How to make a chalkboard wall
One of my boys’ requests when we redecorated their room was a chalkboard. We thought it would be super fun to do a giant one. Our walls are not overly textured (luckily!) but there are definitely a few steps you need to take if you are going to paint your walls into a chalkboard.
Materials for How to Create a Chalkboard Wall:
- Sandpaper
- Spackling Paste (if you need to fill nail holes or minor imperfections)
- Painter’s Tape (not pictured)
- Chalkboard Paint
- Paint stir stick
- Paint can opener or flat head screwdriver
- Smooth paint roller
- Mallet (optional – I use this to close my paint cans after use)
Time needed: 3 hours.
How to make a Chalkboard Wall
- Fill in your nail holes
Use spackling paste to fill any nail holes or imperfections in your wall.
- Sand Sand Sand!
Sand the entire wall smooth. If you have textured walls, you’re going to want to make it as smooth as possible so you can actually write on it when you’re done without it being bumpy. No one wants that.
- Always tape before you paint
Tape the edges of your wall, including trim or anywhere you don’t want paint, obviously.
- Paint it black!
Using your paint roller, apply a thin coat of the chalkboard paint and let dry throughly. It dries pretty quickly but make sure it is totally dry before you go adding the 2nd coat. Next, apply a second coat of chalkboard paint and make sure the wall is completely black.
- Prime away
Prime the wall. Not with primer. When the wall is 100% dry (check your paint can for details – some brands of paint recommend days or weeks before applying chalk), you will want to prime the wall with chalk. Using the side of a piece of regular white chalk, cover your entire chalkboard with chalk.
- Start over! Erase the chalk
Erase the entire wall and you’re done! Now you and your little ones can doodle to your hearts content.
See the full Superhero Room Reveal here.
Love the chalkboard wall. Checking where you got your paint and what brand you used?
Rustoleum actually sent the paint to me but it is Rustoleum brand and available at most (if not all) home improvement stores. I know Home Depot has it. 🙂
One thing I learned when we did our giant chalkboard wall is to plan on having about a foot in front of it clear of everything. The chalkboard dust falls and falls… It’s fine, but you do have to dedicate the full wall.
Do you wash the chalk wall as you would with a chalk board?
Yes!
How easy it is to cover it up in case I want the white wall back again?
To SVSP~
I was just about to comment/question the very same thing! I wanted to do this for my niece in her room but my sister said she wasn’t allowed to paint any of the walls b/c it was a rental…
I wonder why that haven’t responded to your question yet??
So girls…will we be able to return our walls back to white? And if so, how difficult will it be? Thanks! ?
Hey! All it takes is a quality paint and primer! You can see how we did it here: https://www.classyclutter.net/dining-room-refresh/
I would think it would be very difficult to turn it back into a white wall. I fell like I am going to have to sand down my wall when I’m done.
Hey Andre! Nope, it’s a simple primer and paint procedure. You just need to use a quality paint!
Killz paint would completely cover it with one coat. I’m sure of it.