Taking a Chalk on the Wild Side: Reinventing Our Kitchen Table

When we moved into our house last summer, we soon discovered that our kitchen table didn't quite fit into its new surroundings. It was time for a facelift, but we could not agree on which color to paint it.

We've actually gone back and forth and back... and forth... about it for the last year.

That is, until one fateful day a few months ago when I was divinely inspired...

Okay so, maybe it wasn't divine, but it was inspiration alright.

We decided to paint our kitchen table... with chalkboard paint!

Here's how we did it:

Here's what the table looked like before painting.

We sanded her down...

Primed her...

And painted the top with three thin coats of chalkboard paint.

We painted the legs plain black, and....

Here she is all finished!

And here she is in her new home.


We still need to paint the chairs. Our plan is to paint them a Tiffany/Robin's Egg Blue.

A Few Tips:
*I highly recommmend using a roller instead of a brush for the table top so you don't get ridges and lines on the surface of the table.

*Also, I recommend letting the paint dry for a long time in between coats so it dries smooth and doesn't cake.

*Finally, I've found that the chalkbaord surface really picks up lint so make sure you clean the chalk off your table with a damp microfiber cloth, not a paper towel or white cotton towel.

The verdict: We love our chalkboard table! There are so many fun things you can do with the table. To name a few:

• Greet kids and husband with a message when they come down to breakfast in the morning



• When entertaining, use as a buffet table and label each menu item.


• Similarly, use the table to make an awesome cheeseboard, labeling all the different types of cheese you are serving.


• For birthdays, have everyone write things they love about the birthday boy or girl.


• At dinnertime, write a question of the day that everyone has to answer during the family meal.


• Draw your own place mats!



You'll have to forgive my forks. I'm not the best artist.





Allow kids to practice letter/number writing... or just color!

These are just a few ideas that have come to me... but there are unlimited uses for this practical, fun, kid-friendly addition to our home.