Chalkboard Tutorial: How to Make Your Own Chalkboard with Just a Screwdriver

Today I am going to show you how I made this rustic chalkboard for our dining room. I actually had it figured out in my head this summer and had planned on making this same frame for my parents when I was up in NH in early October. I even went and bought the wood. We ended up working on some other projects though and didn't end up doing this one, although we do have all the supplies so I will be able to at some point. Once the idea was in my head, I really wanted to make it so when we got back here I thought I would go ahead and make one for our house (because we really needed another chalkboard...)

Here is what you need for this project:

4 pieces of wood for the frame ( I used two 29" long and two 35" long - the total frame size when finished is 29" by 42")

1 large piece of wood (mine was 24 inches feet by 38 inches)

chalkboard paint

stain (or paint) for frame

screwdriver

mending braces (I used 2" by 1/2" ones)

screws ( 8 by 3/4)

* If you are making this frame to use with our chalkboard downloads I would recommend using boards that are 28" and 33" and the large piece of wood should be 24" by 36". Those are the measurements I used on the frame in the product photos!

So here are my boards. I had them cut to size at Lowe's. I used 1 by 4's (which are actually about 3/4" by 3 1/2"). Make sure your board that is going to be for the chalkboard is slightly larger than the size of your frame opening.

The first thing I did was paint my board with my chalkboard paint. The more coats the better! I went with a cheap board so it was a little rough but that doesn't bother me. If it will bother you you could probably sand your board down a bit first.

While your paint is drying you can put your frame together. Here are the braces I used.

Just put the four pieces together and use the braces at each corner. I just used one on each corner (for a total of four) because I was doing it quickly. It was sturdier than I expected but if you wanted it to be extra secure I would recommend doing two braces on each corner for a total of eight.

Now I flipped it over and started staining. I used some tea and then a vinegar with steel wool mix. I loved how it looked on the board I was practicing on, but not as much on the actual frame. I am going to play around with it some more before I share any more about that. You can use any stain you would like or even paint your frame.

So here is how it looks at this point:

Now it's time to attach the chalkboard. These are the screws I had on hand. There is probably something better you could use but they were the right size and they worked fine.

I just screwed them chalkboard onto the back of the frame. If you have a drill it will make it a little quicker but it's still pretty easy with just a good ol' screwdriver!

I think I spaced them out every six to eight inches or so:

Here is how it looks from them back when you are done. I just leaned mine up on my mirrored dresser but if you wanted to hang it you could always attach something so it could be hung!