It’s every child’s dream – a wall made for scribbling. But a blackboard wall is an ingenious idea for adults too.
If you have a whole wall free, painting it over with blackboard paint will create an instant conversation piece, and it’s perfect for indecisive decorators who’d like to change their look every week. For the biggest impact, paint the surrounding walls in white or bold colours such as red, purple or blue.
You’ll need:
- cleaning cloth and sugar soap
- Primer
- Paint stirrer
- Paint brush or roller
1. Clean the surface thoroughly. If you’re painting over a standard emulsion (matte) paint, you can paint directly onto the surface. If the existing surface is vinyl paint, wood or metal, you’ll need to apply primer before you start.
2. Stir the paint vigorously for at least five minutes, reaching right to the bottom of the can to ensure an even colour and finish. You’ll also need to stir the paint at regular intervals during application.
3. Apply two or three coats using a brush, or six coats if you’re using a roller. Allow four hours drying time and check the paint is completely dry before adding further coats.
4. The blackboard should be ready to use after 24 hours. There’s no need to restrict your blackboard to a patch on the wall. Blackboard paint works well on fridge or cupboard doors, table tops and even the back of the bathroom door (who doesn’t like to read on the loo?). It can also give a new lease of life to old objects like globes, mirrors, photo frames and filing cabinets.
Amazon sell blackboard paint in a range of pot sizes, while Craig and Rose stock smaller pots of Chalkwall paint in green, blue, pink, purple and black. Blackfriar sells Blackboard Paint which has a durable black matt finish allowing for clear, legible chalk writing.
Like DIY decorating? Read our tips on how to hang wallpaper or, for a easy style fix, be inspired by our wall sticker feature.
