If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen this picture a few days ago. Abbie’s chalkboard table, completed. It was a pretty simple DIY project, and I was really happy with how it turned out!
I started by picking up IKEA’s LATT table and chairs set weeks/months ago. (Seriously, I think I bought it in like October.) It’s a great value as is at only $20, but I loved that I was able to change it up into something Abbie can keep for a while.
I then went to Home Depot for my supplies. I wanted the wood to be easy to clean, so I picked out this stain/poly combination – much easier than doing two separate things! The instructions called for sanding it down beforehand and sanding between coats…which I skipped. I though the wood was smooth enough already and didn’t need it, but I can see where sanding a bit between coats would’ve made it look a bit more even. I did two coats of the stain, applying it with a foam brush. I let it dry about an hour between coats, then about 24 hours after the second coat.
I also grabbed some chalkboard paint, opting for the spray paint version. I didn’t want to worry about lumps or bumps, or coating it unevenly. I did two coats on both the table top and the seats of the chairs, letting it dry an hour between coats and 24 hours after the second coat. I initially wasn’t going to do the seats, but I decided I wanted the tabletop and chairs to match!
Once the chalkboard was dry, I rubbed the chalk surface with the side of a piece of chalk, then erased it before assembling the table and chairs.
Abbie loves it already (but par for the course, has already tried to eat the chalk), and I can’t wait to see the masterpieces she creates on it as she gets older!
Side note: IKEA didn’t sponsor this…in fact, I’m pretty sure they don’t know I exist…but they do take my money, so there’s that.
13 Responses
That transformation is awesome! I’m so not crafty like that but I love seeing what others can do! Great work!
Love it! There’s a good chance I’ll use this when Harper gets old enough. PS love your disclaimer lol.
aintnodramamama.blogspot.com
So cute! I love this idea!!
This is a neat idea! We built a custom chalk board in the girl’s play room but if we hadn’t we would have done this!
Oh my gosh, I LOVE the idea of having a chalkboard TABLE! Genius!!
Thanks – we love it so far!
Thanks! So far, I’m the one that plays with it most!
This is awesome. Are you on the Ikea consumer panel? LMK. I will send you the link. They ask lots of interesting questions (no discounts, sadly) but still, fun to give them feedback, when you give them your $$! That table looks awesome. Great work!
I’m not – I’d love the info though. Thanks!
super cute idea! good choice on the spray version…i make a board with the brush paint and the brush strokes dried harshly 🙁
this idea rocks! I love it. My daughter loves coloring but it never stays on the paper…if she had this, she could just color with chalk on the table. brilliant 🙂
That’s exactly what I was afraid of, so good to hear I made the right choice! Maybe you could re-do yours?
Thanks!!