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    Home » Blog » Easy DIY » DIY Home Decor Ideas

    March 20, 2015 | By Jami

    DIY Chalkboard & Weathered Frame {from an Old Picture}

    DIY Chalkboard with Weathered Frame from an Old Picture

    I'm so excited to share this fun project with you - creating a DIY chalkboard with weathered frame from an old picture - that hits so many things that AOC is about:

    • it reuses a seen-better-days item {from your stash or a thrifted find}
    • it costs between $0-$10, depending on having to buy the item and/or paint
    • it's quick and doable
    • it's perfect with it's imperfections
    • it results in a high-end looking product

    Plus, I LOVE it! Like, every day I walk by and it just lifts my spirits. If you, too, have been wanting a large chalkboard, this is the way to get it - and it's super easy, since you paint right on the glass. Yep, no taking everything apart! What this means is you can transform {or look for at thrift stores} a nicely framed print, the kind with a finished paper backing, and be able to keep the nice backing.

    Weathered Framed Chalkboard From Picture-Before

    I started with this large framed print that we've had for more than 20 years, the last 10 of those has been spent hiding in a closet. I've been mulling a makeover of this forever, since the frame is just about perfect in size and style. This picture has a funny story to go along with it:

    When Brian and I were first married and were putting together our first apartment, we did a lot of thrift shopping, as you might guess. I found this frame - empty - on one trip and bought it because I liked the classic style. I think it was $5, though I don't remember except that we didn't pay much more than that for anything back then. Brian was doing some work with the Portland Art Museum and they had an impressionist exhibit, so he came home with this free print, which I liked and went with our decor. I wanted to frame it in the thrifted frame, but we needed glass cut to size, etc. and we didn't know a thing about any of that. So we found a DIY framing shop near us and took our $5 frame and free print there, thinking if we did it ourselves it must be reasonable, right? Well, they immediately set us up to framing, and we didn't know until it was time to pay that the bill came to more than $50! We about choked, but at that point the deed had been done, ha! All I could think was the kind of art I could've gotten for $55 - I mean, I didn't like the print that much. 🙂

    Anyway, it's provided a pretty good story since then and we laugh about it now of course. But as you can see, the frame got pretty beat up in our moves and sitting in the closet. The frame, while solid wood, is faux painted with black specks which sort of dates it for me. But I didn't want to paint it white, since our walls are white and I was looking for more of a contrast to go along with the cottage industrial look I'm leaning towards now.

    Creating Weathered Frame on DIY Chalkboard From a Picture

    After updating the frames on my butterfly specimens with a Restoration Hardware-look gray weathered, I knew right away that this frame would be perfect for it, too. And here's where I confess that this is a true diy project: I just started dry-brushing acrylic craft paint over the frame until I liked the result. I'm sure there are really good how-to-weather-wood tutorials out there using specific paints, but I wanted to use what I had and I'm actually really pleased with the outcome! If you have a stash of craft paints like I do, here's an outline of how I painted the frame:

    1. Mixed a bit of black acrylic paint into white (didn't have gray) and then added a squirt of burnt-umber to warm it up a bit (I think this is the "greige" I read decorators talking about...).
    2. Used a smaller very stiff-bristle brush to dry brush a light coat right on top of the frame - I didn't even sand first, since I was afraid of leaving noticeable marks (note: dry brushing involves loading a bit of paint onto the tip of the brush and then dabbing most of it off on a paper-towel-lined paper plate - at least that's how I do it).
    3. I also kept a rag nearby, did small sections at a time, and wiped off after applying, just to get more of a smudgy look.
    4. Added one more dry-brushed coat of the mixed paint. I let the paint cover the gouges and scrapes, since I knew that would add to the weathered look.
    5. Decided it was a bit too gray for our house and then dry-brushed a tan acrylic over the top, very randomly.
    6. After that dried, I dry-brushed here and there, wiped with the rag and stood back to look at the whole thing, until I thought it was 'even' enough.

    As you can see, it's a fluid, personal process. You can't really hurt it, since you can always add more of this or that - or completely paint over if you just don't like it. And the imperfections are supposed to be there - don't you love that?

    Creating Chalkboard on an Existing Glass Picture

    I'm not really sure if it's best to paint the frame first or the glass, but I thought I could control the application of the solid paint more than the dry brush technique, so I painted the frame first. Painting the glass and creating the chalkboard is really easy:

    • Paint 2 coats of flat black latex paint (you can use a special chalkboard paint if you have it, but I've learned over the years that flat black paint works just as well!) with a foam brush to lessen strokes, brushing the first coat on vertically and the second horizontally (or visa-versa, the important thing is to alternate the direction of each coat).
    • Use a small artist brush to get the edges, if you want (I did) - but don't worry about it being perfectly straight as no one will notice that, I promise.
    • When completely dry (wait a couple days to be sure), condition the painted surface to create the 'chalkboard' by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk all over the surface and then wiping it off with a rag, leaving a film of chalk.

