Playroom makeover: The chalkboard!

We've continued to work on transforming our formal dining room into the kid's playroom (as you'll see in this post) & the latest project has been getting the chalkboard done.  Initially I wanted to just paint a square on the wall with chalkboard paint & put a frame around it.  As I wandered around Home Depot looking for ideas, I called my dad, "the framing guy."  Since my dad owns a photo framing shop, I knew he'd have a solution & I was right!  We decided to paint something called gator board which is a rigid, foam board that can be used for mounting photos, with chalkboard paint & frame that.

I'm very thankful for my dad who totally made this project happen!  Not only did he handle all the materials, but he painted, delivered & installed it on our wall.  I'm a lucky gal!

After 3 days I "conditioned" the board by rubbing it with a flat side of chalk so the first thing we wrote on the board wouldn't be permanent.  After seven days, I was able to wipe the conditioning chalk with a damp cloth & start creating masterpieces!  The kids had a mini vacation at Grandma & Grandpa's last week, so they came home to this message on their new chalkboard.

Here's what it looks like after a few days worth of use; I think I'm enjoying it more than the kids!

We swung by IKEA to pick up these hanging storage buckets to put alongside the board to hold the chalk, eraser or other craft items the kids might eventually use.  As they get older, we'll change things accordingly... Lord knows I'm not going to put markers in the bucket now or it'll end up all over the walls!

We also grabbed these wooden spice racks from IKEA, spray painted them gray & mounted them to the wall to be used as bookshelves.

I love maximizing wall space to keep storage areas as clutter free as possible.  Next on my list for the playroom is a craft table.

This is an inspiration, but I'd like something a little smaller/shorter & less kitchen table looking.  I'll probably end up refinishing a table I find at a thrift shop.  Slowly but surely, the playroom is getting there!