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Friday, December 7, 2012

KITCHEN CHALKBOARD WALL


I have a confession to make.  I, Jennifer Griffin, DIY home blogger, have never used chalkboard paint.  There.  I said it.  I remedied that last week, though!  And I went big.



There's a little nook wall space leading into our kitchen from the hall which can only be seen once you are in the kitchen, not from the front door or the living room.   I considered doing one of the skinny side panels in chalk paint, but the more I thought about it I decided to do the entire wrap-around section.


This wall is lightly textured, and I wasn't sure about that but left it alone and painted on 2 coats of chalkboard paint.  Now that it's done, the texture really didn't end up being an issue at all.

Following the directions on the can, at least 3 days after painting, the area must be seasoned.  This is done by rubbing the chalk sideways over the entire wall, and then erasing.  I had two good helpers for this step.



I also wanted to add a little drop spot.  In an effort to try to keep the spot on my counter that is a magnet for junk clear, I added a mesh wall organizer (Target-then sprayed gold) for mail, important school papers and notes that normally get left on the countertop.  


I'd also like to add our family calendar and a few hooks and maybe hang a picture or two in this space when Christmas is over.  

I combined several chalkboard lettering and artwork ideas that I saw on Pinterest, and added a few touches of my own.



My daughter added some artwork all on her own too...I was TOTALLY impressed with her creative writing.  Oh, I just noticed that she left out the "r".  She was working so hard she must have missed it...so cute!





I took Pam's suggestion and used a few upside-down drawer pulls for little chalk holders, and changed out the switch plates to brass.

  

Part of our December "to-do" list...


We broke in the new wall at my sister's party last weekend.  Everyone added their own birthday greetings for her along the sides.




So far, the wall is a hit!  There is sort-of a trail of chalkdust around the baseboards, but we'll deal with that.  I have some chalkboard markers but can never really get those to completely erase and am a little afraid to use them on the wall.  Does anyone have any advice on that?  

Oh, and for the record, I have the best husband in the world.  Didn't even bat an eye when I started painting the walls black.  :)  I married the right guy.  He's off of work today and we're off to put a big dent in our Christmas shopping.  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.  I truly appreciate your faithful reading and sweet comments!

Linking up with
It's Overflowing
Savvy Southern Style
Home Stories A to Z
Thrifty Decor Chick Before & After Party
Monday Funday at Uncommon Designs
The Shabby Nest
Liz Marie Blog

Would you like to comment?

  1. welcome to the dark chalkboard side.... it looks amazing!

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  2. I love it! It is so perfect in that little nook. Great job!

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  3. Oh my goodness, this is awesome!!! It helps that you have awesome hand-writing and are apparently very artistic, but still it's so cute. I love the idea of upside down drawer pulls for little cups! Brilliant!

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  4. Girl, you just ever stop do you? I absolutely love that!

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  5. That little nook just got a huge dose of personality!! You're going to love all the personal msgs you can have fun with! Thanks for the sweet shout!

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  6. Noticed something else new ~ awesome photo in the green and leopard! :) (Too funny, I'll send you a pic of my new leopard wedges.)

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  7. Love the nook! It is such a fun way to dress up an unused space.

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  8. I LOVE IT! Go big or go home!Love the pulls to hold your chalk, I have been searching for something interesting for mine. Thanks for sharing.
    ~Joy from Upcountry Living Market

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  9. Jennifer!!! This is just so darn cute and creative! Thanks so much for sharing how you did it and, in just a short amount of time, how many fun applications the chalkboard wall has already had.

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  10. Love it!! As soon as I read this I ran to my kitchen to see where I could put one!! I have the chalk markers and I use a wet rag or paper towel to erase, and it works pretty well. I have had a chalkboard wall in the boys room for a few years and have washed the whole thing down with a wet rag several times and it has held up very well - never noticed any of the chalkboard paint rubbing off. Enjoy!!

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  11. Jennifer, I love your new chalkboard space!!! That punch of black ties in so well to your home's decor, and how fun is it, right??? As you know I'm a huge fan of chalkboards, and my 14 y.o. has a whole wall of his room painted with black chalkboard paint. It's totally worth the chalkdust as far as I'm concerned and looks so great in your kitchen!!

    PS HOW tall are those doorways of yours? Beautiful high ceilings, you lucky girl! AND, I love your new profile pic - beautiful lady!!

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    1. Yes, the tall ceilings are a blessing and a challenge, sometimes! The ceiling is 10 feet so I'm guessing the doors are around 8?

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  12. What a cute idea! I haven't used chalkboard paint either, if that is any consolation to you, but I'm thinking about it now. Just stumbled cross your blog and am a new follower now! =) Anja

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  13. Love it!!! I did the same thing last week! You can check it out here:
    http://www.hines-catch-up.blogspot.com/2012/12/chalkboard-wall-boring-wall-makeover.html

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  14. Hmmm, I thought I had responded here but do not see it. Anyway, I really like this idea! Seems to be a perfect space to do this too. I feel sure the kids will enjoy this area.

    Great photo of you!
    xo
    Pat

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  15. I love this so much...it's on my list! Pretty handwriting and oh my gosh your sister is so pretty...just like you! XO, Aimee

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  16. First off....LOVE your new blog photo. So pretty. Secondly, I want so badly to do a chalkboard wall in our home, but only the bedrooms have smooth walls. The rest of the house is that very textured "knock down" finish, as it's called. I'd have to simply frame out a large sheet of wood, glass, something and attach it to the wall as a big chalkboard. I have a small one by our dinner table, but I know a large wall-sized one like yours would be so cute.

