Let me say right off the bat that I’m an excellent wall painter. I can wield a paint brush in a way that would blow your mind, covering an entire room with brand new paint in under an hour. And I don’t get it on the ceiling either.
But painting a chalkboard wall? Now that’s another story.
Here’s what I just discovered from painting my own chalkboard wall :
- Chalkboard paint splatters big time. It splattered all over my floor. Lesson learned.
- Black doesn’t wipe off easily from the floor.
- Even if you tape up your baseboards, you may get chalkboard paint on them.
These are minor things, things you can prepare for when it comes to chalkboard walls. I just happened to take my cavalier ‘I can paint anything’ attitude and threw it on up there.
Now that the chalkboard wall is finished, I let it dry for 2 days. Once it was dry, my husband (who has dust allergies) decided to help out by ‘curing’ the chalkboard wall.
Curing involves taking a big piece of chalk and rubbing it all over the wall. You can then wipe it off and begin your new career as a chalkboard artist. Or at least that’s what you hope.
When I walked into the kitchen after the curing took place, there were piles of chalk dust all over the floor, a vacuum (and a husband) who appeared to be wheezing, and 3 little boys covered in chalk. They looked happy, so that was a plus.
Once that was cleaned up, the first markings went up on the wall. I envisioned vintage menu signs, banners, inspirational quotes. Instead I have a nice looking spiderman, wolverine (or sharkman as he’s known in our house), and a rugged pirate. Oh and a glass of milk for good measure.
I did pick up a piece of chalk myself yesterday and tried for the word art I was looking for. Unfortunately to me, I suck at anything artistic. I was trying for a nice banner with whirly dings like this one on Pinterest. This calligraphy-gone-wrong experiment is what I got.
I haven’t quite figured out what to do with this chalkboard wall, but there are some great ideas on Pinterest I plan on trying and failing at, just for fun. Pinterest Fails are my specialty after all.
If you have chalkboard walls and can offer inspiration, chime in here. And don’t forget to post a picture.
Shelly Wutke
