Repurposed Hollow Core Door Chalkboard

I’ve been very busy with some Home DIY and Reno projects, but I made some time to work on a new project, a hollow core door chalkboard!

As Lulu Mae and I were taking our evening walk I saw this door set out to the garbage. I noticed right away that it was a hollow core door that had damage on the bottom. Apparently someone kicked it. But that wasn’t the first thing I noticed. Can you see what caught my eye? That great arch shape of the top half. I knew right away it would be perfect for a chalkboard. I took Lulu home, borrowed a dolly from my neighbor Rodney and rolled the door home.

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It was easy to cut the lower half off using my circular saw.

Can you see how perfect it is going to be for a chalkboard already?

I’ve used this method to fill in the doorknob hole on my Hall Tree Bench, you can click that link for more details.

Because this is a hollow core door, there is a void at the bottom where the door was cut off. I found the perfect scrap in my stash to fit this gap. I used Gorilla Wood Glue , Quick Clamps, and my nail gun to make a secure base in the door.

There were three places that I needed to patch to repurpose this door. I used wood filler on the hinge mortise and doorknob. For the strike plate area, I used a small piece of thin plywood to fill the void, then the wood filler to make it all smooth.

I worked on this project off and on while I was doing some home reno. I didn’t take pictures of the process of adding a top shelf and crown molding.  I did that, and then decided that even if this large chalkboard was used as a hanging piece, a bottom base might also pull the look all together. Luckily I was able to find enough of the same reclaimed crown molding in my stash to do the bottom portion as well.

TIP After nailing and gluing my crown pieces I do a little sanding right on the joint to better blend the pieces together. You can see that on the right.

Here is the reclaimed hollow core door chalkboard all finished and waiting for it’s new outfit.

I used an oops off white chalky paint primer to do a base coat, then used the same paint without plaster of paris to do the top coat.  Not shown. I used painter’s caulk in the seams and cracks and it made all the difference—it really makes a project so much neater and cleaner.

Because the top coat is a semi-gloss, the smoked glaze went on a little different. I used a cheap chip brush and a small cloth as needed to make the glaze even. The glaze was applied in more of a dry brush fashion. I don’t wipe off extra glaze on a towel, I just BARELY get the tips of the chip brush wet and apply it with a very light hand.

Because of the design of the door, I did a vertical pattern on each side, but a horizontal pattern above and below the chalkboard area as seen here.

Watch my video of How To Glaze Painted Furniture

I didn’t want to use painter’s tape on the new finish so I bought a new fabulous small foam roller to apply the chalkboard paint. You can see I poured a small puddle of paint and then spread it with the foam roller. I ended up doing four light coats, storing my foam roller in a plastic baggie in between coats.

Hollow Core Door Chalkboard

I LOVE it! I wish I had a place for this repurposed hollow core door chalkboard in my home. It’s really large—standing 50” tall and 36” wide! But because the door is hollow, it doesn’t weigh much at all.

PIN IT!

Here it is hanging on the fence because I didn’t have anyplace else to hang it to show it off. 

You should pin this for later . . .

PIN IT!

Wouldn’t it look great resting on a buffet in a dining room?

Do you love a great chalkboard as much as I do? I’ve been making chalkboards in some form or fashion since I first started blogging. I have a couple of cupboard door chalkboards hanging in my kitchen.

gail

related content:

A chalkboard made from an armoire door

Easy Cabinet Door Chalkboard