Pantry Cabinet Chalkboard!

Our kitchen cabinets were bought at a second hand store, and while they're excellent quality and just beautiful, the pantry sidewall was in need of a makeover. 

My sister had the brilliant idea of doing a chalkboard there. I've never worked with chalkboard paint, so was a little unsure about it. I lightly sanded the whole surface, since there were areas of paint, as well as stain on the pantry cabinet side. You want to make sure you've taken any "shine" off, so the paint will adhere. 

I used a synthetic roller, and Valspar Black Chalkboard Paint. Three coats in total, letting each coat sit for a whole 24 hours before adding another coat. 

Some inexpensive trim was then added to frame it out, and voila! Works like a charm and the kids LOVE it! 

A couple of notes: after the final coat was applied, I waited three full days. Then, we applied chalk ALL over the board, using the long side of the chalk piece to cover every inch of the chalkboard. I then wiped it off with a dry cloth. This primes the board to make it ready for use. After that, normal cleanup works just great. You can wipe it with a dry cloth, or occasionally use a slightly damp towel to get it really nice and clean.