    Yours is amazing. Love every detail of what you've done. I actually think it adds a lot of charm to the kitchen. And Emily's "Chistmas Cards" is too sweet to correct. :) So cute.

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  17. A chalkboard wall. Such a fun idea. I keep thinking of adding one to our house but the problem right now is that Sophie wouldn't know where the chalk wall writing should start or stop. Lol. In time. Totally agree with the blog photo too. Such a fun view!

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  18. love how you used the wall! great idea with the chalk...so fun!

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  19. I think it's so you! Even if you did hold out for so very long. I've been drooling over wall size chalkboards literally for ev's. We're currently in process of dividing two former larger bedrooms down into 4 small sized ones. Our eldest DD (16) will have a chalkboard wall on her desk wall. She's a writer & I couldn't think of a more perfect spot in the house. Next fall we're planning an addition with a second wall size chalkboard in our new mudroom. I'm so excited I simply can't wait & dream about that wall & that lovely functional room constantly (asleep or awake, lol). Glad you dipped your brush & got your chalk on!

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  20. I would love to have a chalkboard wall! I love how you used the upside down drawer pull for storing the chalk. Very clever!

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  21. love this! What brand of paint did you use?

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    1. Thank you! It was the Rustoleum Chalkboard paint that comes in a quart sized can.

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  22. this is too cute and just really creative! I've been thinking of doing this in my small kitchen entry, but haven't had the guts to do so just yet, well maybe, after seeing this I will! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  23. How did you attach the handles to the wall. I just bought some for my wall and can't for the life of me figure it out.

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    1. The handles I bought had a screw hole at each end. I sprayed the screws gold and put them right into the wall. Maybe yours were intended to have a screw that comes in from the back? I have a friend who used this trick also on her framed chalkboard and she hot glued hers on, but I can understand you might not want to do that to your wall. So, I guess my advice is to make sure you can attach them from the front. :)

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  24. I just recently put chalkboard in my kitchen as well. I am in the process of finishing the kitchen. I love your style. I am hosting a new link party. I would love it if you would link up. http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com/

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  25. Love it! I have a pass through area in my kitchen that I'm planning to do the same thing with, so it's great to see how well yours turned out :)

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  27. Where did you find the gold drawer pulls? I love them! I have a chalkboard wall in my kitchen and need somewhere to put the chalk...

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    1. Hi Shelbi! The pulls came from Hobby Lobby. They were black but I spray painted them. Hope that helps!

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  28. Wow, what a nice idea to decorate your home! It's very useful to decorate in simple way and change it easily! I also like your kids drawing with chalk. Thank you for sharing, I'll do it too at my home.

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  29. Hi Jennifer, you may have found an alternative for the chalkboard dust already, but I use chalkless dust on mine and haven't had the build up, on the floor boards. Thanks for the drawer pull idea! Doing that today.

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  30. I mean dustless chalk, lol!

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    1. Ha! Didn't even catch that when I read your previous comment! I have some of that too, I think it works better than the regular chalk but if I do a lot of coloring there's still some dust build-up. We keep the dust-buster handy! :)

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  31. so doing this someday!

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  32. Very cool! I found your solution for storing chalk via Pinterest, and wanted to let you know I've linked to your blog post in my blog post here (if that makes sense?)
    Thanks for the inspiration!
    Natasha
    http://natashaburns.blogspot.com/2013/07/kitchen.html

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    1. OOPS! Please ignore my above link. I had all sorts of photo issues and had to redo my post. This is the correct link to where I have shared your blog link: natashaburns.blogspot.com/2013/07/well-hello-there-no-excuse-for-my.html

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  33. LOVE the chalk holder idea! I just featured it in my chalkboard project roundup :) Have a great weekend!

    ~Katie @ Upcycled Treasures
    http://upcycledtreasures.com/2013/07/25-creative-diy-chalkboard-projects/

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  35. I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest On Messages On Hold but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later. All the best

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  36. This is such a cool idea--I love it! It's the perfect size--not too big and overwhelming but big enough to make a statement. I love how you can change it up with each new season. Pinning this now!

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  37. This is FABULOUS! I love it! I have a chalkboard wall in my twin girls' playroom and cannot wait to incorporate some of your ideas for the Christmas season. Visiting from the Liz Marie link party!

    - Tasha @ Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body

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  38. SO great! Love the way you decorated it for Christmas - and your movie checklist is on point! Great job!

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  39. How "textured" is your wall? I have the typical orange peel and want to do an entire wall in my kitchen/dining area combo. It looks like your writing came out pretty smooth and that is awesome with only two coats.

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  40. Love the door pull chalk holders. Brilliant!

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  41. Love this! I have the identical set up in my kitchen entrance. Would you link this to Friday Favorites at http://imnotatrophywife.com Love it! laura

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  42. Love the wall! It looks great! I have only done small projects with chalk paint, but a magic eraser works to take off chalk marker. Just be sure to test a small area first! Have a great day!

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  43. I am truly pleased to visit the website; your blog carries a quite helpful data, with real facts.
    chalkola chalk pen

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  44. Magic eraser?? Thank you!!!!!! I have the same problem!

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  45. Love that brass! How did you get those drawer pulls to hang onto your wall? I've been fiddling with mine for a few years now and haven't come up with a solution.

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  46. Great ideas to have chalkboards all over! I am sharing this on Pinterest.

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