chalkboard paint all the things

Chalkboard paint ALL THE THINGS. That is what I said after I chalkboard painted my refrigerator. I seriously love it! It really adds to the kitchen and the look/feel I am going for.

 

The first step is to prep the surface for painting. We deep cleaned the fridge so that there was no dirt or grime on the surface, then primed the surface with Zinsser Bulls-Eye 123 primer.

 

 

Once the primer dried we were able to put the first coat of Rust-oleum Chalk Board paint on the fridge. It dried pretty quickly but I waited until the next day to apply the second (final) coat). We used a paint brush, because that's what we had on hand; but a roller might be easier.

 

After the first coat:

 

After the second coat:

 

You're then instructed to wait 3 days before writing on your chalkboard surface. Before you start writing on it you are also supposed to "condition" the surface with chalk. Basically, what that means, is cover the entire surface with chalk and then wipe off. You want to leave a coat of chalk on the chalk "board" so that whatever you draw isn't permanently drawn on your surface.

 

My brother happened to be the one helping me condition the surface, so this happened:

 

 

Once you have the surface completely covered, take a damp cloth and wipe the surface off. Here's what you end up with (no more inappropriate drawings):

 

 

Here is my finished product with everything back in place and a nice grocery list started, minus the handles, those need to be painted still (although I kind of like it without handles):

 

 

The whole thing cost around $30 which is considerably less than a new appliance would cost you... I'm very happy with this because it gives me a new fridge without having to go out and buy one!