    That's it - now you can hang it and figure out what fun thing you're going to write on it!

    DIY Chalkboard with Weathered Frame

    I searched Pinterest for the first thing I wanted to draw on the board, and found this saying with a tutorial (which I didn't follow, because - math, hello?) and just eyeballed-copied it with regular chalk. I didn't use my favorite chalk markers for this, since I wanted it to look really chalk-baordy. It was one of those things I just started doing without realizing it would take 45 minutes - yikes. I think we'll go much simpler in the future. 🙂

    Gray Weathered Framed Chalkboard and Butterfly Specimens

    One of the other reasons I knew I wanted to go with the weathered gray frame was because the chalkboard would be hanging near the butterfly specimens, which you see together in our great room. I think they look great together - and with the farmhouse metal kitchen light we added a few months ago.

    DIY Weathered Framed Chalkboard

    I'm thinking of all the ways I can update it through the seasons with sayings, wreaths, and banners. Maybe you can tell I've been wanting a large chalkboard for awhile? What about you - do you have an old picture you can update to a chalkboard?

     

    This is linked to The Creative Circle, Best DIY & Recipes Link Party, and Something to Talk About Link Party.

     

    About Jami

    Since 2009 Jami Boys has been helping readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. From baking bread, to creating a floor from paper, to growing and preserving food, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

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    1. Sandra Smith says

      December 22, 2022 at 6:19 am

      5 stars
      Love your chalkboard and especially your description of how to create a weathered painted look! I shall use it soon!!!

      Thanks, Jami! Sandra

      Reply
      • Jami says

        December 26, 2022 at 6:59 pm

        Oh good - I'm so glad this was helpful, Sandra!

        Reply
    2. Claire says

      April 09, 2018 at 8:33 pm

      I love this idea. Newbie question. How long do you have to wait between the first and second coat of black paint? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jami says

        April 10, 2018 at 2:55 pm

        I follow the directions, Claire - they usually tell you how long to wait between coats. It's usually just a couple hours with spray paint, a bit longer with regular.

        I hope you enjoy your chalkboard!

        Reply
    3. Kippi Schank says

      September 26, 2016 at 3:18 pm

      Does is have to be latex paint? I have crayola watercolor paints I use for nail art. Wouldn't that work as well?

      Reply
      • Jami says

        September 27, 2016 at 10:58 am

        Hmm, I've really no idea about this, Kippi - sorry! I'm not familiar with that product - if it's typical watercolor paint, I'm not sure it would be able to withstand writing, wiping, reconditioning, etc.

        Reply
    4. Judy says

      August 13, 2016 at 1:09 pm

      Thank you! This is just what I've been looking for...really cute!

      Reply
    5. Kathy says

      March 26, 2015 at 12:33 am

      I'm so impressed with your handwriting! I can't believe you just eyeballed it! Thanks for linking up to THe Creative Circle. (I've paid a pretty penny at a frame shop with prints before I knew better. lol )

      Reply
    6. Lisa says

      March 25, 2015 at 8:30 pm

      Love your new chalkboard -- and your kitchen behind it (the wood ceiling, the beams, the black pendant light, the white cabinets....) I'm glad I found your blog. It's really well done: the photography, the writing, the design. Kudos from a new follower. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jami says

        March 26, 2015 at 9:54 am

        Wow, thanks so much, Lisa - you just made my day with your sweet words! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Jackie says

      March 21, 2015 at 11:24 pm

      Ooohhh I love this. I had no idea I could use flat latex paint! Please pin this! (I won't go into details, but I can't pin right now... technology difficulties). I don't want to lose this post!)

      Reply
      • Jami says

        March 22, 2015 at 3:04 pm

        You can find this pinned on AOC's DIY/Decor Pinterest Board, Jackie - sorry about your tech problems, though!

        Reply
    8. kathy says

      March 20, 2015 at 8:02 am

      Have a great frame but no glass? Have a piece of glass cut at a business that does NOT specialize in framing pictures............way cheaper. I would guess a piece of glass the size of your frame would be around $10. Or, bring in your own glass (from a thrift store framed picture) and have it cut to size, even chearper! Thanks for the tip on using flat black paint vs chalkboard paint..........at that price, you could even experiment with a dark color other than black.

      Reply
      • Jami says

        March 20, 2015 at 12:21 pm

        Thanks, Kathy - we know that now,just not when we were 25. 🙂 And yes, I think you could use any dark paint!

        Reply

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