Trash to Treaure: Chalk It Up To Creativity

Well I hope everyone had a Happy and Safe Memorial Day.  We were on the road and able to spend a lovely time with many family members in different cities.  I have been waiting to share these projects with you, and I have just been so darn busy.  So here they are finally some things for the pirate bedroom. 

I may need to break these up into different posts, to keep this from being a monumental run on.  I will start with the finishing of the mirror frame turned chalk board.  This is the frame from a previous post that I rescued from the curb not too long ago. 

I knew the moment I saw it what it was going to be.  I began by first taking the frame apart.  It was held together with staples and I wanted to make it sturdier to survive being hung in the kindergartener’s room. 

Once the staples were removed I used my Kreg Jig to drill new pocket holes in the frame and reattach the pieces.  This made a big difference and I was glad I took the extra time for this step.  This one may survive until he outgrows this decor. 

Next I cut a piece of plywood on the table saw to fit inside the frame.  I primed the plywood  and painted it with two coats of chalkboard paint.  I used a foam roller to apply, rolling in one direction for the first coat and the opposite direction for the second coat.  I read that tip somewhere, and I was pleased with the results.  The foam roller did leave the occasional bubble here and there, but honestly it didn’t make much of a difference to my nephew who was so excited to have his own chalk board. 

While the paint was drying I began the process of giving new life to the finish on the frame.  When I showed this piece to my sister, she suggested I paint it.  It had quite a few scratches and she was probably worried it wouldn’t be finished until he was ready to go off to college.  But I hated to cover up such a nice finish because a few dings so I set my sights on restoring the finish.  I knew the right product for the job. Years ago a friend introduced me the Howard’s Restore A Finish and I have always wanted to give a try. 

I cleaned the piece with some Murphy Oil Soap.  There were parts that had a dark glaze on the edges so I removed most of that with a Magic Eraser.

I decided after some experimenting on another piece to use a blend and fill wax pencil which I used to fill in the scratches.

Next I wiped away the excess wax pencil with a paper towel. Then I applied a good coating of Restore A Finish that I wiped on gently in the direction of the wood grain with 0000 steel wool.  I allowed this to soak in overnight. 

Finally I finished the process the next morning by buffing the trim with an old white cotton t-shirt.

I was so very pleased with how it turned out.  I thought it would make a nice compliment to his existing furniture, and coordinate nicely.  I used a longer staple in my electric staple gun to attach the finished chalk board to the back of the frame. Because my plan was to hang this against the wall with a French cleat I thought the staples would be sufficient.  I used a hammer to be sure the staples were flush and I was ready to hang this piece. 

I was so excited at the finished product that I kept sending pictures to my sister as each step was complete.  Poor thing I don't know how she puts up with me.  This is the same sister that I called days before her birthday and begged her to let me give her the present I got her. 

I attached one part of the French cleat to the back of the mirror with the short screws provided. 

I was able to find two studs in just the right places and used the screws provided to secure the other piece to the wall.  This cleat is designed to be used with or without wall anchors depending on the weight of what you are hanging.  As you can see the screws for the wall are heavy duty.

 

I primed the chalk board with the side of the chalk and wiped it clean and it was ready for hours of imaginative play.  So there you have it another successful curbside rescue. 

Be sure to come back for project number 2, a foot board turn shelf.  This room is on the verge of being finished and I for one am excited, maybe more so than the kids.