Easy DIY Canvas Chalkboard Menu

A super easy tutorial to make a weekly chalkboard menu planner using an art canvas, stickers, and paint that you can hang anywhere.

Are you tired of answering the hourly daily question, “What’s for dinner?” I sure was – that question gets old real quick – plus talk about being put on the spot. My kids were never as bad as my sister growing up, though – she was so into food that she was known for asking the night before what was for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She’d sometimes ask what the next meal was before we even finished the current meal!

Many of you know my love of menu planning that saves time, money, and gives me an answer to the age-old question of what we’re eating. Even though I knew what was on the plan, I still got tired of hearing and answering the dinner question every.single.day.

The computer printed menus I used for years and stuck to the side of the fridge obviously weren’t cutting it. Admittedly at 8.5 x 11 with little boxes for my writing, they were sometimes hard to read. And telling my family to read the menu and then hearing them try to sound out some scribble I’d put there (usually with a known-only-to-me abbreviation) didn’t help anything, either.

So when I was working with an artist canvas to make this cool thrift store painting turned word art, I got the idea to use a similar process to make an easy canvas chalkboard to post our weekly menu. It would be BIG and since it would be cute, I could hang it where everyone could see it. I could hardly wait to be able to say smugly, “haven’t you looked at the menu?”

DIY Canvas Chalkboard Menu

Supplies

(affiliate links are provided for your convenience)

• 16×20 art canvas panel. I’m always finding unused canvases at thrift stores (the planned work of art not even started is apparently common) but canvases at craft stores are inexpensive, too, with coupons.
• sage green acrylic craft paint. Obviously any color will work, as will leftover latex paint instead of acrylic.
• chalkboard spray paint. You can also use flat black paint like I have used on past chalkboard projects.
• large letter stickers (4-inch). I used foam letter stickers, but any stickers will work
• small letter stickers (2-inch).
• 1-2 inch paint brush or foam brush.
• Prange chalk. This is THE best chalk for clean writing that will easily rub off – is WAY better than dollar store chalk.

Instructions

I’m not kidding about the easy part in the title – the whole project took less than 10 minutes. Most of the time involved is letting the paint dry.

1. Paint the canvas the color you’d like your letters to be. I used a green latex interior paint I had from another project. Acrylic will work as well. Let completely dry (I left it overnight to be sure).
2. Attach the larger sticker letters across the top to spell ‘menu’ and the smaller letters down the left side for each day of the week. Spray the prepped canvas with chalkboard paint using a couple of light coats, until none of the base color shows through.
3. Let dry to the touch.
4. Remove the letter stickers. If any black bled through the letters, touch up with a bit of colored paint. Let dry completely, at least 24 hours.

The last step is to condition the board to make it easier to write and erase the chalk. Rub the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface of the canvas and then wipe with a rag to leave only a light layer of chalk.

Repeat this process whenever the board becomes hard to erase, first wiping it down with damp cloth and letting dry.

Since I mainly made this chalkboard menu for my family, I have been surprised at how much everyone loves it who sees it! I’m always being asked questions about it:

1. Did you make that?
2. Is this really your menu?
3. Can I come to dinner on ________?

In fact, this simple DIY has been so popular that we created a video for you:

We’ve used this chalkboard menu for years now and I’m here to tell you, it did it’s job. After awhile I never even had to say, “have you checked the menu?” – it just became automatic.

Mission accomplished.

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links and by clicking on them you help support AOC at no extra cost to you – thanks so much! Plus you can trust I’ll only share what I love. (You can always read our entire disclosure page here.)
Note: this project was originally published in 2013 and has been updated with clearer directions and pinnable image.

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Easy DIY Canvas Chalkboard Menu

A super easy tutorial to make a weekly chalkboard menu planner using an art canvas, stickers, and paint that you can hang anywhere.

Work Time10 minutes mins

Drying Time1 day d

Total Time1 day d 10 minutes mins

Makes: 1 chakboard menu

Author: Jami Boys

Cost: $5

Tools

• Large letter stickers (4-inch) I used foam letter stickers, but any stickers will work
• Small letter stickers (2-inch)
• 1-2 inch paint brush or foam brush.

Materials

• 1 16×20 art canvas panel. I’m always finding unused canvases at thrift stores (the planned work of art not even started is apparently common) but canvases at craft stores are inexpensive, too, with coupons.
• sage green acrylic craft paint. Obviously any color will work, as will leftover latex paint instead of acrylic.
• Prange chalk This is THE best chalk for clean writing that will easily rub off – is WAY better than dollar store chalk.

Instructions

• Paint the canvas the color you’d like your letters to be. I used a green latex interior paint I had from another project. Acrylic will work as well. Let completely dry (I left it overnight to be sure).
• Attach the larger sticker letters across the top to spell ‘menu’ and the smaller letters down the left side for each day of the week. Spray the prepped canvas with chalkboard paint using a couple of light coats, until none of the base color shows through.
• Let dry to the touch.
• Remove the letter stickers. If any black bled through the letters, touch up with a bit of colored paint. Let dry completely, at least 24 hours.
• The last step is to condition the board to make it easier to write and erase the chalk. Rub the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface of the canvas and then wipe with a rag to leave only a light layer of chalk.

  Repeat this process whenever the board becomes hard to erase, first wiping it down with damp cloth and letting dry.

Did you make this?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!