This stuff is great. My grandfather made several A-frame chalk boards for the pre school in his church. Real slate was too expensive, so he used the spray.

I have it on the bottom half of my baby's room walls. (He'll be 20 mos on the 18th.)
But my almost 5 year old enjoys it much more at the moment...

When we buy a house (soon I hope!) I would LOVE to use chalkboard pain in one of the kids rooms. I think it's a really cute idea! And it seems pretty easy to do, as well.

Duh! Make that PAINT! sorry...

It wasn't any more difficult to put on the chalkboard paint then it was to put on any other paint.
However, I will add this....I basecoated my walls with Kilz, two coats. It needed 3 coats of the chalkboard paint each layer being painted on in different directions to get good coverage.
It was the white of the kilz, not the primer it's self..just recently learned, that if you are painting a medium-dark color, you can have your primer tinted. (I will make sure I do this on my next bedroom painting project.

And another suggestion...don't use it on all the walls all the way up....It's very very dark, unless you have lots of windows and light in that particular room.
I decided to make it 3 1/2 feet up the wall all the way around, with a chair rail separating the chalkboard and the "color" of the walls.It was so easy...just get 1" painters tape and measure off the room, use a level too, to double check your lines. Put your tape all the way around, and paint both colors...Leaves you a 1" line around the room, but will be easily covered by molding for a chair rail. I also stenciled all the way around at the top of the chalkboard alternating 1-10 and A-Z in complementary colors to the "main" color of the room.

When I was a kid, my dad painted a piece of masonite black (not as good as chalkboard paint, but whatever equivalent was around back then) and screwed it to the hall-closet door as a message board. It was a great thing!

And Martha Stewart Living had a Good Thing in their organizing book in which they painted the front of drawers w/ it, and wrote the contents of the drawer w/ chalk.

You could use it in the toy box, one of the slats of the headboard, all sorts of weird places.

Letting a young child get in the habit of writing on the walls doesn't seem to be such a good idea to me. An older child would know the difference between the proper wall and the off-limits wall, but a young child? I would worry.

Aileen, I some what had the same issue...
But, as the mother of three very busy boys....They've all had to learn what is appropriate "paper" for their creativity...and usually the learning process started...when each decided to leave "a beautiful" drawing for me on the wall, refrigerator and my youngest loves the floor. Or that adding "words" to books is not ok, either...
I've only had the chalkboard up in my little ones room not quite a year yet, and the novelty has worn off with the 4 year old. I had to take away the chalk as it was ending up in my littlest ones diaper. My older two didn't have chalk board walls, and they still "created" on the walls or other inappropriate surfaces...It's part of the learning process.

Every kid that I know has left a mark on something they shouldn't have...

There also is a magnetic paint...for when they are old enough to use magnets.:^)

I'm not sure who makes it, but you paint an area with it, then you can paint over top (to match the rest of the room if you like). The painted area is then magnetic. I would like to combine the two and have a magnetic chalkboard.

As for the chalkboard paint...if you don't want to confuse the child you can frame the area to differentiate it, or paint a tabletop, like Shelby.

I used the chalkboard paint on a small drafting table I picked up curbside. The feet needed replacing due to water damage and I gave it a coat of paint to spruce it up. The top surface is painted with chalkboard paint.

Lynn

I like the idea of using chalkboard paint but my dh thinks it might be a little messy with the dust. What is your experience.

I used it recently, screwed a cherry wood poster frame directly to the bottom half of DD's wall, taped it off, and painted two coats of black chalkboard paint on. It's fun for both of us!

I'm going to make a smaller one for the kitchen, but not painting directly onto the wall... just a hanging chalkboard (for me).

And the paint is such high quality, I'm going to use it to repaint the seats of my black iron ice cream parlor chairs (I think that is what they are officially called...)

The finish is satin and can be used on just about anything, I believe. Either way it's a great idea to use the chalkboard paint!

- darkeyedgirl

Wipe with a damp sponge, if you don't want dust...
My kids don't even use the "chalkboard" walls at the moment. But it still looks cool...
I guess the novelty wore off pretty quick..

Can anyone tell me who makes this paint? Im actually looking for it in red.

Amazing to come across this post just as I was rueing what just became of the bedroom wall. A corner has a mural Picasso would be proud of with a blue permanent marker by my 16 month old DS :-( Maybe I should try chalkboard paint. You folks have given me some great ideas. I did a web search and found that Crayola has it in a few colors. Not sure where exactly they're available though.

Crayola makes several different colors of "chalkboard" paint. I'm pretty sure red is one of them. Just about any paint store should carry it. I usually go to a local Benjamin Moore store and they carry Crayola. A couple of years ago, I painted an entire wall, floor to ceiling, in the kids' Arts & Crafts room in black. I knew my then 7- and 5-yr olds wouldn't think it would be okay to write on other walls after writing on the chalkboard wall. But I was, and continue to be, amazed that my then 3- and 2-yr olds didn't write on any other walls. The younger two, now 5 & 3 1/2, still don't write on other walls. Knock on wood!

They make magnetic paint as well. Rather, paint that magnets will on to.

You paint your wall with this and then you paint any color you want on top of it and you have a magnet board too. We were just talking about doing this in my kids' rooms on one wall- a magnet board/wall with chalk paint on top of it.

Ginger

GREAT ideas!! If you are worried about the dust they have "markers" for chalkboards. You have to use a damp sponge to wipe them off but no dust!!

