quart of flat black paint (or any other color that you like) and add 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout per cup of paint. Stir it up really well and paint it on with a foam brush or smooth roller.

    I painted a wall in our kitchen with this recipe two years ago and it still looks and works great!

    GeorginaCadman

  • balls187

    Its a cool idea, but from that picture, it looks hella low rent.

  • taodude

    @eternaluxe: It's extra calcium?

    taodude

  • leastcmplicated

    @ShakespeareGeek: how much did 1 can cover? and how many coats did it take?

    leastcmplicated

  • JuiceMan

    really any type of erasable/writing surface will do. i put some paper on our communal tabletop in college, left some colored pencils around, and before you knew it we had a work of art. best part about that was, we just untaped it and hung it up.

  • GregH

    This would be fun for the "kid's table" if you have other families over for dinner. Might be enough to keep them entertained for a reasonable length of time.

    GregH

  • cuiusquemodi

    @Lars H: I'm still cringing after reading this. Five minutes ago. Gaah.

  • Erzengel

    i hate chalk... all that dust... and the horrible screeching... how about a way to make it into a whiteboard? i loooove the smell of those markers.

  • danger the pirate (silver star e

    chalkboard paint link doesnt work properly. try this one.

  • rejester

    @Lars H: Wow, look at all the rain that washed away the chalk on the sidewalk.

    rejester

  • Lars H

    @eternaluxe:

    Yeah. And what about silverware/stemware/dinnerware screeching like fingernails on blackboard?

  • TheRealGeeMan

    For years I've painted the side of my refrigerator with chalkboard paint - perfect for quick shopping list reminders.

  • Giannicolus Jones

    @750: That's like what kids authors Mo Willems' did to his whole dining room.

    [mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com]

    [mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com]

    [mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com]

  • ShakespeareGeek

    I spraypainted a wall down in my basement for the kids to color on while my wife's on the treadmill. Make sure to sand surfaces if appropriate, the paint is not *that* forgiving.

    Also, expect the can to jam up many times, it does not flow terribly well. I also had a can of the magnetic stuff, thought maybe that would be fun, but I could never get it to spray well enough to even bother.

  • 750

    chalk board paint is such a neat project tool, especially if you have kids. i put some in the middle of a large empty picture frame on the wall of my daughter's room. i dare say i've probably used as much as she has.

  • eternaluxe

    what about the dust?

    eternaluxe

Post Your Comments

Got something to say? There are two ways to comment:

1. Guests

Click here to comment instantly.

2. Facebook Users

Click below to comment using your Facebook account.

We're looking for comments that are interesting, substantial or highly amusing. If your comments are excessively self-promotional, obnoxious, or even worse, boring, you will be banned from commenting. All comments are moderated.