Inspired by Kristen at We are That Family, I decided to create a chalkboard table! Of course, my husband wasn’t too keen on attempting this with our kitchen table so I purchased a used table to experiment with this idea.
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The chairs and table weren’t pretty to look at, but it was a very solid table and only $75. Perfect.
My husband painted the top with black chalkboard paint. This paint turns any surface into a chalkboard.
(Do not confuse this with chalk paint, which comes in many colors and is used later in this project)
The first coat of paint didn’t seem quite thick enough to create a smooth finish on the chalkboard, so we painted a second. Two coats of paint seemed just about perfect.
We let the chalkboard paint dry for 48 hours and then taped it in order to protect it from the rest of the painting project.
I decided to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for the rest of the table. I selected the color, Florence, for the rest of the table. The deal is that you don’t have to prime or sand the surface and the paint is VERY forgiving and coats everything nicely.
You can find chalk paint in a variety of colors. I have not tried any other brands of chalk paint, though I have one in my home right now to try on my next project.
I reattached the table legs and moved indoors for the second coat.
Then it was time to scuff it up a bit. I sanded the edges, corners, and legs lightly. It was just enough to give it a worn look. After a coat of soft wax over the Florence Chalk Paint, the table was ready to use!
*FYI – the waxing part is a bit of a pain. I highly recommend the round brushes and I used an old cotton T-shirt to buff.
The next part of this painting adventure was painting the six chairs.
Oh my goodness, I never want to paint chairs again. The backs of these chairs are lovely, but a royal pain in the can to paint! This meant that it took me MONTHS to finally force myself to finish all six chairs. My table sat with temporary chairs for quite some time.
Thankfully, just in time for the holidays, I finished the chairs and we were able to celebrate our first Advent dinner of this Christmas season on our “finally finished” dining table.
It’s been an entire school year and the table still looks great!
…and if you’d like a little challenge, you can go back over the photos and see if you can find the two Chickfila Iced Tea cups. It’s a little like “Where’s Waldo”, but for iced tea. I NEVER work without an iced tea.
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She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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Do you just wipe it off with a wet rag? Do you then rub new chalk over it to “prime it”? How does it hold up to food and such being on it?
We don’t really eat on it. After 3 years, it is ready for a repaint. It probably did pretty well for 2.