As I was thinking about a lot of time at home this spring, I thought I came up with a cool and original idea, an outdoor chalkboard to hang on our fence near our play set. A quick Google search proved I was not so original. Still it was a fun a project my almost 4 year old and I could do together and it is already getting lots of use.
First step was to get supplies. We used treated plywood, cut to about 3 x 5. I was tempted to go bigger but this seems good for my space. We used 2 and 1/2 inch decking screws to secure it to the fence. They came with a drill bit. I got black chalk paint and read on it that I needed a primer. I found one that is really cool, making the board hold magnets.
Once we gathered all of that (for about $100), we did a very light sanding of the best side of the wood. I actually have a small electric sander and if I had it to do over again, I would have sanded it more. It is smooth enough but could be smoother. We then brushed it clean and applied two coats of primer. We let it dry overnight then painted two coats of chalk paint.
Once dry, we hung it. We waited 3 days per the instructions on the paint, then conditioned it by rubbing chalk all over it then erasing it off.
So far so good. I am hoping to get 3 or 4 years out of it considering it is in the elements. Overall it was a really fun project to do along with my son. He felt a lot of pride in his finished project.
Anyone have any fun project ideas?
