• Home
  • About Me
  • Projects
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact me

The Frugal Homemaker

Your guide to turning your house into a home... one DIY project and yard sale find at a time

How to make a large DIY chalkboard

August 8, 2019

Ever wanted a big chalkboard to use in a spot in your home?  If you have checked prices you know they aren’t cheap! But it is so easy to make a large DIY functional or decorative chalkboard and today I am going to show you how. 

How to make a large DIY chalkboard-7

Supplies needed:

  • thin plywood in size of your choice
  • 1x3inch x 8 foot board
  • Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint
  • stain color of your choice- I used Varathane Classic in Dark Walnut
  • nail gun or screws/drill

I make the the back portion of the chalkboard with a very thin sheet of plywood.  The same underlayment plywood I use for my DIY shiplap.  If you don’t need a whole 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood you can also buy a small project piece of the same plywood- this is a 2 foot by 4 foot project piece. 

How to make a large DIY chalkboard-4

First thing I did was to cut my plywood to size, and then sanded the front of it extremely smooth.  (My school room chalkboard is 3 foot high and 28 inches wide.)  Then I painted on 2 coats of brush on/roll on Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint and let it dry. 

How to make a large DIY chalkboard-5

I did a simple blunt cut for the corners but you could do a mitered cut if you wanted to.  I stained the 1×3 boards with Rust-Oleum Dark Walnut Classic Stain and then screwed the plywood from the back into the frame.    Before you write on your chalkboard you will want to season it by rubbing a piece of chalk all over the whole thing and then you can erase and use. 

Making a DIY chalkboard is easy and so inexpensive especially compared to the cost of buying a large chalkboard. I made this large one in our kitchen several years ago and I love the touch of black it brings to the room and its the perfect spot to display a wreath or seasonal décor.

How to make a large DIY chalkboard-3

And I love how this chalkboard turned out for my little girls school area in my office.  I hope we can use it for lots of writing and learning in the coming years. Smile

How to make a large DIY chalkboard-6

Where would you use a large chalkboard like this?  So many ways you can customize it – do a white painted frame, and they even sell green chalkboard paint so you could do a vintage green chalkboard if you wanted. Smile

1 Comment LABELS ~ Uncategorized

SHARE >>
« Office progress!
DIY Farmhouse Outdoor Patio Table made with 2×4’s for less than $60 »

RELATED POSTS

  • 2012 goals–January checkup
  • Friday Frugal Finds: GW Fashion + yard sale finds
  • Friday Frugal Finds: games, pillows, and Tupperware + link up YOUR finds!
  • Beach-inspired summer mantelBeach-inspired summer mantel

Comments

  1. Daniela Nelson says

    September 21, 2019 at 2:10 AM

    Sweet DIY! I especially liked your girls’ office space – my 6 year old now wants a desk area just like that!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow me:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Hi!  My name is Christina . . .

I love doing simple, frugal things to make our house feel like HOME! Come learn along with me how to have a beautiful home on a budget.

Recent Posts

  • How to find Homeschool student discounts on attractions or teacher discounts/freebies
  • Fall hosting essentials
  • Cozy & Comfy Warm Fall Fashion
  • Budget friendly fashion pieces to transition into Fall
  • Red, white, and blue sumer fashion for the whole crew!





THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS