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    Home » Crafts » Dollar Store Chalkboard | Easy Project

    Dollar Store Chalkboard | Easy Project

    Published by Gail | Published September 22, 2017 | Updated June 23, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    I love an easy chalkboard project, and this Dollar Store Chalkboard is not only easy, but oh so cute!

    Dollar Store Chalkboard

    dollar store chalkboard vintage lath

    While shopping at the dollar store, I picked up this small chalkboard. I decided to just hold on to it until I decided what to do with it. It hung around in my kitchen for way too long. I even had the small lath pieces with it. Finally, 2 months later I got around to putting it together. It was so easy, I have no idea why I waited so long.

    Reclaimed Lathe Wood

    bucket-free-lathe-wood

    Here’s the lath I used. I picked this up 2 years ago and haven’t really done much with it. I did make a Valentine project using some of the lath.

     

    *this post contains affiliate links, read more here*

    Glue and Clamp Dollar Store Chalkboard

    dollar store chalkboard project

    I cut the lath pieces to size and attached them using Gorilla Wood Glue and quick clamps.

    Drill Holes for Hanging

    drill holes for hanging dollar store chalkboard

    I drilled holes through both of the top lath pieces using a scrap piece of wood underneath preventing tear out of the wood.

     

     

    cheap chalkboard project paint sticks

    If you’re not a hoarder and don’t happen to have scrap lath laying around, you could use paint sticks cut to size.

    Add Jute or Ribbon

    small dollar store hanging chalkboard

    Pin IT!

    I added jute twine for hanging. I tied the jute so that the knots are in between the lath boards making this dollar store chalkboard reversible. The texture of this chalkboard is a little odd. I couldn’t really figure out which was the front and back because the chalk worked equally well on both sides. Actually the chalkboard didn’t want to “take” the chalk very well.

    Liquid Chalk

    martha stewart chalk paint

    Enter this fun Martha Stewart Erasable Liquid  Chalk. I saw it over on Petticoat Junktion’s blog, and immediately ordered it on Amazon.

    Do you know about CamelCamelCamel.com ?

    image Here’s a little tip. Do you know about camelcamelcamel.com ? You can go there, enter the url of any Amazon product and it will give you the price history of the product. You can also set up an alert for a product in case the price drops. If it does go down you will get an email alert.

     

    image

    Just paste the url of your product in that box and hit enter! Easy Peasy!

     

    image

    You can see the price I paid fell sort of in the middle of what it’s selling for now. The camelCamelcamel site is really good when you’re planning a purchase and can wait. It’s also good if you just want to see if you’re getting a good deal.

    repurposed cabinet door chalkboard stenciled liquid paint

    PIN IT!

    After I got the Martha Steward Erasable Liquid Chalk I tried it out on my new dollar store chalkboard, and my repurposed cabinet door chalkboard I made YEARS ago! I sort of daubed the liquid chalkboard paint on this one when I first got it. Literally—I got it out of the mailbox, grabbed a stencil and got busy. I was so excited! I wasn’t keen on how the liquid chalk sort of bubbled up, so I used a piece of chalk to sort of “fill in” the areas.

    Chalk Paste is probably a better alternative

    daubing liquid chalk paint on stencil

    Since then I have practiced a little using this DecoArt stencil and realized that daubing isn’t really the way to go. Since this project, I've found a much better way to do pretty chalkboards.

     

    erasable chalkboard liquid paint on chalkboard

    I daubed the liquid chalk on this chalkboard.

     

     

    monogram using martha stewart liquid chalk

    In the image you can see that the flourishes in the corners were daubed, where the monogram and flourishes were “rubbed” on using a stencil.

     

     

    liquid chalk ghosting

    This daubed on fleur-de-lis  (seen at the top of this post) had been on the chalkboard for several weeks. I had to use a soapy rag and scrub really hard to get the liquid chalk paint off the dollar store chalkboard (mostly). There is a little ghosting left behind.

     

    rubbed on liquid chalk

    This fleur-de-lis was rubbed on using a stencil. I like this look much better.

     

    rub on martha stewart liquid chalk using a stencil

    I erased the original fleur-de-lis on my cabinet door chalkboard and reapplied using the rub on method instead of the daubing method.

     

    stenciled fleur-de-lis design on chalkboard

    yep! The rub-on method with the liquid chalk paint works so much better!

     

    Tips for using Martha Stewart Erasable Liquid Chalk

    1. Shake well and prime before use
    2. Applying water with a sponge or rag to the back of the stencil will act as a light adhesive and help your stencil stay in place
    3. Lightly rubbing on the liquid chalk works better than daubing
    4. Only use on preconditioned chalkboards that are well seasoned to prevent ghosting.
    5. If ghosting appears, use chalk to re-condition and erase your chalkboard.

     

    I’m in love with this new way of decorating chalkboards! My handwriting is awful and I can’t draw a lick! Do you have a good trick for decorating chalkboards? Have you done a project with a dollar store chalkboard? Do tell!

     

    gail

    Related Content:

    DIY Chalkboard Speech Bubbles

    How To Make Small Chalkboard Tags

    Chalkboard Speech Bubbles

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    1. Sara Mullis

      October 13, 2017 at 7:25 am

      Loved reading this post with all the handy hints included ! I have a bakers dozen of those same little chalkboards "in waiting" for several planned events. Hoping to do some Farmer's market and craft sale events and these will become pricing signs . I'll be taking scrap two by four blocks with a groove cut to fit the the depth of the chalkboard, I estimate about a blades width with the saw. These can be changed easily and fit the occasion. I also happened to find a perfect chalkboard chicken and pig at Walmart that came with the stands.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 13, 2017 at 10:22 am

        Sara,

        Great idea! I did that sort of thing with clip boards, you can see that here: https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/clipboard-stand-and-more/

        In addition I made a bunch of small rustic chalkboards that I scatter ALL over my booth at Glendale for pricing and introducing items for sale. You can see those here: https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/small-rustic-chalkboards/

        Chalkboards are so handy for pricing. I also made some IKEA pedestal stands into chalkboards: https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/craft-show-glendale-2016-recap/

        I hope you do some Farmer's Markets! I've never done those.... but always wanted to.

        gail

    2. September Whisenant

      September 29, 2017 at 1:52 am

      Use scrap vinyl or in colors you don’t like to cut your own “stencils”. Cutting them yourself allows you limitless creativity plus the vinyl is adhesive so you don’t have to worry about it moving around. You can also use regular chalk but simply filling in the spaces and then rubbing it in with your finger before removing the vinyl. Do be sure to condition your chalkboard first or you will get ghosting. I love that this way I can “write” anything I want and have it look good.

      Reply
    3. GirlfromWva

      September 22, 2017 at 9:22 am

      Really neat how it turned out. Will see if Michael's and hobby lobby sell that Martha Stewart product.

      Reply
    4. Betty

      September 22, 2017 at 6:56 am

      That is a cute idea. I love the idea of stenciling. I really need to buy the blackboard paint.

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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