DIY: Oversized Chalkboard

This chalkboard is something I've been wanting to make for a while now, and after seeing this picture on Pinterest, it gave me the motivation I needed to get it done. It was very easy and I love it! Here's how I did it:

I started with a 2' by 4' piece of prefinished plywood. My dad, who builds cabinetry for a living, let me have this piece from his shop and cut it to size for me. If you don't have a handyman in the family like I do, you can have this done at Home Depot or Lowe's.

After sanding my piece of wood, I rolled on three coats of Rust-Oleum's chalkboard paint. I let it dry four hours between coats, and gave the paint three days to cure before writing on the surface.

During those three days (which seemed to drag on forever) Jesse added a wood frame to my chalkboard. He found some scrap wood from my dad's shop that was already stained, cut four thin pieces, and attached them directly to the sides of the plywood with some wood glue and a micro pinner gun. I then added a couple heavy duty picture hangers to the back. I found them at JoAnn Fabrics and they look something like this:

Finally, the chalkboard was ready to use!

First, I had to "season" the chalkboard by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk all over the surface and erasing it. This layer of chalk dust makes writing and erasing a little smoother.

And... done!!