Make Your Own Chalkboard

I was putting the accessories back in my home office after having painted, and was not excited to re-hang the 24" x 36" white dry- erase board. It looked junky against the swanky new "Red Delicious" walls. I poked around the internet for some ideas, and nothing grabbed me. Since the whiteboard has a brushed aluminum frame (that complements my office accents) and a tray for an eraser and markers, I've decided to keep it and turn it into a chalkboard.

Not neat.Neat.

At Home Depot, Rust-Oleum brand chalkboard paint is $11.75 for 1-Quart or $5.15 for a spray can in classic schoolhouse green or black. I'm going with black, in a spray can---1 quart is more than I need. They also sell a tintable base, and 12 custom colors if you're feeling fancy. An eraser is $3 and I already have chalk.

Recessionista alert---I'm spending under $10.00 for this DIY project!

The inspiration for this project comes from my sister Leslie, who painted a door in her cozy kitchen with chalkboard paint. Her daughter Hayley loves to draw and scribble reminders there. I was not aware that Mittens and Boots can read, but there are arrows to show them where their cat door is ;-)

My project:

Tape and sand whiteboard, lightly just to rough up the surface.

Spray 3 coats chalkboard paint, 30 mins apart.

Let dry/cure 24 hours, peel away the tape.

"Condition" the board by rubbing chalk over, then erasing.

Finished product! $8.00 investment.

Chalk up another quick and easy DIY project!

Here are some more expensive alternatives, if you don't mind spending $ or if you prefer ready-made:

There are lots of home office organizers available for purchase, like Pottery Barn's "Daily System." The set-up pictured below, with various "modules" like display rods, shelves, calendar, weekly planner, linen pinboard, cubbies, etc... can run well over $500.00. Yowza.

At the very least, you can make the planners and boards yourself! Rust-Oleum makes a white dry-erase 'paint' as well as a magnetic latex primer coat, in addition to chalkboard paint.

I'm not knocking "the 'Barn" (I get a lot of inspiration from their color schemes and traditional style) but as you can see, their stuff is pretty pricey.

Pottery Barn sells a Modular Chalkboard Tile 14" x 20" shown below (including eraser and chalk) for $135.00 Ouch!!

To DIY the 'tile', you can buy 1/8" thick Masonite board at a lumber store or a home improvement store like Lowe's or Home Depot--a 24" x 36" piece is less than $20...and cover it with chalkboard paint yourself! Hang it up "as is" for a contemporary look, or stick a piece of painted board inside a yard sale picture frame, and vwha-lah...you have a chalkboard! Or use an old mirror, or a big tray! The paint adheres to glass, wood, plastic, etc...so anything can be transformed.

Chalkboard Wall Applique tiles (9" x 12") 2 sets shown below, are available on http://www.amazon.com/ in sets of 4 for $15.00/set.

To DIY that look, you can use blue painter's tape to mask off an area, and paint directly onto a wall. Leave the resulting chalkboard plain, or tack up decorative molding, or glue wide ribbon around the perimeter. Lots of possibilities!

For the very creative among us (I have not tried this...but it looks pretty cool) Martha Stewart has a recipe for make-it-yourself chalkboard paint. Who knew?! You just need flat paint in any color, and some grout. See the link below for directions:

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/make-custom-color-chalkboard-paint

The Cloffice Part Deux: Repainting Project

The prep time you spend prior to painting will save you aggravation and disappointment in the end.

Ten steps from start to finish.

3 days.

Total Cost: $157.50

New window treatment: 2 curtain panels... $50.00

Vinyl mini blind...$9.99

3 storage bins...$32.00

Contact paper...$6.75

Paint and Primer...$44.00

Roller covers...$10.00

Caulk...$4.75

Before (Pewter).....and.....After (Red Delicious), and how I got there:

You'll need the following supplies for painting:

Dropcloth

Claw Hammer (for removing nails)

Paintbrush

Paint Roller Covers + Roller

Paint Trays (I buy disposable plastic ones for $2.79, rather than washing them out)

Detachable screw top handle for the paint roller (looks like a broomstick)

Screwdrivers (flat head and philips head, for removing window hardware and switchplates)

Blue Painter's Tape

Ziploc Baggies

Lightweight Spackling

Putty Knife

220 Grit Sandpaper

Paintable Caulk (in a small tube, no big cartridge or caulking gun necessary!)

Rags

Primer (Use Gray primer to cover the existing paint, so that the Red paint adheres and covers well)

Paint in various colors( Red for walls, Bright White for ceiling and trim. I chose Eggshell finish.)

Paint Stirrers

Ladder or Stepstool

1. Set up a staging area for all supplies. The room I'm painting (closet + office = The Cloffice) is 11.5' x 8' so I'm using the adjoining bathroom to access tools and supplies. Give yourself some elbow room! I've never stepped backwards into a pan full of paint...and I don't want to start today.


