{Turning an old Mirror into a Chalkboard}
I did it again….was totally sucked into blogland! Why do I allow this to happen….. all… of… the… time? Sigh!!
I love, love all of the creativity at our fingertips! It totally sucks me into the vortex, and I cannot pry myself away!
Does this happen to you? Am I the only one?
I have a friend who swears she scrolls through Pinterest (on her ipad) to help her relax and fall asleep. I told her if I attempted this, it would send me into overdrive and I would be dragging furniture around the house and wanting to paint something. Really don’t think PT would appreciate all of this commotion at 1 am. Anyway……
I saw this really cool idea of painting over a mirror with chalkboard paint. Jane over at bluebird1959 ran out and bought a mirror to paint. You don’t need to spend any money, you all must have a spare mirror hanging around the house. Don’t you? In our first house, I used the original chalkboard paint (that you roll on) on a basement wall and then framed it out with moulding. This was the project that made me start ‘drooling’ all over a compound miter saw. Soon this bad boy will be sitting in my garage….at my beck and call!!!!!
I had been saving this mirror for the ‘just in case we move, I will swap this mirror with the delicious one that is currently hanging in the downstairs bathroom’! Nine years later, very settled in Oxford….I think it is finally okay to part with the mirror. Besides, it is getting a new life….coming out of the closet, hanging in a place of honor. Definitely better than being in a dusty, dark storage room!
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:
Mirror
Fine grit sandpaper
Rubbing Alcohol
Painter’s Tape
Krylon Chalkboard Spray Paint
Here is the mirror, needing a good cleaning. Hey, please ignore the sticker still on my refrigerator. I know I have a problem, don’t know why I can’t bring myself to rip it off. Maybe for the same reason, my pillowcases still have that annoying tag hanging from the seam. Now that I think of it, so do our mattresses. Hmmmm, maybe I should keep my mouth zipped!
With a damp cloth, clean the mirror frame. With cotton balls or paper towels, clean the mirror with rubbing alcohol. Make sure you do a really good job cleaning the surface. After cleaning it, sand the mirror gently to roughen up the surface. Clean it again with the alcohol.
Here is a picture of the chalkboard paint. For this project, it is a lot easier to use a spray versus the roll on paint. Less fuss and mess, and cheaper as you won’t need to buy and brushes or rollers.
Here is another shot of the mirror. I love the etched detailing. Reminds me of hearts! Not so crazy about the color. Has alot of gold in it. Might need to dry brush this later with black paint. Tone it down a bit!
Tape off the edges with painter’s tape. I tore up sheets of paper to give the frame additional protection from the spray paint.
Spray the chalkboard paint all over the surface. Follow the directions on the back of the can, I had a very light hand in applying the paint. In total I did 3 coats. Let dry for 24 hours.
Season your chalkboard surface with chalk. Do not forget to do this step. Using the side of the chalk, go over the entire surface in a vertical direction. Wipe off with a dry towel and repeat, going in a horizontal direction.
I am so happy I did this project. The mirror was just being wasted in my storage room. That is the perfect reason to give it a shot. Still not very happy with all of the brushed gold, but I am going to live with it until I complete the office and then make a decision on how to proceed. Since I finished this last week, I have found a recipe to make your own chalkboard paint. I have no idea if it will work, but do plan on giving it a shot. Let me know it you give it a try before I do…..thanks Kayla!
Chalkboard Paint Recipe
2 Tbsp unsanded grout
1 cup paint, any color
Thanks for visiting my little blog….hope to see you soon!
Until then…..you might enjoy these past posts!
Faux-Licious Brick Walls
Subway Art
Thank the Lord I woke up this morning!
Related chalkboard posts:
http://twincitieschick.wordpress.com/tag/chalkboard-mirror-to-chalkboard/
http://www.pinkpistachio.com/diy-chalkboard-mirror/
I just tried the Krylon chalkboard spray paint to make chalkboard coasters. When they were fully dry, I rubbed chalk on them, but now I can’t write on them with the chalk. It just doesn’t really stick to the surface well. Yours looks like it works just fine. Any tips? I’m not sure what else to try. Did yours stick right away or did it need something to help the chalk stick?
Hi Kathryn-I had to run the chalk over the board a few times to get the words to stand out. At the time I thought it was because I used generic chalk and it kept flaking off when I applied it. Since doing this I have found Chalk Ink pens on the market (Hobby Lobby and Michael’s). I haven’t tried them yet, but plan to do so over the Holiday break. I think these would work best for you, as you are working within a smaller area with the coaster’s. It might also alleviate the chalk coming off if your drink ‘sweats’!
Thanks for the tip! I discovered that I was using “dustless” or “anti-dust” chalk, which supposedly doesn’t work so well on chalkboard paint. Even after running it over multiple times it still wouldn’t work. I will try using regular chalk like you used, and I’ll see if I can find those chalk pens you mentioned. Thanks! 🙂
I just tried out regular Crayola chalk and it worked! I think the dustless chalk was the issue. Too bad a lot of chalk you can find in stores is the dustless kind! Thanks for your help!
we all know why this site is so useful. congrats!!
nice article. i am a huge fan of your work and i’m always coming here to see what’s new. thanks.
your blog is very cool.
Shaunna,
Way cool! When we gave you that antique mirror, we had no idea what would come of it. Nice job taking a nondescript mirror and converting it to a novel chalk board.
Love,
Dad
Dad, Your beautiful antique mirror is safe and sound….waiting for me to refurbish it! This was a smaller mirror suitable for a bathroom. I will be working on the yours later this summer! S