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Let me preface this by saying I thought I was a chalkboard wall pro by now. I’ve had them in my coffee shop, prior apartments, there’s one in my daughter’s room and now this… but we still managed to screw it up at first.
So I’m just going to get right down to what I learned and what we messed up:
- DO NOT use one-year-old chalkboard paint. We ended up having to repaint the whole wall after it dried because it was hazy and uneven.
- You MUST break in the wall after it’s been painted by taking a piece of chalk and rubbing it across the whole wall then wiping it down. Also, monitor your 4-year-old because they will mess it up by scraping the chalk along the brand new paint job. *sigh*
That’s pretty much it. Otherwise it’s fairly easy with a big visual impact.
I used Valspar’s black chalkboard paint from Lowe’s.
Also, as you can see, this wall has lots of imperfections and I am the type of person who does not have the patience to sand those down or wait for my husband to sand them down! So instead, I came up with an idea to decorate around the imperfections with fun pieces. Here’s the finished product:
It’s really hard to get a good photo of this wall in my kitchen so I apologize. For one, this wall is on a weird angle, the lighting is bad, and the kitchen in general is just ugly right now.
See the kitchen in our “before” photo tour!
I’m hoping to start tackling the kitchen this year, and for now this chalkboard wall was a cheap way to get started.
The best part? Almost every piece on the wall is functional like this Threshold clock from Target.
This cute piece of art also from Target serves a purpose!
This spice rack we had lying around. It was actually counter top style, but we just took the saw to the back of it so it would sit flush against the wall and hang. Bonus– it gives us more counter space now!
This Groceries sign from Michaels was the final touch that I really needed for the space. Best part? I got it for 40% off. Love a deal and I love how it fits in the space!
Finally, we threw up a few hooks to hang items like a potholder and these adorable ceramic measuring spoons. They’re either from Michaels or Giant Eagle. I can’t find them online, but I know they are from one of those two stores. 
A few quick pro tips:
- When writing something that you want to standout- dip the chalk in water before writing. It’ll be darker and last longer!
- Buy a chalk marker for writing lists or for nailing a fancy bistro look
The Unapologetic Working Mom 