Transform a Bulletin Board into a Chalkboard

Bulletin Board to Chalkboard by Sweet Pea

In April I had the best time saving treasures from a dumpster parked in front of an empty house on my friend’s street.  One of those treasures was a bulletin board.  The owner of the home was a former teacher and I would imagine that this once hung in her classroom.  Note that at one time it was attached to the wall by screws.

Bulletin Board Before

Since the cork part of the board was stained, I decided to transform the bulletin board into a chalkboard.  I started by painting the edges Duck Egg Blue with Annie Sloan paint.  I waxed and buffed the edges after applying two coats of paint.  I taped off the blue paint and applied three coats of chalkboard paint over the cork.

Bulletin Board After Painting

 

A chalkboard must be seasoned or any writing will be etched into the paint and won’t be easily erased.  To season the board, rub chalk all over the surface and then wipe the chalk off with a clean rag.

Seasoning Bulletin Board

 

After this picture was taken, I wiped it a bit more to remove more of the chalk dust.

Bulletin Board After Seasoning

 

My resident artist husband was at work, so I did my best to make a fun summer scene for my board.

Bulletin Board to Chalkboard

 

The wall on my porch is just a tad too small for the bulletin board but I couldn’t resist hanging it here anyway.  It actually could be quite functional in this spot!

Bulletin Board Turned Chalkboard on Porch

Both the Coke and Fresca bottle holders were my grandmother’s, used to transport extra flowers to and from church and garden club competitions for refreshing arrangements.  I found the thermometer in a dumpster at the beach!

This bulletin board turned chalkboard may end up in my classroom.  It would be a great place to post objectives, reminders, or a fun message.

Sharing With:
Stone Gable, Tutorials and Tips Home Stories A2Z, Project Inspired at Setting for Four, The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate Addict, Home{work} Wednesday at The Everyday Home, Inspiration Exchange at Yellow Brick Road

32 Comments

  1. Beautiful job Paula!
    I love the blue surrounding your chalkboard too!
    I adore chalkboards….as much as I loved drawing on them when I was a kid. 😉
    So nice to meet you too!

    With all my heart…Deborah

  2. Hi! I adore your chalkboard! What a great idea! And great art by the way!! And now I know what to do when I cannot write well on the chalkboard. Thanks!

    1. I was pretty pleased with my bicycle art but I’ll have to confess that I copied a picture that I’d printed. I wish I had natural artistic talent!

  3. Paula, this is such a great project – I love it! Wow, your bicycle drawing is amazing – it doesn’t matter that you used a picture for inspiration, it looks fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing this – pinning and going to share on my FB tomorrow! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

  4. I had no idea you could do this over a cork board! How smart! I did it with a piece of sheet metal, but it’s not too light. Genius.

  5. This is absolutely genius!! I really didn’t think this was possible! I have 2 cork boards in storage that I will have to play with now. Great meeting you at Haven

  6. I absolutely love this! Great job! and thank you so much for sharing it:) I can’t believe you can paint cork and use it as a chalkboard. So glad I saw this!

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  8. Hey friend! I LOVE this project! I never would have thought this was possible, but it looks great. I’m featuring you at this week’s Grace at Home–thank you so much for linking up!

    Hope all is going well back at school!!

    1. Thank you so much for the feature! I am really enjoying having this hanging on my porch and think that I’ll leave it there and change the art with the season.

      School is great, so far!

  9. Hi! Just a quick question.Do you really have to wait 24 hours for the spray paint to dry? I waited like 12 hours and it seems pretty dry. Please reply. I’m not sure what to do. Thanks for the help (:

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    1. It worked really well and I find it easier to write on than a hard board that I’ve painted with chalkboard paint.

    1. They show a little bit. I actually prefer this surface over a piece of plyboard painted with chalkboard paint.

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