DIY Project Parade ~ Custom Chalkboard Paint Tutorial and Edging Tips

I recently came across Christina’s chalkboard paint post from Designing by Numbers in the DIY Project Parade (thanks for the inspiration, Christina) and remembered that I had bookmarked Martha Stewart’s chalkboard recipe with grand plans that kept getting pushed back.  So, the next day I headed to True Value for supplies. (The True Value in Sarver, PA has a ‘mascot’…the sweetest dog who greets customers at the door, with a roll of duct tape in his mouth. Adorable.)
Our basement stairwell is a blank canvas.  Lots of plans, just needed to get started. 
BEFORE
I wanted a navy chalkboard so custom chalkboard paint was the solution. 
Color:  Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
I started with having my primer tinted.  Primer doesn’t really tint well, so the closest I could get was a bright periwinkle, but every little bit of pigment helps.
To make my project go quicker and because ceilings are high/scary and complicated, I use an edger. 
The secret to using this little treasure is dipping it into the paint at angle, keeping the wheels out of the paint. 
Then drag across up the ‘ramp’ of the paint tray to get off excess paint…
I “sneak up” on where the wall meets the ceiling and then move from side to side. (Don’t just smash down near the ceiling and start side to side.)  I also ‘smooth’ out the bottom of the edged paint line to keep it from dripping/building up and making a visible line. So: touch the edger to the wall below where you’re going to run your edging, then come back and smooth the line made from the bottom of the edger.
For high up/hard to reach places, I added an extension and stood on a ladder at terrifying heights (remember to keep as little as possible paint towards the side of the edger with wheels)…
Once the primer is applied and dried, it’s time to move on to the next step.

The recipe calls for 2 tbsp. of non sand grout for every cup of latex paint. Here’s the conversion for making one gallon of chalkboard paint:
2 tbsp. for 1 cup
16 cups in a gallon 
= 2 cups (32 tbsp.) of non sand grout in one gallon of paint

I used a 5 gallon bucket for mixing.
I alternated adding paint then a bit of grout (thanks to Christina for the tip). Then stirred.  Repeat until all paint and grout are mixed.
I used a paint stir. Tilting the bucket helps get the grout/paint mixed that sticks to the sides of the bucket.
The consistency is thick.  There are small clumps…keep stirring (a mixer-bit on the drill might be more helpful).  I did have a few bumps…but we’re not picky. Most dissolved or smoothed out with a paint brush (a little bit of a pain but overall – it was worth it). If we were perfectionists, we wouldn’t have bought an old fixer-upper farmhouse! This wall will actually be partially covered up (future project) and then a couple of years down the road, it’s being torn out when we get to the big basement renovation. The solution is to lightly sand between coats. 
Make sure you use a drop cloth and wear old clothes. Consistency is thick and splatters will occur. (Thankfully we have stairs waiting for slate tile…so although I was careful, it didn’t matter). A mask is preferable too. The fumes were on the strong side. Use same edging technique as mentioned above. 
I used a foam roller for the larger/middle task of painting the wall. 
Once I finished the wall, I put the lid on my bucket and my paint tray/roller in a baggy and let the wall paint dry overnight.
first coat, drying…
In progress but looking good!
Second day, second coat.  Next…the hard part. Rub the entire wall with the side of a piece of chalk. 
Then erase.
All set to accept chalk board writing!

More on our stairwell transformation coming up – you’ll never guess what we have planned.

Let’s see what you’ve been up to!

The DIY Show Off

1. You must use the button above (ADD BUTTON HTML CODE FROM SIDE BAR TO YOUR POST) and link to this post to share the linky love. You post must be recent, shared at one DIY Project Parade only (not continuously) and be DIY related.

2.Include your name or blog name and project title. Add your permalink (not your blog url, but your DIY project post url). Feel free to link a Past Post, just invite your readers in a current post with a quick note.

3.Or email your link to thediyshowoff@gmail.com and I will add it for you.

4.If you notice your link has disappeared -please add the link back to The DIY Show Off to your post today, a button or a quick note to your readers about the party and try again! I love when everyone participates and readers check out everyone’s links, but I think the return favor of linking back is the nice thing to do so everyone plays fair and enjoys all of the projects and links. Also – this blog party is for DIY projects only. Links not related to DIY will be deleted. Please share your link one week only. 

5.  If reading this in an email, pop over to http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com to see the inspiring DIY projects linked up!
6. If you have a Holiday link to share, feel free to link up to here too!

7.  NOW you can “like” the links!  What a fun idea!  Most liked links may be included in a post of DIY Project Parade highlights later in the week.
8.  Visit a few other links to make some new friends, get some creative ideas and feel free to leave me a comment. I’m likely sitting here on the computer and could use a happy distraction! 

