DIY: Chic and Easy Chalkboard

Chalkboards seem to be all the rage these days... here's a quick, inexpensive, and easy DIY to get you in on the trend!  Start with an inexpensive silverplate, aluminum or pewter tray.  This is not the same tray from the finished product in this DIY, but same idea. You may have few of these stashed in your cupboards, if not, thrift stores have them ALL the time.  I have scored them for as little as 10 cents...

The tray I used in the finished product was quite dirty, but a good cleaning with Goof Off left it with a lovely patina.  Next you need a bottle of nifty chalkboard paint... I like this version by Americana.  This particular paint requires you to paint 2 coats in opposite directions with an hour of drying time between each coat then let the whole thing dry for 24 hours before writing on it.

I wanted to use mine on the fridge, so I popped three heavy duty magnets onto the back.  Depending on what type of metal your tray is made of, they may stick right on (mine did) or you may need to glue them on. To hang on a wall, simply glue a claw toothed picture hanger to the back, or even easier prop it up in a beautiful easel on your counter.

Here is my finished chalkboard... we are currently using it to count down the days until SUMMER (we LOVE summer around here).  Here is another version I made from an old pizza pan, which is for sale in my Etsy store in case you are not feeling too crafty, but would like to get in on the chalkboard craze...

Chic Chalkboard

Check out more GREAT chalkboard projects here: