Foam Board Chalkboards: an Easy DIY!
I’m pretty sure, no matter how the trends may change, I’m always going to love a chalkboard in the house. I currently have somewhere around 10 of them on display, which does sound like a lot when I type it out, but I’m not ready to part with them just yet! My point is, I love them and I also love to change them with the seasons. In my last post, I shared my New Year’s version in my kitchen, and some of you were asking about how I make my foam board chalkboard for this space! I can’t remember if I’ve shown this in the past, but here’s the how-to now for a quick and easy framed chalkboard!
All you need is a piece of foam board and a frame. I got both of these from Hobby Lobby, but there are lots of places to get it including on Amazon >> (affiliate link) HERE .
If you’re not familiar with this, it’s just a lightweight board for projects and crafts and has a semi-matte finish.
The first thing to do is measure it out to fit your frame…
Once you’ve determined your size and marked it off, I’ve learned that the easiest way to cut is with open scissors.
Be cautious to protect your surface underneath before cutting, and then just take your scissors and cut through the top layer of the foam board. You don’t have to cut clear through, but cut to where you can see the cut begin to make an impression on the bottom side. You may need to go over it more than once to reach to the bottom side.
Once you’ve cut the top, flip it over and use those cut lines to go over it again to get the clean cut.
Then, you simply place it in your frame and use a few staples to secure it.
And that’s it! Now it’s ready for chalking.
Like always, I just use basic white chalk to do my lettering. Here are the tips and limitations to using this foam board as a chalkboard…
It’s best to start off with light, thin lines so that if you make a mistake, you can erase easily. This is not going to be as durable as a regular chalkboard for erasing. If you make a mistake, this can be erased with a dry paper towel, or even a very slightly damp paper towel. Because this is like a paper, if it gets too wet, it will just disintegrate.
But, a very slightly damp cloth will clean it off. Just wipe gently, then let it dry before chalking again.
To clean up lines or erase small smudges, I like to use a pencil eraser.
One reason I like to use these boards is because they are a nice clean black that makes the chalk pop. However, they are not ideal for reusing over and over because eventually they get tired of being erased and begin to show residual chalk lines. But, since this board is affordable, I use it a couple times, then get a new one. (You can use both sides as well!)
Here are a few more versions of foam boards I’ve used in the past!
I hope this give you some ideas for your own chalk art decor! As always, let me know if you have questions and I’ll do my best to answer!
Laura
January 8, 2019 @ 7:55 am
Love following your posts. Your creativity is amazing. I would like to use this chalboard idea in my hair salon and find the chalkboards to heavy to hang and switch around. Can you share where we can find a lighweight frame?
Julie
January 8, 2019 @ 8:00 am
Very kind, Laura! I’m so glad to have you here! I would check out the selection of empty frames at Hobby Lobby- they have them on 50% off pretty often. This barn wood one that I use is actually very light and there may be other options that would work for you also. Another good place to check is thrift stores! You never know what you’ll find that you could re-purpose.
Laur
January 10, 2019 @ 6:12 pm
Thank you Julie
Christa
January 10, 2019 @ 12:55 pm
Love it!! Thanks for sharing.