2. Clear all furniture out, remove items from desktop, take all art off the walls and take down window treatments. Remove switchplate covers from outlets. Place all re-usable picture hangers, nails and screws in a Ziploc baggie. Tape the switchplate screws to the switchplates so you don't have to hunt for them later!

3. Fill nail holes with lightweight spackling, scrape off excess. You'll have less to sand.

4. Caulk all spaces between molding and ceiling, and places where molding has separated. Use Paintable Caulk!!

5. When the caulk is dry, start "from the top" and paint the ceiling first, then the trim. No primer needed--I'm painting white over white!

6. Protect the lighting fixure with painter's tape. Do not get near the hot bulb with the paint-filled roller--the bulb will shatter!! I learned that the blonde way, helping my friend Tracy repaint about 20 years ago!

7. De-lint the roller cover by using the sticky side of blue painter's tape. Wrap tape around your hand/knuckles and roll back and forth, like taking lint off a sweater.

 This "Wooster Shortcut" brand is my new favorite brush for "cutting in" -- the angle is perfect, and the handle is short and flexible, for greater control!

8. Now, "cut in" the ceiling paint with a brush. By that I mean, paint an outline of the perimeter edges with a brush, so you can use a roller to fill in the rest. It gives you neater edges, with no globs of paint, and there is no need to jam the roller into corners.

" Cutting in" the wall seam, the edges and under the molding with the small brush, loaded with gray-tinted primer.

9. Use the roller to fill in! Roll quickly but evenly, so the texture is like a lemon rind. Trust yourself here--it looks sloppy and ugly now, but...

It dries evenly!!

Primer dries to the touch in about an hour, but let it CURE for a few hours, so that the deep red paint will go on evenly and the paint molecules will grab on, rather than smear or get muddy!!

Though it's a small room, this job does not need to get any bigger than ONE weekend---red paint can be a challenge. Follow my tips regarding the primer (no shortcuts!) and the room will have a deep, lush color with just 2 coats of red paint, rather than 4-6 coats.

Another product plug--I love this "Handy Paint Pail" with disposable plastic liners. It's been through quite a few projects! Hold the pail, rather than the handle: pushing the handle up to my wrist allows me to stay balanced when up on a ladder, rather than trying to hold a wobbly paint tray or cup of paint, and there's a magnet that holds a brush.

10. OK, time to get bold. I'm ready for the RED paint! Same deal as the primer--cut in the edges, ONE wall at a time with a brush...then fill in with a well loaded roller. Make a W shape and keep rolling with even pressure over the wall, to get that lemon rind texture, and make sure there are no drips. If you press down too hard on the roller, you'll force paint off the edges, and will get "lap marks." They'll dry into a ridge...so make sure you catch any of those! The paint goes on light, and dries darker.

The first coat will dry a little splotchy looking, but I'm not worried.  I'm really happy with the way it looks so far!  Let the paint dry and cure overnight before painting the 2nd/final coat...and touching up the trim.

Gettin' there!

Finished!

Detail of window treatment. I re-used the curtain rod, which is "Blomma" from IKEA. The silver grommet in the curtain adds a bit of metro flair and it's repeated in the storage bins. (All from Bed, Bath & Beyond.) I used contact paper (from Home Depot) to cover the existing blotter I'm updating (from Pier 1), and repeated it on the inside walls of the closet (where shelf pin holes were visible!)

The Cloffice

I'm hijacking the term 'cloffice' from my ever-clever friend, Ingrid. It's the perfect word, for a closet + office. The 3rd and smallest bedroom (11.5' x 8') is my home office/extra closet and I have plenty of storage space for turtlenecks and tees, computer/peripherals, linens, office supplies, stationery, camera stuff and my file cabinet. The view from the top-floor window is very pleasant, overlooking the yard. The posters and prints are an homage to Old New York, with some views of this neighborhood, when it was industrial and gritty at the turn of the 20th century. The large poster over the desk is by Georgia O'Keeffe, believe it or not! It's called "The View from the Shelton Hotel 1923" and is a view of my neighborhood, from Midtown Manhattan.

After 10 years, the pewter-gray paint is looking very tired, and the quart of touch-up paint that I got was just "off" enough that the repainted areas look obvious and horrible. A new paint job is unavoidable. I'm going with deep red walls and bright white trim. The existing gray carpet and desktop are fine, and the white cabinets along the back wall will stand out nicely.

I purge/shred papers regularly but the desk tends to get piled up and the poster frame has become a catch-all for photos, thank you notes and the cheat-sheets I tape up there for phone interviews. This paint job is another good opportunity for me to get more organized. A clean space = a clear head.

