Noteworthy

chalk-a-ble (adjective)

1. capable of or suitable for being marked, drawn or written with chalk.

Last week I realized that you can make a lot of non-chalkable items chalkable in a few easy steps.

1. Find something you want to make chalkable.

My suggestion would be something laying around your house that you don’t mind experiementing on. I used the top of an old desk I had. Googling around I noticed that “chalkboard vases” are getting popular. So thats on my make chalkable to do list. They can go from $16-$45 dollars online. The picture below is from the urban outfitters catalog.

2. Buy spray paint.

It’s actually pretty cheap, i think you can get the can for about 5 bucks from your local arts and crafts store. The particular one I went to had it locked in a shelf. i guess the flammability? The important part is that its cheap!

3. So how do you spray paint?

This is a question you should ask yourself BEFORE attempting to experiment. Unfortunately, I researched the dos and donts of spray paint after i had already finished my project. I had gone into it thinking that i would spray horizontally down by piece of wood and then for my second coat, go vertical. Apparently that idea works, if you do it correctly. So it turns out, you are never supposed to stop or start your spray on your actual model, instead do it to the side. Also, if your paint starts running that means you are either putting too much on, or the paint needs to be heated (heating the can by placing it in a bowl of hot water helps the paint consistency). To make a proper chalkboard surface, you will need at least 2 to 3 coats. And the key to spray painting is to aim for very thin coats, instead of trying to cover it all in one go…that never works.

4. Stark chalking. Below is a picture of my new chalkboard.