Upcycled Cabinet Door Chalkboard
When I’m not busy creating recipes, gardening, or hanging out with horses, there’s a pretty good chance I’m working on some new farmhouse DIY project. Whether I’m painting furniture, crocheting Christmas stockings, or rigging up a spring seed-starting operation, there’s always something going on. One of my first projects after moving to the Fricke Farmhouse, was making my coffee bar.
I found a rustic shelf at a boutique and repainted it to match my teal and white kitchen. Although it’s super cute on its own, I thought hanging a chalkboard over the top would be the perfect touch. Today I’ll take a break from my usual recipe posts to give a tutorial on how I created this upcycled cabinet door chalkboard to make my kitchen a little bit cuter!
What do I need to make an upcycled cabinet door chalkboard?
This was a very easy project and required minimal tools and time, making it great for beginners. I got the cabinet door for $2 at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and everything else I had on hand. Here’s a list of everything I used for the project:
- Used cabinet door (any size)
- Screwdriver
- Power sander/sand paper
- MudPaint- Stone (4 oz is more than enough!)
- Rust-Oleum Chalk Board Brush-On
- Paint brushes
- Painter’s tape
- Chalk-Tique Paste Wax
- Sponge/rags
- Chalk board marker
- Picture hanging hooks (optional)
Sanding and Prep
I started by removing the hinges from the cabinet door and proceeded to sand the entire front side. Since it’s hanging on the wall, I didn’t do anything to the back. Sanding it helps to remove the finish so that the paint adheres better. Looking back, I wish I would have sanded it more because the surface had some grooves which the paint didn’t entirely cover. You can’t tell from a distance, but it does make it a little more difficult to write on.
Painting the Frame
After it was sanded, I vacuumed off as much dust as I could and then wiped it down with a damp rag to remove any remaining debris. When it was dry, I used painter’s tape to cover the middle section of the door to protect it while I painted the frame.
I use MudPaint for all my DIY decor projects because it’s high quality, easy to use, and I can get it locally. I knew I only needed a little bit of paint for the frame and I wanted something neutral because the coffee bar already has a lot of colour. Conveniently, I had some leftover Stone from a previous project, so it worked out really well. MudPaint tends to be pretty thick, so I added a splash water to help it go on more smoothly. I painted the entire frame, let it dry completely, and added a second coat.
Painting the Chalkboard
When the frame was dry, I moved on to the chalkboard section. For this, I used Rust-Oleum Chalk Board Brush-On. I was hesitant to put tape over the frame because I’ve found that it sometimes removes a little paint when I take it off. Instead, I used a small brush to carefully paint the edges of the centre section. After that, I could comfortably use a larger brush to paint the centre. The paint goes on thin, so I had to do three coats, letting it dry completely in between.
Finishing Touches
When everything was dry, I used a sponge to apply a thin coat of Chalk-Tique Paste Wax to the frame (not the actual chalkboard). Polyurethane is another option, but I prefer the matte finish of wax over the glossier poly in most farmhouse applications.
The chalkboard paint needs to dry for 24 hours before writing on it. Meanwhile, I fastened a hook to the back of the board so I could hang it over my coffee bar. When the paint was set, I used a chalkboard marker to write Psalm 23:5 on it.
And there you have it–a super easy DIY project you can have finished in a weekend! You can use any size cabinet door you like and the frame is totally customizable. You could leave the natural wood finish, paint it a different colour, or distress it for a rustic look. It hardly uses any paint, and like I said, the door I used was literally $2!
I hope you enjoy this little DIY upcycled cabinet door chalkboard project! Let me know what you think in the comments below and if you give it a try, share your photos and tag @roots_and_rosemary on Instagram!