DIY: Chalkboard Camoflauge

The fuse box in the laundry is a bit of an eyesore, as well as wasted wall real estate.  So we made this:

It camoflauges the fuse box while giving us a great space for notes, both of the love and grocery variety... here's how we did it:

1. Paint greenboard with chalkboard paint:

I used greenboard because that's what I had lying around.  Plain drywall would have worked, or any paint grade wood, but the greenboard was a leftover scrap and was therefore free-ninety-free.  

First I rolled the paint on with a roller, but I didn't like the texture, so I then used a brush.  I alternated horizontal and vertical strokes with each coat of paint to give it a linen look.  I probably did 6 coats or so; they dried quickly so it didn't take long.

    

     

     2.  Build and paint the frame:

HoneyDo built the frame out of pieces of 1x2 and trim moulding we also had lying around.  I painted it Olympic One Spice Delight, which matches the rest of the trim and cabinets in the laundry.

     3.  Hang the frame:

We used a piano hinge for this- you can get them in various sizes in the hardware section of Lowe's.  

HoneyDo also installed a magnet in the edge of the frame and then simply added a screw at the right point in the wall just to make sure it would stay shut.

    

 4.  Mount the chalkboard:

The board fit very snugly in the frame, so we just used a couple of finish nails to toenail it in place.

That's it!  I use the board mostly as a grocery list- I just snap a photo with my phone on my way out the door to the store! 

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