Chalkboard Project - Trying Something Different!

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all having a good week so far? We've actually had some sun here in Yorkshire and it's starting to feel a little bit like Spring - wonders will never cease ;)

Anyway, thank you for all your positive comments on the current room redecorations. We are currently in the process of moving stuff from one room to another and setting up, so I will update you next week on what has been going on.

This week, I want to share with you a little project I've been working on for a while. It's not a very big home decor project, but it needed working out and time without kiddies hanging about - something that doesn't happen that often.... It's my Chalkboard Fireplace! 

Bet you're wondering what on earth this is all about? Well I will tell you! When we moved in, there was a gas fire here. For various reasons (kiddies, lack of use etc), we had it capped off and I had a think about what we could do with the space. We didn't want to take out the fireplace surround as it's a nice and useful feature, so having seen a nice chalkboard that Leigh Penner had made some time ago, I wondered if I could do the same with this... and I could! We got the old fire removed and I got to work over a period of weeks.

I sourced:

1) A piece of birch plywood bigger than the hole and some coarse sandpaper for the edges of the board and a face mask to avoid inhaling the dust - from my local Handyman shop who is SO helpful!!

2) Some Blackboard paint from Wilkinsons and some cheap paint brushes

4) Some No More Nails adhesive to stick it on 

Altogether I think it came to about £14 for the materials.

All I did was sand down the edges of the board and then paint it. I had to give it three coats and put the last one on quite thickly. It needs a couple of hours to dry in between, so I did it over about a week outside when I was fairly sure it was not going to pour with rain. Once dry it was simple to put a bead of No More Nails round the outside of the board and stick it in place. I needed 24 hours for it to bond properly and also had to put something weighty up against it to hold it in place. My piano stool with some plastic sheeting on it worked well!

A quick trip to the supermarket for some cheap chalk and I've been having fun.

Here is a list of the supplies used on this project. I have signed up to affiliate links on some products (currently only Simon Says Stamp). If you purchase any item after clicking on an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps in a small way to support the running of my blog and is very much appreciated, thank you! 

Wilko Quick Dry Matt Blackboard Paint Black 250ml

No More Nails Original - UniBond

Wilko Functional Brush Set 3pk

InLinkz.com

Thank you so much for visiting today. I had a lot of fun with this project and am really pleased with how it has turned out. The girls are excited to have something they can draw on that's not paper and I can get excited that it's not the walls!