Stepping out of [the box] with chalkboard paint

Stepping out of

[the box] with chalkboard paint

I’ve been seeing a lot of articles lately where people are using chalkboard paint for crafting and for home dec as well. Some of their projects have enchanted me. It’s been mulling around in the back of my mind to try my hand at something using chalkboard paint.

I recently moved to a 16 year-old house. I will be in the process of making little improvements on a tight budget for a long time yet. I have many rooms that I have ideas for, but I need to proceed with financial caution.

In this vein, a couple of weeks ago, I was standing at the door of my simple, plain (very yellow) powder room, wondering what I could do to give it some pizzazz on a budget. Then it came to me…….! You guessed right. Chalkboard paint!

I came into work the next day and asked Doug, Blackhawk’s knowledgeable manager of Paint and Plumbing. Yes, he said, we carry it. Ben Moore makes it in quarts and gallons, in green and black.

Immediately, I visualized the green chalkboards of my school days and that was not the shade that I particularly wanted in my powder room. But since I’m loving greys these days, the black could go with it rather well, I thought. Wouldn’t it? I was hesitating. I went home and stood at the powder room door again, pondering this relatively outrageous step.

Black. I remember distinctly the day that one of my kids asked to paint her room black. In no uncertain terms, I told her she could paint her room any color, but she was NOT having a black room. (Did I really say that? It’s only paint and it can be painted over. Ah! The wisdom of age.)

And yes, it can be painted over – it may take 3 or 4 coats of paint, but I decided there and then that I wanted black!

Once I’d bought my paint, I couldn’t wait to get going on my project. That first stroke of black over the yellow walls was a bit jarring. I soon got over it and painted on. I could see bits of yellow through the black after one coat, but I was out of paint, so I bought another quart and finished the painting.

The other two walls I painted in Benjamin Moore’s Baltic Grey. I re-hung my mirror, light fixture, put the switchplate covers back on, and I was good to go. My daughters were coming over and I couldn’t wait for the unadulterated fun to begin! (Mention of my double standard in having black walls was not addressed by either party. Maybe she doesn’t hold it against me.)

Can one really be in love with a powder room? Well, maybe not, but I’m loving it a whole lot! And I adore what the girls drew. There are still a few things I want and need to do in there so, like the rest of the house, it’s a work in progress and will be for a long time.