Finished kitchen island chalk board...

Ok...for starters I have been wanting to finish this project for some time now.  I'm horrible with miter cuts so I had to wait for the hubby to help me out.  My kitchen is white on white design, and I wanted to add a little fun kid friendly accent to the boring island.  My 17 month old LOVES to run around the kitchen like a mad man when we are cooking, so I thought a chalkboard would be the perfect accent and baby distraction while we cook. 

I LOVE the outcome of this project and the kids LOVE it too.  It was a pretty easy project.

How to:

I purchased a 2' x 4' x 1/4" luan plywood from Lowes.  It was $4.40.

I also purchased trim molding and had it cut down to size.  Love the people at Lowes...they should know me by now ; )

I primed it with left over Kilz primer I had...I LOVE this stuff!!!
I also purchased pre-primed trim molding from Lowes.  I went with a low profile detail molding...I did not want to whack my knee on it every time I walked by it.

I spray painted the pre-primed molding. (I LOVE the pre-primed wood)

 Ok, here is a money saver...Walmart has chalkboard paint for way cheaper than Lowes.

  Check them out first. 

 Here are the tools we used...minus a compound miter saw (it's in the garage) and black drywall screws.

This is a pic of the hubby cutting the miter cuts for the frame.

Once all the paint was dry and the cuts were made we glued the frame onto the wood with wood glue and held them on with clamps. I ended up having to paint the sides of the luan.

Once everything was painted and dry we hung it up with drywall screws.
Making sure that everything was level : )

I know we could have purchased a chalkboard and hung it up a lot faster than making one, but this way I was able to get the exact size I wanted....and it was fun making it.  All that is left for me to caulk around the board and the island then it will be complete : )

They have other colors for the chalkboard paint. I liked the black because that's an accent color in my kitchen.  But go and have fun with it.  You can paint refrigerators, doors, table tops, anything really.  Cedric and Spencer love using it...and hopefully, this will keep my little guy somewhat entertained while we cook dinner.