20 Gorgeous Rooms Incorporating Chalkboard Ideas

If you are tired of the ordinary decorating schemes you see from home-to-home and want to create a very unique, and modern chic look for a room in your home, why not step out of the ordinary with wall chalk? Painting is the most popular go-to decorating task, however, painting can seem a bigger chore than most homeowners would like.

With so many colors to choose from, it can be daunting to decide which walls to cover in what colors, not to mention the boredom that many feel after a color starts look and feel drab, or lose its luster. One way to keep a room fresh, and uniquely contemporary is to cover a wall with chalkboard paint. You can purchase chalkboard paint at your do-it-yourself home improvement store for less than $10 and in a short period of time, have a whole new look for any room in your home. Here are a few tips to consider when painting with chalkboard paint.

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Choose your wall carefully

Chalkboard paint is different from regular paint in that it does not work well on just any wall. Typically paint colors can cover just about wall, whether there are a few imperfections, like bumps or uneven places in the plaster or sheetrock, chalkboard paint needs a wall that is non-textured and virtually imperfection-free. Glossy walls will need to be primed before painting, and any wall that is not smooth will need to be sanded and smoothed out before painting.

Walls that contain bumps, nail pops and other imperfections will make writing on the chalkboard difficult. The writing will be broken and choppy and not consistent. So, the key here is smoothness. Get the sander out and sand away anything that could hamper the use of your chalkboard, and for walls that have multiple imperfections, it’s probably a good idea to just sand and smooth the entire wall to make it even and consistent from top-to-bottom, and end-to-end.

Should you prime or not prime the wall?

There are different brands of chalkboard paint, some will require priming the wall before applying the paint, while others won’t. You may need to use your best judgement in some cases, however, if you have a paint color already on the wall you plan to paint over, if it is a glossy paint then you will definitely want to prime the wall prior to. If the wall color is a matte finish and not any darker than the chalkboard paint, you probably do not need to prime ahead of time. Many of the chalkboard paints will require at least two coats to get a good coverage, some will require more. This type of paint is typically a little thicker and goopier than regular paint, but you can brush or roll it on the same as any other type of paint.

Before you use it….here’s what to do

You’ll want to let your new wall cure for several days before you start to use it, but here’s the last step that will really make it more than decorative, it will make it a functional wall. After your wall is dry and has cured a good several days, take a plain piece of white chalk and starting at a top corner, wipe the chalk all over the board, using the side of the piece of chalk.

You want to cover the entire board with the chalk and allow it to get into the pores of the chalk so that it becomes accepting of chalk drawing and will erase easily. If you skip this step, every time you draw on the board, you will be able to faintly see the drawing, even after it is erased – it won’t erase completely or easily. Once the entire board has been covered in white chalk and sits for just a while, use a slightly damp cloth or paper towel and erase the entire board. Allow the board to dry completely again before starting to use it.

A chalkboard wall can be worked into your décor theme in any room, a child’s bedroom, the living room, and especially the kitchen. Even if you don’t kids in the home who can contribute to the artwork on the wall, have fun with this flavorful deco tip and use it to draw your own art, write your own catchy sayings, or whatever inspires you.

For more ideas, here are 20 gorgeous rooms that incorporate chalkboards ideas for you to gain inspiration from.