Made in the desert

I’ve been a bad Mum this week. For the second week running I have forgotten to return the school library books and had a very near miss with a PE kit. So it’s time to get organised! I gave this old Ikea chalkboard a new look and a new place it in the heart of the kitchen, now there’s no excuse.

Whilst hunting round for a nice chalkboard that would fit well in our kitchen I remebered this awful orange pine one we bought years ago from Ikea which had been hidden under the bed for years. So, instead of spending money I decided to give this one a chance first by giving it a makeover using supplies we already had. Now, this is a complete rush job, I didn’t sand, I didn’t varnish and I didn’t take care and the result is still lovely so I thought it was worth sharing.

This is how I did it

1. I gave the wooden surround a coat of paint using Jotun matt enamel in white, I added some colour by mixing in a little bit of dark blue acrylic paint. It was a quick job using a children’s paint brush but the effect was fine. I masked off the chalkboard for speed and neatness using a piece of A4 paper as a cover which I moved around as I painted.
2. I then left it in the sun to dry. (The Dubai sun is fantastic for this stage, beware, the sprinklers are not.)
3. Using a rough grade sandpaper I sanded the paintwork, I concentrated on the edges to reveal the wood giving the chalkboard a vintage feel. Sanding also removed any obvious brush marks giving the paint a lovely smooth finish.
4. I then decorated the back of the letter holder with decorative tissue paper. I covered the area in PVA glue stuck on the paper and then once dry I sealed it with wood varnish.
5. That’s it as far as the decorating goes, but I think one thing that makes this chalkboard so successful, and therefore worthy of a note, is the chalk pen. This pen makes the writing neat, durable and readable and it was just 7AED from Daiso.

So now you know how I revamped my old chalkboard and all the things I have on in October, I hope you enjoyed.

Tracy x