How to Paint & Use a Chalkboard In Your Home

While you may think chalkboards have had their time in the spotlight, they still bring so much charm and usefulness to a home! Talk to the team at Shop-O-Rama for expert advice on home design, and how you can incorporate these chalkboard ideas into your next interior design project!

1. Paint a Mural

Investing in an art piece can be expensive, and it may go out of fashion or no longer fit the theme of your home soon after you buy it. A chalkboard provides a space to show off your artistic skills by creating a piece that fits your style, no matter how many times you change your mind. Try drawing pictures, patterns, or your favorite quotes. A chalkboard mural can be a simple holiday or seasonal decoration, erased and redesigned to fit the next event. Don’t be afraid to try trends or trickier mural ideas. You can erase it and try again at any time!

2. Create an Accent Wall

If you want to let your creativity flow beyond a framed chalkboard, consider designing a chalkboard mural as an accent wall in your home. It’s as easy as applying a coat of chalkboard paint to your wall to create a much larger surface to draw on. Like making a smaller mural, your accent wall is adaptable to your evolving style and can be changed at the drop of a hat. Chalk as a medium creates much less mess than paint, so you can draw without the stress of leaving permanent stains where you don’t want them.

3. Design a Calendar

Keep yourself organized by turning a chalkboard into a calendar to keep track of appointments, deadlines, birthdays, or other special days. You can customize it for a weekly, monthly, or yearly schedule – whatever works for you! As a bonus, leave yourself a spot at the bottom for reminders or a to-do list so you don’t forget to finish the odd tasks that can pile up. If your calendar’s purpose is to keep your entire family on track, try using a different color for each person’s schedule to avoid confusion.

4. Write a Menu

If you plan meals for your family or take turns cooking for your roommates, use a chalkboard to schedule a daily or weekly menu to keep everyone on the same page. Laying out a meal plan where everyone can see it is a collaborative space for menu adjustments for allergies or food preferences. A chalkboard menu is also a great place to organize and plan your meals so you have all the needed ingredients. Provide space for a grocery list. You and your family can add to the list to ensure everyone can contribute and your cupboards stay fully stocked.

5. Create a Scrapbook Wall

Another great idea for a chalkboard is to create a scrapbook or a photo collage using a framed chalkboard or on your chalkboard accent wall. You can choose photos, posters, magazine clippings, book pages, or other paper items. These can be mounted using tape, or take it a step further with a coat of magnetic paint on your chalkboard. Creating a magnetic surface lets you use magnets instead of tape, which can leave a sticky residue when removing items. You can also use magnets with fun colors or designs to decorate your scrapbook wall for some extra flair. Once you have your photo layout, you can write captions or draw pictures to complete your collage.

Adding a chalkboard to your home is an inexpensive way to keep yourself organized and create decorations that can change whenever you want. Don’t be afraid to be bold with your designs. Remember, you can erase and try something new on a whim! For more help, our team is always here to find what works for you!