Chalkboard Fridge Tutorial!
I have been meaning to get this up for a while. But as you can see, I have been busy making marshmallows and cookies. It's tough work, but someone has to do it. Anyway, I have an old house, and an old kitchen...an old ugly kitchen, an old, ugly, only partially functional kitchen. I have one, yes one drawer and base cabinet. And yucky appliances. Who knew RCA made both tv's and refrigerators!!??
I am also a single mom, and a corset tight budget. A kitchen re-do is as far in my future as my only probable retirement. So I have to do small projects that make my kitchen look refreshed and less, well , ugly.
This time, I opted to paint my fridge with chalkboard paint. But, I made my own chalkboard paint! How cool is that...well I thought it was pretty cool. Here is my little tutorial for a chalkboard fridge. Oh yeah, if you have stainless appliances, don't do this..not that you would want to anyway!
To start, clean off your fridge of all the kiddos pictures, forgotten shopping list and other random junk. Take off the handles, and give it a good cleaning. I used a vinegar/water solution so I didn't leave a chemical residue.
Next, take a fine sandpaper, I used 150 grit, and give the entire front a good sanding. You really only want to remove the shiny top layer, and create grooves for your paint to stick. To make your own chalkboard paint, you pick whatever color paint suites your fancy. Make sure its an interior water based paint. You won't need that much, so you can get away with a quart. You will also need some UNsanded tile grout. Choose a white or light color grout, so it wont change the color of your paint. Mix 1 cup of paint with 2 tablespoons of the grout, and viola! Custom chalkboard paint! I only made half the mixture per coat, because the paint thickens in the time it takes for the previous coat to dry ( trust me, i only know because it happened to me!) In case that wasn't clear, I only mixed 1/2 cup paint and 1 tablespoon grout at a time!
With a small roller, roll on your paint, going with the grain (if your fridge front is textured). Keep the coats relatively thin...you don't need a lot of paint, several thin coats are better than fewer thick goopy coats. Let each coat fully dry, 2-3 hours, before painting again. You will probably need 2-3 coats to get a nice slate finish. Let the final coat dry for a full 24 hours. When its completely dry, condition it but rubbing chalk over the entire fridge and just wipe it off...All done!
You can still use your lame magnets! I opted not to put the handles back on. I think its looks neater with out them. The kids love using it, and its great being able to see what I need and write it right on the door!
P.S. Sorry for the awful pictures. My kitchen is a hole, with almost no natural light!
I am also a single mom, and a corset tight budget. A kitchen re-do is as far in my future as my only probable retirement. So I have to do small projects that make my kitchen look refreshed and less, well , ugly.
This time, I opted to paint my fridge with chalkboard paint. But, I made my own chalkboard paint! How cool is that...well I thought it was pretty cool. Here is my little tutorial for a chalkboard fridge. Oh yeah, if you have stainless appliances, don't do this..not that you would want to anyway!
To start, clean off your fridge of all the kiddos pictures, forgotten shopping list and other random junk. Take off the handles, and give it a good cleaning. I used a vinegar/water solution so I didn't leave a chemical residue.
Next, take a fine sandpaper, I used 150 grit, and give the entire front a good sanding. You really only want to remove the shiny top layer, and create grooves for your paint to stick. To make your own chalkboard paint, you pick whatever color paint suites your fancy. Make sure its an interior water based paint. You won't need that much, so you can get away with a quart. You will also need some UNsanded tile grout. Choose a white or light color grout, so it wont change the color of your paint. Mix 1 cup of paint with 2 tablespoons of the grout, and viola! Custom chalkboard paint! I only made half the mixture per coat, because the paint thickens in the time it takes for the previous coat to dry ( trust me, i only know because it happened to me!) In case that wasn't clear, I only mixed 1/2 cup paint and 1 tablespoon grout at a time!
With a small roller, roll on your paint, going with the grain (if your fridge front is textured). Keep the coats relatively thin...you don't need a lot of paint, several thin coats are better than fewer thick goopy coats. Let each coat fully dry, 2-3 hours, before painting again. You will probably need 2-3 coats to get a nice slate finish. Let the final coat dry for a full 24 hours. When its completely dry, condition it but rubbing chalk over the entire fridge and just wipe it off...All done!
You can still use your lame magnets! I opted not to put the handles back on. I think its looks neater with out them. The kids love using it, and its great being able to see what I need and write it right on the door!
P.S. Sorry for the awful pictures. My kitchen is a hole, with almost no natural light!
That is the coolest thing ever. What a great thing for your kids also.
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