In this month’s installment of Thrift Store Home Décor Challenge is a artwork frame chalkboard. I can never pass up a great $5 picture frame. My garage has many of these waiting for a makeover, but today’s project is a more frequent find. Funny thing is, I can’t find a before picture of it. It was just a dirty, gold ornate picture frame.
Be sure to check out my friends’ projects at the bottom of this post!
How to repurpose an artwork frame
This is after I painted a very light first coat.
I love using this paint sprayer
In April I painted the home décor items for Homeright’s SNAP presentation. It was a rainy day, and I was in a hurry. After I put the paint cups back in the garage, time got away from me and I left them there for a couple of weeks. When I got ready to paint this frame, I got out the saved paint cups and decided to paint a couple of frames this pretty aqua.
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I used my Homeright Finish Max to get a couple of quick coats on each artwork frame.
Using a paint sprayer with chalkboard paint
The ornate frame was empty, so I cut a piece of underlayment (thin plywood) to become the chalkboard insert. If you have a Finish Max and have never used it to spray Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint, you’re missing out. It gives the best finish for chalkboards.
How to easily place a chalkboard into an artwork frame
I cleaned up the back of the artwork frame, removing all the paper backing to make it look nicer. Since I wasn’t painting the back of the frame, I didn’t paint the back of the chalkboard.
I used this Logan Dual Driver Elite to secure the thin wooden chalkboard to the old picture frame. It sort of acts like a stapler, but instead of shooting down, it shoots horizontally. You can get flex points or rigid points to use in this driver. They are just like they sound… the flex points will bend so you can remove the insert—the rigid points won’t bend.
Ornate picture frame
This is a close-up and a fairly good representation of the color and the detail on the ornate picture frame.
This is a large artwork frame, considering each of those fence boards is 5.5” wide. It measures over 35” wide.
Good news, I took it to my Vendors’ Village booth and it sold within 2 days. Then I took this $5 artwork chalkboard in to replace it. I used thin plywood painted with chalkboard paint for this one as well. I Used the same aqua paint and some clear wax to protect the paint.
So, I had one last $5 frame to offer up. It wasn’t perfect, but I thought there is someone out there that will want a wood tone picture frame. It too got a new thin plywood insert as the chalkboard.
I used 19 gauge wire and d rings to hang each of these chalkboards.
When was the last time you changed up a thrift store artwork frame?
Be sure to check out the projects my friends did.
Petticoat Junktion (rain boot)
Domestically Speaking (cutting board organization)
Our Southern Home (lamp makeover)
Bliss Ranch (metal box – take a picture)
Setting for Four (how to tint glass)
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia (rope vase)
My Repurposed Life (aqua chalkboard)
Related Content: Picture Frame Ideas For Home Decor and More
GirlfromWVa says
May 5, 2017 at 8:00 amBeautiful color. I need one of those dual driver things for securing backs of thrift store frames. maybe I can get one for Mom’s Day.
Maryann @ Domestically Speaking says
May 11, 2016 at 11:30 pmYou can never have too many chalkboards or too much aqua 🙂
kristin salazar says
May 11, 2016 at 11:57 amThis turned out great and I love the color you picked for it!
gail@myrepurposedlife.com says
May 13, 2016 at 8:45 amThanks Kristin!
that aqua paint is about 10 years old and was used for my daughter’s bathroom. She ended up not liking it and I repainted it a darker hue. I stored the paint in a milk jug and have been using it off an on over the last 10 years. It’s almost gone….
gail
Liz says
May 11, 2016 at 11:11 amVery cute! I have an ornate framed chalkboard in my kitchen, that I actually bought from Ballard many years ago… for a lot more $$… I’ve loved it, but I love your idea of DIY-ing for a lot less $$. 🙂
Bliss says
May 11, 2016 at 7:40 amI look too for ornate frames for chalkboards. I have one in my home that was made years ago when I thought I was being so clever using an old frame. In that one we put in metal and chalked over it so and I made magnets out of big vintage buttons. I still love it, although it could use a paint update.