Monday, February 1, 2010

How Do I Love My Chalkboard Table? Let Me Count the Ways!

I know. It's deja vu all over again. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you're probably groaning, "Enough already with your chalkboard table!" After all, this is the third time you've seen the little chalkboard table that sits on my front porch. You saw it on the Fourth of July:
You saw it when it displayed my Christmas topiary:
After Christmas, it looked like this for a little while:
And now, here it is again in amorous mode, sporting a pair of flower-filled toddler-sized rain boots:
So why, you may ask, am I showing you this little table yet again? Well, a number of readers have emailed me to ask about it, so I thought I'd share a bit more about it so you can make your very own chalkboard table and we'll all sleep better at night.

The truth is that you can turn the top of any table into a chalkboard table quite easily. This little table started out as a $7 flea market find. It was painted forest green when I found it, but I could tell that someone had made it by hand, and I liked the unique shape of the legs, so I brought it home.

To make a chalkboard table... just paint two coats of chalkboard paint on the top of a table! Depending on the existing surface, you may or may not need to prime the top first. There are really only three things you need to know about chalkboard paint:

1. It's best to use a foam brush so the strokes don't show.

2.You need to let each coat of paint dry for a full 24 hours.

3. Once the second coat has had 24 hours to dry but before you write your first message on the table, you need to condition the chalkboard surface by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface once. Rub clean with a soft cloth, wipe down with a damp rag, and allow to dry before you write on it. This will prevent the "ghosts" of previous words from haunting you after you erase them.

That's it! I love the versatility of this little table. Not only can I change it with the seasons--or just on a whim--but I can also welcome my visitors by name, which always makes them smile.

New here? I'm hosting my first giveaway! Stop over here to enter to win fine art print(s)!

This post has been linked to: The DIY Show Off, Tatertots and Jello, The Stories of A to Z, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Soft Place to Land, It's So Very Creative, Twice Remembered, Cottage Instincts, Between Naps on the Porch