How to Paint a Chalkboard Wall – Floor to Ceiling
How to create a floor to ceiling chalkboard on a wall in your home. It can be on a large wall or painted on only a section of a wall depending on your available wall space. Painting a chalkboard or a blackboard on a wall is as easy as rolling paint on the wall. You can have one painted in your home in a day.
In my early days of blogging, I wrote a post entitled, How to Draw Like an Artist on a Chalkboard. It is where I shared all the chalkboard drawing tips I learned over the years, like dipping the chalk in water before using.
In my previous house I had a large chalkboard in the kitchen and later moved it to the dining room where I enjoyed changing what was on it for the season, like drawing a turkey on the chalkboard for Thanksgiving and a 3-D Bunny on the board for Easter. Sort of like my own personal graffiti panel which was only limited by my creativity.
After we moved to the lake house and I painted the kitchen cabinets, I hung a small chalkboard on a wall to continue drawing on it for the seasons, when entertaining and for celebrations.
It was fine, but small for the ideas I wanted to create.
Chalkboard Wall Drawing Ideas
The reason I didn’t hesitate to paint a floor to ceiling chalkboard in my kitchen was I knew that painting an entire chalkboard wall would add what I felt was missing in the room… something fun and out of the ordinary.
How to Paint a Floor to Ceiling Chalkboard Wall
How to Paint a Floor to Ceiling Chalkboard WallI was feeling the need to add some character to the space as well as give myself a larger canvas to create.
It is always a work in progress as I like to change the drawing for the seasons, parties or on a whim.
After the paint was dry and I seasoned the chalkboard to prevent “ghosting”, I placed the chalk holder jars and the OPEN/CLOSED sign back on the wall to add dimension.
I could not be happier with my new large drawing canvas. I like to create new drawings for each season. I also love how the black wall looks. It adds visual interest where there was once none. It also visually separates the open concept between the kitchen and living room while taking up zero space.
How to Paint a Chalkboard Wall – Floor to Ceiling
When choosing a wall to paint a chalkboard on, check to make sure the wall surface is smooth with no rough spots.
If the wall was previously painted, look closely for any dried paint drips, paint roller edges or orange peel stippling that happens when paint is rolled on a wall with a thick nap roller. These will show up on the chalkboard painted surface.
If you find any minor imperfections, smooth the wall surface with 100 grit sandpaper before painting with chalkboard paint. If there are any holes, fill these with Spackle and then smooth.
If the wall has not been previously painted, you should apply a primer base coat first. Any brand name of primer is find. I like KILZ primers. If the paint store sells it or will mix it for you you can get grey primer. It is better to use when painting a wall a dark color.
Roll on one or two light coats and let dry. Make sure the primed surface is smooth, then proceed.
supplies needed:
- Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint in Black
- Chalk – white for seasoning. If you want to use color, after seasoning, I found Crayola Drawing Chalk has the best colors. It says the chalk is for paper, but it works fine on painted chalkboard walls.
- Painter’s tape
- Paint roller, tray and paint brush
- Use painter’s tape to tape off wall. Roll on 2 coats of black chalkboard paint, letting the first coat dry before applying the second.
How to Season or Prime a Chalkboard Wall
1. Once paint is completely dry, you need to “SEASON” or “PRIME” the chalkboard. Doing this lessens “ghosting” of the first drawing and future drawings that will permanently show up after you clean the chalkboard. It will happen, so don’t skip this step.
2. It is easy to season the chalkboard. Simply hold the side of a piece of chalk and rub it all over the chalkboard until the surface is completely covered in white chalky residue.
3. Rub the just rubbed over chalk into the surface with a soft dry cloth and then lightly dampen a piece of felt or a Handi-Wipe and rub over wall. The chalk will not all come off, but you don’t want it to.
If Ghosting Happens on Your Chalkboard Wall
Let the board look chalky for a few weeks, as you can see I did on mine. Over time and the more you draw and erase, the board surface will take on a softer overall black/grey color.
Reader TIP: Joan, a blog reader wrote to tell me that she had ghosting on her chalkboard wall, but didn’t have to repaint it. Here is what she did: She used Dawn Dish Detergent full strength and a Mr Clean Magic Eraser and gently rubbed until she got all of it out.
After it was dry, she proceeded to “season” the chalkboard wall again as usual.
Chalkboard Art Ideas
Here are a few chalkboard wall ideas for which I have drawn and posted tutorials:
Chalkboard Drawing Tips & Tricks
To learn all my chalkboard drawing tips and tricks and where to find inspiration art and free printables, head over to my post How to Draw Like an Artist on a Chalkboard that will help you create drawings and art you family will love.
How to Paint Over a Chalkboard Wall
When I want to change the chalkboard wall back to a normal painted wall, it is not hard to do.
To paint over the chalkboard paint, use 180-grit sandpaper to lightly sand the surface, then wash the area with a small amount of dish detergent and water to throughly clean the surface.
Rinse well. Once the surface is dry, apply a latex primer. You will need at least 2 light coats. Let dry and then apply the new color of paint on the wall.
Do you have any area in your house that you added something fun, out of the ordinary or unexpected?
FAQ’S About Chalkboard Walls
Are chalkboard walls still in?
Chalkboard walls were the hot trend for years. A Pinterest search for “chalkboard wall” shows results ranging from playful to practical. It’s timeless and has an old-school vibe.
The subsequent workspace can be used for recipes, shopping lists, kids art projects, or the entire family.
My chalkboard wall is in the kitchen but it could just as easily be used in playrooms or kid’s rooms. Now they won’t permission to be spontaneously creative.
Is chalkboard paint different from black paint?
Regular matte black paint is an option. But chalkboard paint dries faster than matte paint. Somewhat ironically, although it has a grittier finish to facilitate writing with chalk, it looks best on a smoother surface.
As mentioned above, if your walls have a texture, use some fine grit sandpaper to smooth and prep the entire wall before painting.
If you have any questions about painting a chalkboard wall, leave it in the comment section of this post and I will answer it.