Meredith, a new contributor to Family Food and Travel made this fabulous DIY Outdoor Chalkboard that is a perfect creative space for your little one(s) to make beautiful chalk art. I love that this DIY Outdoor Chalkboard can be hung outside all season and nature cleans it for you!
Supplies:
- 2 – 1×2″s (cut to size at Home Depot)
- 1 – 2×4′ sheet of plywood
- outdoor primer
- chalkboard paint
- spray paint for border
- a drill and wood screws (2 lengths: 1 to affix the boarder to the chalkboard; 1 longer one to attach the finished product to your fence!)
Directions:
Inspiration for this piece came from talking up my friendly rep at Home Depot. With my cute 4 year old in tow describing her ‘vision’ in great detail our idea to create an outdoor chalkboard came together.
- We chose the 2×4′ plywood because it will be less likely to warp over time in the elements, etc. Do not choose anything pressed or glued – it will just fall apart outside.
- Prime all your wood (2 coats to be sure). Spray your boarder pieces (I have them each 3 coats and probably could have done another but I had a very impatient customer… Paint the board using the chalk board paint – follow the directions on the can regarding recoating times – it varies by brand. I gave the board 3 coats to get a really deep chalkboard look and feel.
- Pre-drill your holes sandwiching the 2 short ends between the long boarder pieces. Screw together then have your handy hubby hold the chalkboard (it’ll be heavy) while you figure out how to attach it to your fence without bringing the whole thing crashing down (my solution involved mounting it to the cross bar).
- Wait the agonizing 3 days it takes for the chalk board paint to cure then have at it!
oh no! did the chalkboard paint come off her shoes? im always afraid to do activities like this with the kids. i get easily upset if their clothes get wrecked.
Xo Marie
ListeningRatherThenSpeaking.com
Yes it did! No problem at all :)
What a great idea & easy to make. This will keep the kids entertained for hours. The best part about this is that you can take it indoors when the weather turns cold.
Great project!! I love anything chalkboard (and kid-friendly)
So fun and creative!
Heather recently posted..Worshiping Thru Thick And Thin
so fun , id like to do something like this :)
Terri recently posted..Ask me
This is so perfect. My grandkids would have all the fun of a chalkboard & fresh air & all the chalk dust would just blow away. Great tutorial!
I didn’t know there was such a thing as chalkboard paint! I may let my nieces and nephews pick a large section of our outdoor fence to “chalkboard-ize” for them to have fun with!
repinned Nice post I never knew how to do this myself :)
This is a fantastic idea.
Stephanie LaPlante recently posted..FunDayMental Friday
Great idea! We dont have many spaces for the kids to use chalk! THis would be perfect and looks simple!
Ooo this is such a creative idea!!
I love this project! I love the photo with the pain on the little toes and shoe, it made me smile! Thanks
Super project! My kids would definitely enjoy making and using this!
I am envious, what a magnificent blackboard, I bet she’s having a fabulous time mark making with it.
Nipping over from the Outdoor Play Party linky.
TheBoyandMe recently posted..The Pumpkin Patch
How awesome is that!!! Thank you so much for the fabulous idea!
Fun and easy to do.
Great idea! I would make this for my niece as part of her birthday present and her birthday is usually celebrated in the backyard. I think it would get much use!
a great idea and fun for the children, especially being able to help even if some paint hit the wrong target – glad to hear that came off fine.
What a fantastic idea! love it! Now to find some chalkboard paint!
What a cute outside play idea. I can’t wait to move and makeover our new outdoor space.
That looks so easy to make! Definitely going into my ‘need to make files’
That looks so easy to make! Definitely going into my ‘need to make files’ :)
This is awesome and great for summer lessons! I think I can do this!
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