we entertain at home quite a bit + recently i found myself wishing that i had chalkboard menus as i repeated for the tenth time, ‘oh, those cheeses? it’s parmesan on the left, gouda in the middle, manchego on the right…’ i had seen chalkboard paint at stores but hadn’t tried it yet, + a couple of days before our last party, decided to try my hand at making chalkboard menus.
i headed out to pick up supplies – i got a 2×4 of 1/8” thick hardboard (high density fiberboard) for $5, a can of chalkboard paint for $10, + a small cutting board for $6. also, if you don’t already have them at home, pick up tray liners + a small foam roller, which will add about $8 to the total.
we used a radial power saw to cut the 2×4 into three separate menus – 2 small ones (12” x 15”) + 1 large one (24” x 33”). i scrubbed the items to be painted, allowed them to air-dry, then applied the first coat of paint. after 4 hours, i applied a second coat, + per the paint instructions, waited 72 hours before writing on the boards.
i debuted them at our labor day party, using a small menu for the drink list, the large menu to describe the food, + the cutting board to identify the cheeses. the one extra small chalkboard went to the kids at the party, along with oversized kid-friendly chalk, to entertain them while the adults chatted, ate + drank.
this was a great do-it-yourself project + absolutely worth the $25 it cost, as these chalkboards can be used over + over again. i highly recommend this project if you’re someone who entertains a lot at home!
*thank you to my great friend mollie for taking these wonderful pictures (+ bringing insanely delicious sweets to the party!)
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I absolutely love this idea!
Such a cute idea! I especially love the one with the cheeses.
I absolutely love this! Such a cute idea. I especially love it with all the cheeses. So fun!
thanks, y’all! i think they turned out fun + appreciate your kind words. =)
Love the blog! Congratulations. I just finished my chalkboard project for elliot, which was painting the top of his play table. He loves it! Thanks for the great idea!
awesome, k! i can’t wait to see it. glad you were able to do something fabulous with this idea. =) amy
I absolutely love the chalkboard menu idea! So cute!
liz, they’re super kid-friendly which you’ll appreciate. the extra chalkboard that the little ones played with was a huge hit with them, + allowed their parents to relax for a few minutes. =)
Radial Power Saw? Yikes! That’s the only thing that might keep me from doing this. Any other ideas for cutting? I don’t have a saw.
ha! i wouldn’t have known what that was either + i certainly wouldn’t know how ti use it. =) my husband did that part. you could definitely ask the guys at Home Depot to cut the board down to size for you – i do believe they’ll do that for free. =)
Great idea, is the chalkboard paint in a spray can? i thought I saw some at home depot..I am looking for a way to express my artistic talents… thanks for the inspiration…iwill send you a picture if i come up with a master piece..
Hi Rich, my chalkboard paint came in a regular paint can, but there are spray options as well. I got mine at Home Depot, too. Can’t wait to see how yours turns out!
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