By painting it with chalkboard paint, it now serves a double duty for me. Now, not only will it hold onto my patterns and papers, I can use it to take notes. The clip can hold onto the chalk for you and also a small piece of felt you can use to wipe the chalkboard. The hole in the top makes hanging it up a breeze. A personalized clipboard would be perfect to take to school or use to decorate your office.
- Age Guideline: 8 Years and Up
- Time Required: 45 minutes (Does not include drying time)
The above age and time guidelines are estimates. This project can be modified to suit other ages and may take more or less time depending on your circumstances.
Materials Needed:
- Clipboard (compare prices)
- Spray Paint Primer (compare prices)
- Chalkboard Spray Paint (compare prices)
- Paint
- Small Piece of Felt (to use as an eraser)
- Chalk (compare prices)
- Masking Tape
- Newspaper (Use to cover your work surface)
Instructions:
make sure your clipboard is clean and dust free and then use masking tape to cover the metal clip and anything else you don't want to chalkboard paint to get on. One thing I did not think about until after I started painting was how to keep the clip open while the paint dries. I would suggest using a large clothes pin, binder clip, or rubber band to hold the clip open.Before you start painting, make sure you protect your work surface. I usually cover the area with newspaper or wax paper. Work in a well ventilated area. Set your clipboard on the work surface and grab your primer. Use thin layers of the primer to cover the clipboard.
Once the primer is dry, you are ready to move onto the chalkboard paint. I covered my entire clipboard using the chalkboard spray paint. I used about six thin layers, letting each layer dry for between 30 and 60 minutes before I applied the next one.
Of course, it was only after I was done with the chalkboard paint that I decided I wanted to add more color. I went back and forth between wanting to add a straight, colored border around the clipboard or a random, fun border. As you can tell by looking at the picture, I did not go with the straight border. I tried to randomly squirt the yellow spray paint around the edge and it didn't quite end up looking exactly like I wanted it. I am not totally happy with the way it turned out and I may end up starting all over again... I am not sure... What do you think? Would you leave it all black, make a nice even border, or leave it as it is?