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I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.
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12 Bloggers, 12 Colors, 12 Days
of Holiday DIY

Dec. 1st ~ GREEN ~ The Design Confidential

Dec. 2nd ~ WHITE ~ Domestically Speaking

Dec. 3rd ~ BLUE/PURPLE ~ Fireflies & JellyBeans

Dec. 4th ~ SILVER ~ Freckled Laundry

Dec. 5th ~ GRAY ~ Primitive & Proper

Dec. 6th ~ SPARKLE/GLITTER ~ A Girl and a Glue Gun

Dec. 7th ~ MIRROR/CLEAR ~ The DIY Show Off

Dec. 8th ~ EARTH TONES ~ Making the World Cuter

Dec. 9th ~ RED ~ It’s So Very Cheri

Dec. 10th ~ GOLD ~ 504 Main

Dec. 11th ~ CHALKBOARD 

Dec. 12th ~ MULTI-COLOR ~ The DIY Club

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Pretty Painted Stairs by Beth ~ Unskinny Boppy

Hi everyone! I’m Beth from Unskinny Boppy. First I’d like to say a big “Thank You!” to Roeshel for allowing me to have the honor of guest posting here on her inspirational blog. I appreciate the opportunity to share my project with you guys. Today I’m finally ready to reveal my painted basement staircase (and the new board and batten!)Six months ago my basement staircase resembled something from a maximum security prison. 
 unfinished basement steps 
Dark, dank and sort of scary with unfinished concrete block walls and cheap grey indoor/outdoor carpeting. It was not exactly a warm and welcoming place to be. Today it’s been transformed with a little bit of paint, putty and some 1x4s! Check it out:
 Board and Batten on staircase 
 Months ago I had pinned a photo of Jonathan Adler’s painted beach house stairs , and I knew that was the look I wanted to try to replicate. I do believe I got very close to my inspiration project.Here is Jonathan’s design: 
And here is mine: 
how to paint wooden steps 
Let me back up just a minute here and say that I have a bit of a paint sample addiction. Whenever it is time to choose paint colors for a room I agonize over the paint fans for hours, then we make a run down to the local Sherwin Williams and buy their $5 quarts of sample paint. I firmly believe the best way to tell if you really like a paint color is to get as much of it on the actual wall as possible. After living in this house for 18 months and painting almost every room in it (and some rooms twice!), I’ve acquired quite a collection of paint samples. It might even be a borderline hoarderish tendency since I refuse to throw any of them away. They sit on a bookcase in my basement just in case I find a piece of furniture (or stairwell) that needs a coat of paint on it. Here are all the samples I used for this project. Yeah… 
 
Since this staircase is basically the first thing my husband sees every day when he arrives home from work, we wanted it to be a brighter and more cheerful space. Plus, the basement is in the process of being remodeled so it was hard to imagine leaving that ugly carpeting on the staircase with all new paint, sheetrock, and trim throughout the rest of the space. So one day my husband ripped all the carpet up with his bare hands. Of course I have no photos of this event since he simply came upstairs and announced “Carpet’s up!” And I was all, “WHATthewhat?!?” Well, allrighty then. This is what they looked like for a few months during the construction process. Sexy, huh? Not at all creepy.
  
So, what do you do when you have a set of bare wooden steps that have been toe’ up from the flo’ up and fifty quarts of Sherwin Williams paint samples in various shades of blues and greens and greiges? You paint a blue/green/greige rainbow, of course! And that’s just what I did. Every stair riser got a different paint color. I’m kind of ashamed to admit I could have painted about three more sets of stairs and not used the same sample twice.
 white and blue basement stairs 
Before painting I had to pull out all the staples left behind from the cheap carpet. A pair of pliers made short work of that job. Then I went behind with a tube of spackle and filled in the holes and crevices in the wood. You can tell from my photos that I wasn’t exactly a perfectionist about the putty job. I missed some spots and I really need to touch up the paint again, but I’m ok with them just the way they are. They have more character this way. At least that’s what I tell myself. In reality I’m just too lazy to go back and finish the job.  
For extra gripping power on the stair treads, I recommend using Sharkgrip Slip Resistant additive to your paint. You simply mix this stuff into your paint and shake it up, and when it dries it makes the floor super-skid resistant. Nothing slippery about these painted floors.
  sharkgrip 
 Here is the view from the top:board and batten walls 
I’m considering getting a runner to give the treads a little bit of color. For now, I’m still lazy good with the white. I also adore the board and batten finish on the staircase. That part of the project was done by my painters while they were finishing the other trim in the basement. I cannot claim the B&B as my own DIY project, but the stair paint is 100% me! And my knees were happy to get this project completed. Since no DIY project is complete without a good Before and After photo, here is mine:
 stair painting Before and after photo 
I hope you guys enjoyed my new basement staircase reveal. I’m crossing my fingers and toes that I will be able to have a FULL basement remodel reveal on my blog within the next few weeks. I’d love for you to visit my blog and see it when it’s done! 
Unskinny Boppy
12 Bloggers, 12 Colors, 12 Days
of Holiday DIY

