chalkboard door: from builder grade to a+

I don’t know about you, but my home is littered with these cheap, hollow, faux wood manufactured doors – including the basement access door in our kitchen.

What I really coveted in the kitchen was this:

Country Living

Domino
 

               

These doors can range anywhere from $400 to upwards of a few thousand.  Way beyond my budget.  Not to mention the additional costs for hardware and installation (hanging a new door is not an easy DIY, especially when your home’s foundation was constructed in the late 19^th century).

So I put on my thinking cap and came up with an idea to turn our builder grade door into something both beautiful and practical – for a mere $30.00.

I started by gathering my supplies:

I had most of these on-hand.  I only needed to purchase the chalkboard paint (from JoAnn’s for $5.00); the black foam core (from Office Depot for $10.00 for a two 30” x 40” boards); and the 1 3/8” x 3/8” trim (from the Home Depot for $.79/foot).  Total:  $30.00.

The foam core worked perfectly as the blackboard base because it’s substantial … yet lightweight … yet not too thick … that when framed out with trim would make the panels look recessed.

Step 1:  Use the X-Acto knife to cut your foam core to size.  I used a yardstick to keep the line straight.

Step 2:  Apply two coats of the chalkboard paint to the foam core panels.  (Unfortunately, since they’re porous, the foam core started to curve upwards at the edges. I needed a perfectly flat surface so I let the paint dry completely for a full day, turned over the panels and put a coat of chalkboard paint on the back side.  By the next day, the panels were perfectly flat).

Step 3:  Use the miter box to cut the trim pieces. I used simple joint corners:

Step 4:  Give the trim two coats of paint that matches your door. (I used Benjamin Moore white semi-gloss)

Step 5:  Apply the power grip to the back of the foam core chalkboards and attach to the door.  Use your level to make sure they are, well, level.  Hold in place for 3-to-5 minutes to make sure contact is made.  If you use painter’s tape to hold the foam core chalkboard in place it may damage your chalkboard like this:

Step 5:  Apply the Power Grip to your trim pieces and affix to the door.  Use painter’s tape to hold in place while it dries.  Just be sure not to attach the painters tape to the foam core board.

Step 6:  Caulk along the outside edge and corners and touch up with the semi-gloss

In the end you’ll turn a previously boring door into something both beautiful and functional.

I loved it so much that I re-created it on the powder room door.  

If you like my chalkboard door, I hope you'll "like" it at the end of the post (the button is just after the LABELS).

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Blue Cricket Design 
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