Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Re-purposed Cabinet Doors!

As promised, I wanted to share with you all a little project that my friend Jess worked on last week.

Jess and I have been friends for many, many years and share the same love for homemaking, cooking, baking, and diy projects. I would love to ultimately post a tour of her home, which is the main level of an old farmhouse. She has done an amazing job decorating and fixing it up, all while keeping a budget!

This project is just one example of her ingenuity.

It all began with our trip to Ikea a few weeks ago (where I got my 79 cent dishtowels, seen here) where  she found two cabinet doors from the salvage room of the warehouse. We didn't get a large picture of them before she went to work on them, but they somewhat resembled this...


 These cabinet doors retail at a starting price of around $50, but because they had a few imperfections (what I would call "personality") they were only...

$1.99 a piece!!! 

So for just under $4, she brought them home and went to work on turning them into chalkboards...


Her supplies included a small can of chalkboard paint, which retails for about $8 at any home improvement store (and can be used for dozens of projects) and a foam brush, which spreads the paint evenly.


She started with the perimeter, using the lip of the moulding as a guideline (see the photo of the cabinet above to see what I mean;), then filled in the center, as shown below...




As you can see, it takes at least two coats to get a solid, smooth surface, but since each coat dries in 5 minutes, the whole project can still be completed in 10-15 minutes!

Once it is dry, the chalkboard will need to be "seasoned" which simply means taking a piece of chalk and rubbing the entire board so that it is covered...then wiping it off with a dry cloth or paper towel. Then it is ready to be used!

Here is the finished result, sitting on her porch:



You cannot see all the detail from this shot, but it looks so crisp with the white perimeter, and the intricate molding of the cabinet makes it look like an expensive frame! It's stunning!

Here is another shot of her porch, which reminds me of a southern plantation-style retreat...it is so peaceful...


She is saving the other chalkboard for a wedding reception that she and her husband are hosting in a few weeks. Because it will be a laid back, outside reception, she is going to use her new chalkboards to write out the menu for the evening, and other sweet notes to the guests! 

How about you? have you done any chalkboard projects lately? I have used my can of chalkboard paint for countless projects throughout my house...I love that stuff!!

5 comments:

  1. Hi Adriane, I have a blog related question for you. Could you please email me? I don't see your email on here anywhere. Thanks!! ~Catie

    catiebrown@shaw.ca

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are great pictures! You made it sound so easy to use the blackboard paint. I always thought that was something they only did on HGTV and you had to buy the stuff and some hole-in-the-wall specialty store. You made it sound pretty accessible!

    ReplyDelete
  3. love it Adriane!! I've been meaning to get a chalkboard, so this may just have to be one of my first installations when I start decorating our new home in Missouri!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nicole, when you come to pa next time...bring something to paint with chalkboard paint!! It is so easy and I have a whole can of it to use up!

    Janae, hello there dear! I am so excited to see the creative ways you will use your new space in Missouri!! Let me know if you want to have a pre-trip craft day and make a chalkboard together for your new home!

    ReplyDelete

Hey everyone!!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog, and feel free to leave a message!! I would love to hear from you!

=)Adriane