Dec. 1st ~ GREEN ~ The Design Confidential

Dec. 2nd ~ WHITE ~ Domestically Speaking

Dec. 3rd ~ BLUE/PURPLE ~ Fireflies & JellyBeans

Dec. 4th ~ SILVER ~ Freckled Laundry

Dec. 5th ~ GRAY ~ Primitive & Proper

Dec. 6th ~ SPARKLE/GLITTER ~ A Girl and a Glue Gun

Dec. 7th ~ MIRROR/CLEAR ~ The DIY Show Off

Dec. 8th ~ EARTH TONES ~ Making the World Cuter

Dec. 9th ~ RED ~ It’s So Very Cheri

Dec. 10th ~ GOLD ~ 504 Main

Dec. 11th ~ CHALKBOARD ~ WhisperWood Cottage

Dec. 12th ~ MULTI-COLOR ~ The DIY Club

Kitchen and Laundry Makeover by Christy from 11 Magnolia Lane

Hi, everyone! 
I’m Christy from 11 Magnolia Lane, and I’m pretty thrilled about having the opportunity to post on The DIY Showoff. Roeshel, thank you so much for inviting me to share my kitchen and laundry room with your readers!At 11 Magnolia Lane, I blog with two of my girlfriends about a little bit of everything. We all have our “niche” area, and mine seems to be home decor and DIY stuff (maybe because we move so often–I’m a military wife). Obviously, it’s hard to cram all the horrible “before” and awesome “after” pictures into one short post, so stop by and visit for the full story, and tons of pictures, on both my kitchen and the laundry room re-do’s. 
 **KITCHEN** 
The kitchen HAD to be done first. Dark, dreary, and dated–how is that even possible for a house built less than ten years ago?–I knew before we bought the house that I’d be painting the cabinets white.
 
(You can see more of this home and kitchen HERE.) 
But, after our move earlier this summer here was the kitchen I had to start with. I added a shelf bracket (trimmed to fit) and molding to create a built-in look.”

It took even longer than I thought it would (almost 5 weeks!), but I added trim, feet,
and other details like new lights and new kitchen faucet to make things look more built-in
and custom, and I am thrilled with the look. I have a long list of things that I still want
to do, of course, because projects are never really done, but I have at least another
year and a half before we move again–plenty of time! 
 **LAUNDRY ROOM* 
I compromised on the laundry room because I liked the rest of the house (well, except for
the kitchen, of course). Situated under the stairs, it was cramped, awkward, and UGLY.
 I spend huge quantities of time doing laundry (don’t we all?) so I knew this room had
to be one that I enjoyed being in. Here’s the ugly before…
 
This was an inexpensive redo because all I bought was a metal storage cabinet, a new rug for
the floor, and the lumber and trim to make cafe-style shelving. Everything else I gathered
from around my house, which wasn’t hard, because I am a flea market, garage sale, and

thrift store queen. Here’s the awesome “after”…
I have to give a shout-out to Jones Design Company’s painted wallpaper tutorial, which
was so simple even I could follow it. Time consuming, to be sure, but I love the result.
 And I hid the mess in my under-the-stairs area in a vintage metal cabinet. When I
can’t squeeze through to get into the space, I know it’s time to go on a diet!
I scored the rug at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon–it ties everything together.
Shabby chic hooks repurposed as an ironing board hanger,
and a close-up of the painted wallpaper.
Thanks so much for letting me share these rooms with you!
 And please stop over to 11magnolialane.com and say Hi! 
 
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Reminder:

12 Bloggers, 12 Colors, 12 Days
of Holiday DIY

Dec. 1st ~ GREEN ~ The Design Confidential

Dec. 2nd ~ WHITE ~ Domestically Speaking

Dec. 3rd ~ BLUE/PURPLE ~ Fireflies & JellyBeans

Dec. 4th ~ SILVER ~ Freckled Laundry

Dec. 5th ~ GRAY ~ Primitive & Proper

Dec. 6th ~ SPARKLE/GLITTER ~ A Girl and a Glue Gun

Dec. 7th ~ MIRROR/CLEAR ~ The DIY Show Off

Dec. 8th ~ EARTH TONES ~ Making the World Cuter

Dec. 9th ~ RED ~ It’s So Very Cheri

Dec. 10th ~ GOLD ~ 504 Main

Dec. 11th ~ CHALKBOARD ~ WhisperWood Cottage

Dec. 12th ~ MULTI-COLOR ~ The DIY Club