I used to be a teacher and used them all the time. I can't remember the name but they come in a set and are pastel colors.

Also, shower board is a fun thing for kids to use too. You can have it cut any size at Lowes and then your kids can use dry-erase markers on it. I had them cut up boards for me so each child could have his own board. Then we used dry-erase markers and papertowels to wipe off. Very, very inexpensive. You could also do this on a closet door inside your pantry or anywhere. Dry-erase boards are very expensive. This is cheap, thick, and durable.

Hi,

What is the brightest color paint (donÂt want to make the room dark) that will still work well as chalk board? Black & dark green seems to be to dark I need something more "alive"

Also I am think of doing the magnetic paint first then putting on the chalk paint any thoughts.

Where do you get the stencils do the alphabet around the chalk wall?

Thanks,

For your assistance.

-Steven

There is a website that contains the recipe for the chalkboard paint allowing you to mix it with any paint color of your choice so that you may paint anything, including your whole room, in the color of chalkboard paint that you want! Check it out: (http://www.geocities.com/kraftproject/craft-chalkboardpaint-091003.html)...or do a Google search on chalkboard paint; look for 'How to make chalkboard paint'.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.geocities.com/kraftproject/craft-chalkboardpaint-091003.html

how do you cover up chalkboard paint? can you just paint over it or do you have to use kilz or what?

I just covered our door with chalkboard paint, it's a door that leads out to our garage, it is our most used "in and out" door for our family. It's awesome, we all leave notes to each other, we post important dates, reminders, phone messages, or a simple "I love you, have a good day". We all see this door at least 3 times per day, so no excuses on my son forgetting to say "take out the gargage in his room, or clean his fish bowl" ;o) or whatever. Highly recommended!!

Reading all your posts makes it sound so easy to use chalkboard paint. I've been trying since last summer to paint 24"x24" chalkboards to frame as gifts. The finish turns out terrible! I've gone through about 6 quarts of paint and numberous rollers and brushes. I start with a nice clean smooth piece of masonite. First I paint it with primer, then sand it so it is again nice and smooth. Then the trouble begins. I've used all different kinds of rollers and brushes from the most expensive I could find to the cheapest. And yes, I've tried foam rollers and sponge brushes. I've even tried different brands of paint. The problem with the rollers is they leave a very textured finish. The problem with brushes is they leave loads of lines. I finally asked my brother to paint a board and the results were the same. Everyone tells me you should have a nice finish with no texture or lines. I can't believe I am the only person who has this probem. I have spoken to people at paint stores and have even called the manufacturers of the paint. They just keep telling me it should work. Months ago I posted on another forum to ask for help, but they just said use a foam roller. Someone did suggest that I try the spray, but that is definitely out. I don't have a place or the equipment for that so, that is not an option.

I am very discouraged, but I'm determined not to give up. But, trying the same thing over and over just doesn't work. I would be so thrilled if anyone has any ideas at all that may help!!

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Rustoleum makes a chalkboard paint in spray cans. Perhaps that would smooth out the finish on your project.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rustoleum Chalkboard Spray Paint

Great stuff!!! I painted an old rusty chest freezer with it thinking that it would be a great place for DD to write on and it would improve the look of the freezer. Little did I know when I did it that I would have to put the freezer in my living room of my house because there was no space or outlet for it in the kitchen. Most folks have no idea that it is a freezer until we tell them. LOL I also painted the inside of my bedroom/home office door.

It is easy to make too! 2T. unsanded grout to 1 c. paint! LOVE THE STUFF!!!

I recently painted our Sunday School nursery chalkboard with the Rustoleum Chalkboard spray paint. It looks great, but when I rubbed the chalk on it's side all over it and tried to erase it, it just smeared and looked cloudy. I had to clean it off with a spray liquid cleaner. Even using that, it was really hard to get it to look even and clean. It's impossible to erase with an eraser. What am I doing wrong?

I've been on line trying to buy a framed one to replace the one we have. I'm having a hard time finding one at a reasonable price. I'd love some info on either fixing my paint job, or purchasing a new one.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

HERE'S THE RECIPE:

You can make your own chalkboard paint. There are several recipes online, most of them consist of the same ingredients:

1. A good quality FLAT latex wall paint (ANY color)
2. UN-SANDED tile grout (light for lighter colors, dark for darker)

The blending ratio is about 1 Cup of paint to 2 TBSP of un-sanded tile grout. Make sure you blend it WELL; break up any clumps until smooth. Put at least 3 coats down- in different directions with each layer and be sure to sand each layer LIGHTLY with 150 grit sandpaper when dry.

Season the chalkboard with the side of a piece of chalk, wipe clean with a barely damp sponge and you're set to go!

This is a nice cheap alternative to the store bought chalkboard paint which can be VERY expensive when you're painting large areas and you can make any color you'd like.

If you're having trouble with "lines" in the paint, you might try adding a TINY bit of water to the latex base as the paint may be a bit too thick.
Hope this helps!

hello all,
i recently tried to paint with chalkboard paint onto the wall of my office. i am having bad luck, at first it required many coats to get a equal finish. now that it is dry i tried to write on it and it is very gritty and hard to write with. it seems impractical now for a desk calender. i am very disappointing did i do something wrong? is there a special chalk? i used valspar chalboard paint.
thank you