How To Use Chalkboard Paint In Your Home — MELANIE LISSACK INTERIORS

*I've used inexpensive chalkboard paint a lot in my kitchen. I've used it to label food pots, and created a shopping list area on an otherwise unused bit of wall.*

If you have not used it before, then let me tell you that chalkboard paint is flippin' brilliant. You can buy it in tiny pots from the DIY store or places like Hobbycraft for about £3, and you can apply it to pretty much everything. I've used chalkboard paint a lot in my kitchen where I use it on cheap food storage pots to label what food is inside, and turn something plain into something a lot more interesting. I also painted a shopping list board on an unused, thin bit of wall next to our cooker. This has made it easy for everyone in the house to just list what is needed on the board (no random scraps of paper everywhere) for the next time someone pops down the shops. I didn't have to bother finding and buying a 'proper' chalk board to fit this area and hang up. It also gets used and wiped constantly, yet it remains completely durable.

To get a 'perfect' chalk board, or to label pots, you will need the following:

Small pot of chalkboard paint
Frog Tape
Small paintbrush
Pencil
Ruler

*You will need: Small pot of chalkboard paint, Frog Tape, small paintbrush, pencil, measuring equipment.*

Decide how big you want your painted chalkboard area and then measure and mark it out with a ruler and a pencil:

Using a ruler, mark out in pencil a guide line for your Frog Tape. — *Using a ruler, mark out in pencil a guide line for your Frog Tape*.

Peel off some Frog Tape and stick it down along your pencil guide-lines so your tape is applied straight. I use Frog Tape over masking tape because Frog Tape has paint block technology which should give you a perfectly straight edge, as the paint isn't likely to leak under the tape. To be sure, when you apply the tape, smooth it completely down after with your fingers to make sure that it has stuck correctly to the surface you are painting.

*Push down your Frog Tape with your finger to make sure there are no bits that are not stuck down properly.*

Then paint in-between your pieces of Frog Tape as per the chalk paint instructions on the pot. Do three coats for extra durability. Once completely dry, peel off your Frog Tape and you are ready to get chalking!