Chalk Board Paint

I’ve always wanted to do a chalkboard wall for Spike; I finally decided to do it. Chalkboard paint is somewhat expensive and has limited colors. So I went to the internet to find a DIY option for chalkboard paint, one that was both easy and less expensive than buying ready-made chalkboard paint. The number of tutorials you can find online for doing chalkboard paint is daunting.  I ended up combining multiple tutorials to reach my finished product.

 You will need:

1.       Unsanded grout

2.       Flat paint

3.       Water

4.       bucket

5.       Paint stirring drill attachment (optional but so much faster and more efficient than a stick)

6.     Paint brush and/or paint roller

Ratio 1 tablespoon unsanded grout to ½ cup of paint

 

I did a quart of paint at a time.

I started with 8 tablespoons of unsanded grout in a bucket. Here is where the instructions are a little fuzzy. I found nowhere that told you how much water to add to the grout. I added a little bit at a time until it was the consistency of pancake batter, I should have taken pictures of all the steps.

After it was well mixed I added the paint and used the stirring attachment to blend it well.

I only did a quart at a time. This was enough to do two coats on one wall. I did have to wait in between the two coats of paint. After I finished the first coat I poured the remainder back into quart can. Before starting the 2^nd coat of paint I mixed the paint again just to be on the safe side, I didn’t want to risk the grout separating and settling in the paint can.

I had no problems applying the paint. I used a brush to “cut in” around the door and moldings, and used a standard roller for the major parts of the wall.

After the paint is dry, I waited 4 hours and “slated” the wall. This is an important step, and the bigger the chalk board the longer it is going to take. To slate the area you take a piece of chalk (or in my case many pieces of chalk) and turn it on its side and rub it on the wall. You then erase it in a circular motion, either with a dry rag or a felt eraser.  After you have that done you can draw on the wall however you like and it will erase easily.  Some tutorials say to let the paint cure for longer. The longest I have seen is 3 days, before slating.  I might try this next time.  So far the wall is doing great, it’s been just over a week and it’s been used almost every day.

 

 

**** DO NOT USE SIDE WALK CHALK ON A CHALKBOARD WALL, SIDE WALK CHALK HAS OILS AND WAXES THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT IMPOSSIBLE TO ERASE ****

 

blogging failure.. and big news

Clearly I really do suck at blogging. I might try to get better. I make no promises. Since my last post in July of 2012 so much has gone on. The biggest being that our family is growing again. Spike is going to be a big brother. To a little sister we are calling Katie, that might change. I mean really with siblings called: Boy, Goozie, Bug and Spike you can't just be called Katie. She will make her grand arrival hopefully in May. We had a 3d ultrasound done last week. and she looks just like Spike did as a newborn.

Maybe we can call her Spike Jr. 

Being pregnant with a girl is totally different from being pregnant with a boy. Or maybe it just falls under the "all pregnancies are different" tag line. Since we found out that she is a girl we I am trying to come to grips with having a girl that I'm supposed to teach how to be a girl. The big girls have their mom to depend on for girly things so I never really felt the pressure of teaching them how to do hair, or how to dress or wear make up. All of those things I try not to worry with ever. But the closer it gets to my due date the more I am feeling scared out of my mind comfortable with having a daughter. 

31day blog challenge... what an epic failure

YEP... I totally failed at the 31 day challenge... I suck at blogging sometimes.

Day 3: Your first love

First love is complicated subject. I think that what most people think of as their first “love” is not “love” at all. This may not be true…. But it is my experience.

                In my mind my first love was my husband. Maybe was isn’t the right word. He IS my first love. He is an amazing man. He goes above and beyond to treat me like a princess. He isn’t perfect, I’m not perfect but I honestly believe that are imperfections are what make us so perfect for each other. 

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

My blog's name is pretty self explanatory, if you have been reading my blog since I started it (wait do people read my blog??) you would know that it started out just being about Spiky! Since then it has evolved to a bunch of random chatter.