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Playroom Interactive Chalkboard Gallery Wall

October 20, 2014 By Erin Spain 11 Comments

interactive-chalkboard-gallery-wall-playroom

I know, I know. You’ve probably seen about fifteen million chalkboard walls if you happen to follow lots of blogs or peruse Pinterest often. But guess what? I love them and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing them! Painting a chalkboard wall has been on my to do list for quite some time, and I finally got around to it. I decided to create an interactive chalkboard gallery wall in the playroom for the boys.

We have this small wall near one of the entrances of the playroom (there are two entrances since the back staircase leads up there).

Playroom Wall "Before"

I thought this wall would be the perfect spot to create a chalkboard wall for the boys to enjoy, and I wanted to add a fun little touch to it. I decided to gather up some thrift store frames and have Chris spray paint them in a variety of bright colors, and then I attached them to the wall with Command picture hanging strips to create a cute, interactive “gallery wall.” The fun thing about this particular gallery wall is that the boys create the art, and they can change it anytime they want by erasing it and starting over again. They always love to see their artwork framed, so this is a different way to provide that for them.

Here’s what I used for this project:

  • Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint
  • Rust-Oleum Spray Paint (Primer; Marigold; Brilliant Blue; Key Lime; Berry Pink; Real Orange)
  • Thrift Store Frames
  • Command Picture-Hanging Strips
  • Paint Roller and Roller Cover
  • Paint Brush
  • FrogTape

First, I taped off the edges of the wall with FrogTape to ensure crisp lines.

Playroom Wall "Before"

Then, I painted two coats of Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint (allowing 4 hours between coats).

Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint

I used a combo of a paint brush for the edges and a roller for the bulk of the painting.

Playroom Chalkboard Wall

I allowed the paint to cure for three days, and then I “seasoned” the chalkboard wall by using the side of my chalk to cover the entire wall, and then erasing it with a damp rag. After that, the wall was ready to use!

seasoning-chalkboard-wall

I collected a total of 5 large frames from local thrift stores and had Chris take over spray painting duty since I’m prego. Although the spray paint has primer built-in, since these were going in the playroom I had him prime them first too just for added protection. Then, he painted each of them a different color.

Thrift Store Frames for Playroom Chalkboard Gallery Wall

We used Rust-Oleum spray paint in a variety of yummy colors. (See supply list at the top of this post for specific color names.)

Rust-Oleum Spray Paint

I used Command picture hanging strips to attach the frames to the wall, this way we can remove them anytime we want without damaging the wall. No nail holes to fill! Yay!

chalkboard-gallery-wall-2b

Now the boys have a fun place to get creative anytime they want. They both love art and they literally sit and draw pictures for hours. This is a fun way for them to get their art “fix” without leaving a trail of papers wherever they go. (Although I’m sure they will still do that too.) 🙂 Our playroom is finally coming together now that we have the clipboard gallery wall and the newly made-over bookshelf on the other side of the room.

boys-chalkboard-gallery-wall-3

 

boys-chalkboard-gallery-wall-5

After I took the photos of the boys playing, I decided it would be convenient to just attach the chalk bucket to the wall for easy access. I used a large Command picture hanging strip (it’s kind of like velcro) to attach the bucket to the wall.

Chalk Bucket attached to chalkboard wall

Do you have a chalkboard wall in your home, or do you plan on creating one? Let me know!

Disclosure: I received Rust-Oleum products for free to review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

 

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE POSTS:

  • The 20 Toy Rule: How We Decluttered Our Playroom & Simplified Our Life
  • DIY Kid’s Art Table
  • DIY Lego Table IKEA Hack
  • Kid Art Clipboard Wall
  • Boy’s Bedroom Decor

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-Erin

Filed Under: Art, DIY, Home & DIY Blog, Kids' Rooms, Wall Decor

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Comments

  1. Sue Farmer says

    October 20, 2014 at 9:32 am

    Love it!!! It is absolutely great for the kiddos and you all too.

    Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    October 20, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Love it! Such a great idea. My daughter would be all over this!

    Reply
  3. Hani Shabbir says

    October 20, 2014 at 7:19 pm

    I would have never thought what you were going to make with those colorful frames. I love how it came out!

    Reply
    • Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says

      October 20, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      Thank you, Hani! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Corey @ Tinysidekick says

    October 23, 2014 at 12:09 am

    This is so much fun! I love how you added the frames so that they can do pictures in each one. My kids would love this. We have a giant outdoor chalkboard that they love, but the addition of those frames is a fun extra!

    Reply
    • Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says

      October 23, 2014 at 10:25 am

      Thanks so much, Corey!

      Reply
  5. Becky says

    July 17, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    Love it…. Especially the picture frames.

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      July 18, 2016 at 7:48 pm

      Thank you, Becky!

      Reply
  6. John A says

    January 10, 2017 at 2:51 am

    This looks like it can be fun. Love the creativity

    Reply
  7. Elicia says

    January 2, 2018 at 10:32 pm

    how Often do I have to touch up on the paint

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      January 3, 2018 at 11:32 pm

      I would think it depends on how often it’s used. Ours isn’t used that often, and we’ve had it for a couple of years now and haven’t had to touch up yet.

      Reply

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