This winter I’ve been spent some time working on projects that I’ve put on the back burner. These are the projects that either require a bit of repair work, take a little longer than the average project to complete, or I just plain am not sure what to do with them.
This large, wood mirror frame was one of those pieces.
I picked this piece up at a yard sale last summer for just a few dollars. I loved the size of it and that it was solid wood, including the backing. Initially, I had planned to paint the entire frame white and use it as a canvas. I thought I’d try painting a modern abstract.
However, after three coats of primer and two coats of white paint, the previous reddish stain continued to bleed through. So the project sat. I thought about turning it into a sign with a dark background to cover the bleed-through or maybe having a new mirror cut which would also cover the unevenness of the wood backing, but that could get expensive. Plus, I already had a few other mirrors in my shop to sell.
Last week, I decided to turn this mirror frame into a chalkboard. I’ve done chalkboards before and they sell pretty quickly. Chalkboard paint levels really well too, so even though it would require five or six coats, the chalkboard paint seemed to be a good option.
Also, since the backing is inset into the frame, when it’s turned upright to hang or lean on the wall, there’s actually an area for the chalk to sit.
Initially, I lightly rubbed a bit of the black chalkboard paint onto the white frame to give it a distressed look, but then decided I wanted to give it a much more unique color. So I pulled out the brightest color I had in the shop… turquoise.
Once you create a chalkboard, it’s important that you season it prior to use. To do this, simply rub the entire chalkboard with chalk then lightly rub it with a dry cloth. This prevents any lettering from being burned into the chalkboard surface. If you don’t season a chalkboard and you write on it, then even if you erase the board, the lettering may still show up.
I really love the the black and turquoise color combination. Perfect for a playroom, for a dining room menu, or to add some color and organization to a kitchen.
This turquoise chalkboard is for sale in my Shop.
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Thank you & Enjoy!
Vicki
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