Chalkboard Room *DIY*

I've always wanted a studio...a play room packed with clay to sculpt and paints to smear and fabric to cut and sew. A studio with massive windows stretching from floor to ceiling where natural light can spill in and florescent bulbs aren't allowed. A sanctuary to create and build - to see mistakes and try again.

     I don't have one of those, not the kind I see in my head - but I do have a house and it has served as the best canvas for creative endeavors, mistakes and learning processes to date. Perhaps I need to work out a few kinks before I'm set loose in a room with too many pairs of scissors.

The latest project taking up my time is the music room. Chalkboard paint was a must, with all the lyrics, chord progressions and ideas that fly around it helps to be able to just put 'em on the wall. Have you ever written on a wall, as an adult, on purpose? It gives you the distinct feeling that you should probably be appalled. It's fun.

I chose to do the room in chalkboard paint starting from the chair rail. This room has been serving as a catch-all closet and so it was quite an undertaking to clean it out for painting. In fact it was such an undertaking that I eventually gave up and squished some things into the middle of the room. 

See? 

Sort of scary. 

Materials Needed: 

Latex paint - 1 gallon 

Unsanded grout 

Paint brushes

Fine grit sandpaper 

Chalk 

1. Combine two cups of unsanded grout with one gallon of latex paint in any color - the ratio for a smaller project is two tablespoons per cup of paint. Make sure you combine the two substances very thoroughly, no grout clumps. 

2. Paint your walls, the paint will be very thick and tends to cover well - just go slow enough to be thorough and not have your old wall color showing through. Allow your paint to dry completely... 

3. Go over the dried walls with an extremely fine grit sand paper, just a light brushing - don't get too excited about it or you'll sand through completely to the old color, no bueno.   

4. Treat your walls with chalk, turn your piece of chalk on it's side and cover the entire surface of the painted area with a light coat. After you finish, take a cloth and dampen it slightly and then dust off the walls again to blend the lines from the chalk. Don't skip this step! 

Here's a sneak peek of the music room today... it's coming along. 

Fun stuff, really. 

xoxo,

Rae