Chalk Board Table*

*After seeing a few old school desks at garage sales, I thought I would repost this older craft post.

Do you have a kids table that is so well used with marker and crayon all over it that it's in the donation pile? Did you see a cute kids table at a garage sale or flea market, but the top was ugly? You did? Stop! Get the table out of the donation pile! Drive back and buy the table! I'll wait....

You're back? Great!

I saw a really cute idea at a local children's bookstore for a chalk table. I wanted to try it, but didn't want to ruin the kids perfectly good picnic table, so I was on the look out at garage sales. I came across this little school desk and got it for $5!

Here's how I turned it into a chalk table:

1. Bought the desk.

2. Took desk home and sanded off some of the small rust spots.

3. I also sanded the top of the desk to get rid of any finish that was left.

4. I used an enamel spray paint for metal and painted the legs and drawer area of the desk. I wasn't sure if it was going to live inside or outside yet and wanted it to be protected against rusting. I already had the spray paint, but you can get it at local hardware/home improvement stores. Sometimes a Meijer type of grocery store or Wal-Mart will carry it as well. It usually is about $4 for a can.

5. I let the paint dry overnight. (I think the can said it can be handled in 8 hours.)

6. I bought the Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint. You can buy it at Amazon.com or local hardware or paint stores often carry it.

7. I put on 3 or 4 layers of the paint and let dry (letting the paint dry between each coat). The paint instructions said to let the paint set for 3 days before using!

ALTERNATIVES:
If you don't want to do a desk, you can also do an old mirror, back of the playroom or bedroom door, or even their wall! If you are going to do an upright surface, like a door, you might want to use the Magnetic Primer! That way they can stick magnets to their door and use chalk. Rust-Oleum also sells a Dry Erase Paint (from what I read, the Dry Erase paint only has a shelf life of 2 years. If you buy an older can, it won't work as well. The date is on the bottom of the can). I haven't tried the Magnetic Paint or Dry Erase Paint, but they did look super neat.

Chalk table at bookstore. Has a hole
with a basket insert for the chalk.