The existing lighting, wall clock, desk accessories and curtain rod are brushed nickel, and last week I painted the convex mirror I already owned, from gold to matte silver. I'm going to freshen up the window treatment and ditch the curtains. They are two cotton shower curtains (!) with beige/white stripes that will no longer match the paint. I got my money's worth, amortized over 10 years...

 I dashed off this update while the ceiling and trim are drying. The completed project is posted under "The Cloffice Part Deux: Repainting Project."

Never completely "off the grid!"

Trendspotting

I'll never be mistaken for being "fashion-forward" as I'm quite content wearing jeans and a button down, or cargoes and a comfy tee. Of course I have suits, cubicle-wear and ballgowns at the ready, but I count the minutes til I can kick off torturous heels. Trends whiz past me and I have more than one friend who'd like to drag me off for a style makeover. I'd have to be drugged and kidnapped...so I stay on my toes.

I'd rather spend hours at a swap meet than 30 minutes in Bloomingdales or Saks.

I took a 'test' in Real Simple Magazine's March 2010 issue, to determine my decorating style. The March issue is not online yet, but check back at http://www.realsimple.com/ to test your style!

I'm a mix of Cozy Casual and Vintage Eclectic, rather than Sophisticated Classic or Modern Graphic. According to Real Simple, my decorating style "draws on English and early-American furniture designs, laid back country cottage and farmhouse styles." I incorporate a "rich layered look combining flea market finds from various time periods and a diverse collection of accessories and artwork..."  I agree 100%.

Regarding personal style, last summer I blogged about some Victorian era watch fobs that I picked up on Portobello Road in London and a vintage portrait charm that I found at a mercantini on the outskirts of Cortona, Italy. I wear old medals and charms as necklaces and they elicit queries and compliments.

I'm pleased to have found similar pieces featured well after I bought mine, and for much more $ in magazines and in catalogs!

Here are the ones I found, and as they appear, as antiques or replicas:

5 Euro, or $7.50 in Cortona. The sterling silver charm, the size of a dime, is two-sided with two different portraits. I already had the chain.

Replicas $32 each at http://www.rshcatalog.com/, chain $30

$15 each on Portobello Road, London, 2007. My chains.

One-of-a-kind fobs available at http://www.nottinghilljewelry.com/ for $50 and up, by designer Constance Cusick. She's re-selling vintage pieces, not designing new ones.

The medal above (also 5 Euro, or $7.50)  has a portrait on one side, and a sitting griffin/griffon/gryphon on the back, with the inscription: "Rappresentazioni Classiche al Teatro Greco" Siracusa MCMXXII

It's a medal from the Greek Theatre of Syracuse, 1922. The theatre, in Siracusa, has given performances for nearly a century, and today has more than 100,000 paying spectators.

Siracusa, Italy

Below left on the catalog page is a similar "charm" and chain being sold for $68.00 in the Olive & Cocoa catalog, out of Utah. http://www.oliveandcocoa.com/

The "swallow silhouette necklace" is priced at $94.00, with chain and wrapped in a handcrafted mini wooden crate. That's one third more than what http://www.rsh.com/ is charging for their silhouette necklaces. Wow!

A friend and I bought a bunch of these tags that are meant for pet collars, and I've given some as gifts. For the sillier moments in life it's a necklace that makes me laugh out loud when people ask, "What does that say?"  When they tell me I'm a whacko I say..."yes, indeed."

Stay true to your own style. I'm happy to be in my own curve, neither ahead nor behind. Because it's mine.

Good Junk

I bought a convex mirror twenty years ago for $45.00 in a Yonkers junk shop. It's kind of Colonial and tavern-y, which isn't my style per se, but it's eclectic and mixes in well. I am quite sure that I didn't stumble upon an antique American or Regency giltwood mirror (like the one pictured below) so I have had no reservations when spray painting it over the years, first gold and today, matte silver.

This one's only $8,500.00!

My junk shop find has been moved over the years from the den to the living room to my bedroom, and will rest now all glimmery in my home office, which has brushed nickel and silver accessories.

I'd gotten some extra paint last week for office touch ups but the color has changed pretty noticeably in 10 years, and the touch ups look really obvious. Must repaint! As we know, that is no problemo for Dale-e-o. I've chosen a deep red, which will make the white cabinets, ceiling and window trim pop, and will coordinate with the existing gray carpet and desktop. That project, entitled "The Cloffice" is now complete!

Here's the mirror's makeover.

It took longer to pry the top off the spray paint can than it did to do the job! Just cover the mirror with a paper towel and be sure to mask the edge with painter's tape. Spray outside, on some old newspapers, preferably on the dead lawn, so you don't welcome Spring with spray paint on your patio or driveway.

Before

During

After

New home!