When I saw this idea for an outdoor chalkboard on Ohdeedoh last week, I instantly wanted one in our backyard too. And I knew just the daddy who could make it happen. Lucky for me, Eric thought it was a pretty cool idea and didn't hesitate to go buy the materials and get started. It might have worked to my advantage too, that a new Menards had just opened and he wanted to check it out.
Needless to say, the kids are enjoying it. Bea's favorite part is the bucket of chalk that hangs off the side. Go figure.
36 comments:
I love this! I want to do this in my backyard but have a few questions. First, how did you secure it to the fence? And second, did you use any type of sealant? Thanks!!
I absolutely love it and want to make it for my daughter. Did you use any type of sealant? How does it hold up to the elements?? Thank you so much for the great idea.
Thanks! My husband used birch plywood. First we painted the front and back with primer to seal it, and then we just painted the front with a quart of chalkboard paint. He attached it to the fence with galvanized wood screws.
So far so good, it's been 9 months and it looks brand new.
Good luck!
Looks fun! I'm guessing you could also use it with the sidewalk chalk "paint" recipe online and also painting with water. Do your kids ever paint with it?
We've never tried chalk paint, but I'm sure they'd love it. I'll have to look that up.
Love this idea! My kids would really enjoy this. How much did all the materials cost and how much time to make/hang?
Probably less than $50 and one weekend. All you need is a sheet of birch plywood ($30), primer ($5) and a quart of chalkboard paint ($15).
This is awesome! And the weather doesn't harm it? Rain? Snow? Do you have a lid for the bucket to keep it from getting nasty from rain etc?
We've had no problems so far. My husband drilled holes in the bottom of the bucket so that rain & sprinkler water could run out of it and not ruin the chalk.
How many screws did u use to secure it to the fence?
Also how may coats of paint did u apply?
Thx
My husband now tells me he used MDO plywood -Medium Density Overlay. (I thought he originally used birch plywood.) I guess MDO is more widely used in outdoor projects because it's a weather-resistant plywood that has a smooth surface. You can get it at Home Depot, Lowe's or Menards.
We did one coat of primer (front & back) and three coats of chalkboard paint on the front. He affixed it to the fence with 6 screws - three on the right and three on the left.
I love this too! Thanks for the info on what type of wood. Ours will go indoors on our wall in the homeschool room. Any chance your handy husband would mind giving me a few ideas for how to attach it to an indoor wall?
It kind of depends on the wall.... is it sheetrock or plaster or paneling? Screws will most likely work just fine, but it's always a good idea to use molly bolts. Or at least screw into a stud if you can find them.
What kind of primer? Oil?
Yes. We use KILZ all the time. It's an oil-based primer.
This would be great for adults too-- BBQ menu board, message board for friends to write on at a birthday party, Bean Bag Toss (Cornhole here in the South) scoreboard, etc... Love this idea!
What size is yours????
Our chalkboard is 4ft x 8ft.
So if I remember correctly, Ohdeedoh said they used a mixture of grout and paint... But you didn't, right?
Nope. We just used KILZ primer and a quart of chalkboard paint. You can get it at most hardware stores or craft stores.
I NEED this!! I've seen this idea in the past and have been planning on making one for my kids this year. I shared yours on my blog today: http://www.vixenmade.com/2012/06/10-diy-outdoor-projects.html. Great job!!
Such a cute idea!!
When my kids were small we had a metal panel like this attached to the garage. We would hold that paper on therw with magnetic strips and then let them finger paint with chocolate pudding! When they were done. hose it off. I bet you could use a metal panel for this chalkboard surface and do double duty.
Chalk board paint absorbs moisture so how can this be outside in the weather? The wood would rot in a season would it not? I have used the paint inside and it works great but there would be no way to seal the wood that I see to protect from moisture. I would really like to know if anyone has an idea how to do that?
Tami - we sealed ours with BINZ Primer Sealer (both sides) before we painted it with chalkboard paint. It's been outside on our fence for 18+ months and it looks fine & works perfectly. My kids just used it last week when their cousin came to visit. Granted, we're living in a drought area right now, so it hasn't seen much rain or moisture. But it's had some pretty intense heat and super cold temps, and it hasn't warped, cracked or rotted anywhere.
Wonder if the martha stewart make it yourself chalkboard paint would work.
Thank you so much for sharing this idea. My husband and I just made ours this afternoon. It looks great and was so easy. Our daughter will have so much fun!
Yea! Thanks... I love hearing when others take on a project. Our still looks and works great... almost 2 years later. We got a ton of snow recently, but my kids still enjoy playing with the chalkboard in winter too. http://www.projectdenneler.com/2013/02/snow-daze.html
Excited to try this! Looking up outdoor chalkboard paint currently!<3
Did you use indoor, or did you find outdoor chalkboard paint?
We have snow here on Wyoming off and on from oct till April how do do weather proof it or do u cover it some how?
We just used a regular quart of chalkboard paint from Home Depot. The only weather proofing we did to our board was to paint both sides with BINZ Primer Sealer before we painted it with chalkboard paint. We also have extreme heat and extreme cold in Kansas - rain and snow too. So far, two years later, it's perfectly fine. No warping, cracking or weathering.
Made the chalkboard for my daughter this weekend! Was surprised how easy it was. And cheap! $30 for board, $18 for chalkboard paint and $9 for primer/sealant = $57! And I already had the chalk bucket and the chalk. My 2 year old played with it for hours today. Thanks for the great idea!!!
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