Guest Post From PB&J Stories:: DIY'd Framed Chalkboard

Well, I'm officially moved in, but I still have A LOT of unpacking to do. So, I have one more guest post for you guys before I return later in the week. This time I have the fabulous Pamela from PB&J stories to show us a fun diy project. Let's take a look, shall we?

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My name is Pamela, of PB&Jstories.com where I write about DIY projects, tutorials even some craft fails and once in a while some goodies about family, love and laughter.  Thank you to Megan for having me here today to guest post!

So let's get to it, and this past weekend I made a ...

DIY'd Framed Chalkboard

An easy way to build a framed chalkboard that's mounted to the wall.

The chalkboard easy essentials:

Our walls are a textured knockdown so directly taping off the size chalkboard I wanted and just painting on the wall would have been easiest however with the textured walls, it's less than ideal for a smooth chalkboard surface.  So off to Lowe's I went and picked up a piece of birch plywood.  It was 24”x48”x1/4th”. 

First I primed the board and let that dry.  I used my favorite primer as I was using it on a second project I was working on simultaneously, for a chalkboard project you don't need this high-end of a primer, almost any will do. 

Once that was dry I did three layers of Chalkboard paint to ensure a good solid coverage.  Directions say that you should allow 24 hours before applying a second coat.  In true DIY sense, I rarely follow directions.  Kidding I usually always do, but I knew that I could recoat before waiting 24 hours... and just be sure to then wait an actual 24 hours after you've painted your last coat before you start drawing masterpieces on it. 

{Somehow didn’t snap a picture of the painting with the chalkboard step}. 
I just applied even coats to ensure full coverage and let it dry for about an hour in between coats.
Once that dries you're done with the Chalkboard part. 

Next step: The Frame.
Since I didn't conveniently have a large frame laying around to go around the chalkboard, I made my own and it's actually quite easy!  I wanted to make a frame that I didn’t permanently attach to the chalkboard so if I ever wanted to use it for something else I was able too, or when we move in a few years we’ll be able to take the whole set up with us.

  I started off with 2 pieces of molding and grabbed my miter box & saw.  If you don't have one of these, they're fairly cheap at your local Lowe's or Home Depot & are just nice to have around for projects.

Just by measuring the top and width of the chalkboard piece, I measured out on the molding and then cut the angles at 45 degree ensuring I was cutting the right angles so each corner meets up to make a perfect 90 degrees. 

First I glued each piece together being sure that each 45 degree angle met up to form a nice precise corner.

Not sure if it was the heat that day, or life just likes to challenge me but the glue was not stronger than wood like it typically acts as, so I used "L" brackets and attached them at each corner to make the frame more stable.





I let the entire frame dry for about two hours before handling to be sure it had a strong build.

Then I just directly screwed the chalkboard to the spot on the wall I wanted it to hang.  I ended up doing a total of 6 screws, in each corner and then midway down the sides of it so it would lay completely flat to the wall.

Next, I could have glued the frame directly to the chalkboard, but as I mentioned I didn’t want it to permanently to be on it. 
I used Velco to attach the frame to the chalkboard, and picked up the industrial strength kind to be sure it would have a tight hold onto it and never fall off by accident.



I cut the two pieces into four equal pieces.

Then I adhered one piece directly to the chalkboard, and one to the frame.



TIP: The easiest way I found to be sure the two pieces of Velcro match up is to lightly have the pieces attached to each other and then press the frame up to the chalkboard.  The sticky back of the Velcro then sticks to the chalkboard and will be perfectly aligned with the frame. 

THAT’S IT!
Now my son has a brand new over sized chalkboard for his room and he can let his creativity run wild

My favorite part? It’s all portable so it’ll be a piece we can take with us if we need to move and don’t have to worry about priming over the chalkboard when we move out. 

.......................................................................... What a fun project! I'm loving all things chalkboard and love the idea of making your own, especially one you can transport if you move. ;)
Thanks so much Pamela for guest posting and sharing this tutorial.
You can follow Pamela daily on her blog or on Twitter & Facebook.
I'll be sharing some exciting news later in the week, so stay tuned!
Happy Monday!