Chalkboard Window

Amidst the decorating of our new dining room, I stared at blank walls and perused Pinterest until I could finally come up with something reasonable both my husband and I liked. I then came across the idea of painting the glass of an old window like a chalkboard. Several years ago, my husband and I built a very large chalkboard that fit in our kitchen at the time for keeping up with groceries we needed. Honestly, it rarely had grocery items onit. We would write notes to each other, draw pictures, make lists, and sometimes write down the menu if we were having company over. It was really handy to have, but since it was made out of wood it was difficult to write on it and it was GINORMOUS. We don't have the wall space for it at the new house so it will be hung horizontally over our keezer (chest freezer converted into a refrigerator for beer) in the garage to keep track of what's on tap.

Without further ado, the window. Ideally, I wanted a single-pane window that I could hang in the dining room. However, every single-pane window I came across was way too big for the space and I wasn't crazy about the double-pane windows. So, I settled on a triple-pane window. Decided I would hang it sideways and could use each pane to write Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert seperated. My sister (who was visiting for the weekend) liked the idea so much she also bought one. Now, I'm new to blogging and completely forgot to take pictures before we painted them, but I think it's simple enough I can explain what to do.

The idea when purchasing windows is to make sure they're in good shape. Frame isn't too badly damaged, no broken glass, etc. Many will still come with the hardware which can be really cool too. Depending on where you live, you may have lots of options with windows or you may very little. I am very lucky and have the Vintage Village only 20 minutes from my house which is stocked with windows of all sizes. Our windows were $10 each, but I have bought a 9-pane window for $30 when I didn't live where they were readily available.

Once your window is home, it typically will need A LOT of cleaning. I take a medium coarse sand paper to the entire frame. Remove any loose paint and smooth out any broken edges. Use a damp rag to clean all of your dust off and to clean the grime off the glass. Lastly, take glass cleaner and clean the whole thing, this removes any dirt that may be leftover. If that's as far as you wanted to go, then you're done and have a beautiful old window to decorate how you want.

If you would like to make it a chalkboard. You first must paint a layer or two of primer. The primer is important because the chalkboard paint needs something to adhere too, especially on a smooth surface like glass. Be sure to allow to dry completely before adding the next coat. Now it's time to add your chalkboard paint. Follow the directions on the can. I used Rustoleum Chalk Paint and it calls for 3 coats. It really takes at least 3 coats to make sure it is well covered. We used a sponge brush to prevent any pattern or dust that may be left behind during painting.

Once everything is completely dry, take a piece of white chalk and "prime" your surface. Lay the piece of chalk on its side and rub it all over the chalked area. This seems like a silly step, but important.

Take a dry rag or paper towel and wipe the chalk off. The rag must be dry because you don't want to remove all of the chalk dust. The dust fills in the pores of the paint making it easier to clean. After any big cleanings you will need to repeat the "priming" steps to ensure prolonged use of your chalkboard. Now you can hang it up and write on it! For now, I just wrote a cute saying on it using chalk markers.

If you're luck is as good as my sisters, yours may end up like this. It's not the end of the world if you break the glass or can only find windows with broken or missing panes. Simply use thick cork pieces and mount them behind the frame just like the glass was and now you have a super cool cork board!

Good luck with your project! I would love to see pictures of how yours turned out.