A great way to keep kids busy!
A long time ago…ok, maybe not a long time ago, but 5 years ago!
My little girl loves to use chalk. It’s messy, so the fun factor is ten times that of using a pen – apparently…anyway, when we moved into our house, we had a large concrete pad off our back door. Which was wonderful for her and all her creativity. Slowly over the years the pad broke – severely – and we eventually ended up taking it out and putting in a deck.
To make up for losing it, I decided to make an outdoor chalkboard for her. The only problem was that I was on a budget (surprise, surprise!). After doing some thinking and pricing I came to the conclusion that it didn’t need to be 4ftx8ft and I needed to be able to move it by myself. I decided that a hollow core door would be perfect. It would be large enough to have a big area to draw, light enough for me to move easily, and if I got lucky maybe I could find one on the cheap.
So off to the local resale store we went. Luck was on my side, and I was able to find one for $5. Take that, plus the $15 I spent on the blackboard paint and this little project cost me only $20! I did however check the chalkboard paint lately – and with the wonderful inflation that we are having lately – it costs $20.
Once home I laid out paint sheets and set to work. Since the chalkboard was going to be outside in the elements, I painted the entire door with house paint that I had left over. Giving it 2 good coats. After that dried, I painted one side with the chalkboard paint. And while that was drying, I found an empty and clean plastic container to put the chalk in.
After it dried it was time to condition it. I took a piece of white chalk and rubbed it over the entire surface and then wiped it off with a dry rag. After that it was done and ready for her to use.
I was toying with the idea of attaching it to the fence to keep it up, but in the end, I wanted to be able to move it without tools, so I opted just to place it on top of a couple concrete blocks that we had.
So how has it fared in the last 5 years?
Pretty darn good for being outside all year, being sprayed with water and being used almost daily. I do put it under the eaves, up against our house in the winter, but other than that it doesn’t get any special attention. I did notice this year that it was starting to split on the edges, so I took tape and wrapped it around to help keep it together. I figure that may keep it for another year (hopefully two) and then it will be time to find another door.
Have a great day!
-Dawn