Colored Chalkboard Doors {a how to}

Last year I painted and re-decorated my daughter's room for her 14th birthday. I got almost all the way done {which seems very typical for me} and then I never got her closet doors painted. I was just going to paint them white, but it seemed so boring. We thought about just taking the doors off and hanging some bead/ribbon curtain thingys, but decided against it. 

She kept saying that she wanted to use chalkboard paint, but black doors just didn't send the right vibe in a girls tropical themed bedroom.

Low and behold, the other day I came across this little bit of information on how to make your own custom colored chalkboard paint. Awesome!! Leave it to Martha to give me the solution I needed!

There is a tutorial with the link above, but I think it's lacking some very valuable information so I thought I'd share how I did it.

What you will need:

• Flat paint in your choice of color
  

• Small box of unsanded grout {about a $1.50-$2 at your big orange or blue home improvement store}

• A little bit of water

• Your typical painting supplies including a stirrer {I used a small white foam roller}

How to:


Depending on how much paint you need, you may need more or less, but here's how I measured it out.


1½ Tbsp grout
2 Tbsp water
1 cup of paint 

adjust your amounts accordingly


This first step is crucial if you want smooth paint, not gloppy,  chunky paint. DO NOT mix the grout directly into the paint!



In your paint tray mix the grout with the water and stir until all the grout is dissolved. 

 
Be ruthless, leave NO lumps ladies! Don't worry about the water thinning out the paint too much, the thickening power of the grout will more than make up for it. 


Next, add your cup of paint and stir, stir and stir some more until all the grout water is completely mixed into the paint. 

You will notice that the paint immediately begins to thicken up. That's ok, it goes on kinda like mud and this is why I highly recommend using a foam roller, not a brush. It's too thick for a brush...there would be way too many brush marks.



You are ready to paint! You will need two coats of paint and it should dry really well in between coats {I left it overnight}.

Once your second coat is dry, you are ready to be artistic! 

Well, in my case, as artistic as a 7 year old.

FYI- everything I read says you need to condition your surface by rubbing a piece of chalk over the entire surface and then wiping it off. I did not do this and it seems to work just fine.  


Now I just need to go make one of these cute little erasers. 

Go visit 320 Sycamore, or Stories of A to Z for more great chalkboard ideas or other crafty do it yourself ideas at Kimba's DIY day.