Monday, August 29, 2011

Cabinet Doors to Chalk Boards



 I have been so wanting to try making chalk boards.


Weeks ago, I picked up some cabinet doors at the flea market for a dollar.

They were all in great shape, but were all a little dusty.

I figured with a little sandpaper,
some paint,
and a coat of wax
the chalkboards would be a fun project




To knock off all the varnish and quite a bit of the color,
I attacked the cabinets with some rough 60 grit paper.

Under the slick exterior lurked what resembled a barn red.

As Fall is fast coming
I thought it might be nice to have some barn red chalkboards in my booth.


Amazing what you find with a little sanding.

In the center of the doors, three coats of chalk board paint were applied.
The paint was sanded with 150 grit paper in between coats.



 
After the paint was dry,
I rubbed a clear wax into the frame.

The wax made the color richer and deeper.


See my photo prop (the crate)
actually being used to prop up the board?



I love that butterfly bush.
It's been so beautiful this summer.
Want to see the difference in the frames that were waxed and unwaxed?
The difference is much more noticeable in the close up on the right.

I was quite happy with how these turned out
and made eight of them.

The total cost was about $12.

One more door still had to be given it's lick of paint.
This door was different from the others.
It was part of a pile of $2 "junk" that came home from an auction.


Originally, the intention was to paint the frame.  I was thinking to paint, distress, wax, much as has been done on my furniture lately.  After seeing the lovely wood underneath the stain, I thought a coat of stain would be a nice alternative to painting.  The stain is cherry and contrasts quite nicely with the chalkboard. 

A few of the chalk boards still new a small finishing touch,
then it's off to the next project.
I hear them calling me.
The Old Block House

27 comments:

  1. Neat idea--I love it; I'm out tomorrow thrifting and hope I can spot me an old cabinet door; gonna try this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope you are okay with this; but, I want to post this to my pinterest site--it will definitely bring you some lookers to your blog; love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are just gorgeous!

    Followed you over from Homemaker on a Dime:)

    Bianca

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great idea and project! Thanks for sharing this!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a clever and cute idea. I have an old cabinet door and I think I will give your technique a try. I can think of a hundred different uses for it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Like the idea of using old kitchen cab's. I came over from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia. I am enjoying looking through your flea market posts. I also an into scouring for vintage finds. I am your newest follower. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am glad you posted this to Junker Newbie. Love the way they turned out and wish I lived close enough to choose one.

    Of course now I want to browse the rest of your posts...

    ReplyDelete
  8. These turned out gorgeous. I love the barn red paint you found under the stain! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  9. WOW! I absolutely love what you did to these cabinet doors--I am so inspired! The red is just lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a great price on the cabinet doors! They make perfect chalkboards and the finish on them looks great!
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gorgeous! I was actually going to go to the Habitat Restore today to pick up some cabinet doors to make some signs with, so I'll pick up some extras for chalkboards. Great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What wonderful transformations to your cabinet doors. That red frame is wonderful. Love that you left the wood on the door. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've turned a cabinet door into a chalkboard too and love it! I really love the distressed finish you gave and the wax treatment. I think my favorite may be the one with the natural wood. Beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  14. Amazing the difference that the wax makes. They look great! Thanks for linking up to Share the Love Wednesday!
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  15. These are great! I have a door or two out in the garage waiting for some loving. Thanx for joining Treasure Hunt Thursday!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Clever and wonderful. Love the sanded aged look with the wax finish. Sell them all and make lots of $$$ for your creative ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a great idea!! Thank you for sharing this. I'm visiting from "Feather Your Nest".

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love them all! I'm glad you kept the wood stained on the last one, it's soooo pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the chalkboard. I specially love the red you discovered.
    The last one is a beauty as well.
    Have a great holiday weekend.
    Michele

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is exactly what I ahve been looking for, for my kitchen! Where do you live????? I want to buy one!!!!!! XO, Pinky

    ReplyDelete
  21. Those look absolutely fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us at Inspiration Friday! :-)
    Vanessa

    ReplyDelete
  22. Those look great. How fantastic and rustic. Thanks for linking up to Scatter Girls!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Great makeover! I looove chalkboard paint. Thanks for joining my Weekend Bloggy Reading party. If you could please add a link back to me as well, I would appreciate it. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great makeover... I bought some different colors of chalkboard paint and intend to paint some Salvage items and old Silver Tray centers with it so the G-Kids can express themselves Artistically on something so lovely I don't mind it hanging around the house when they're not using them. *winks*

    Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great job! Thanks for linking up
    Emily
    domesticdeadline.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good find and great job! Those chalk boards are awesome and I must say super functional! My kids would love them ;)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting us at The Old Block House! I read every comment and love hearing from you. If you have a post or a party that you'd like me to visit, feel free to leave the addy in your comment below.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...