The Chalkboard Wall... {Playroom}

My new love is chalkboard paint.

Or perhaps it's just watching this cutie, with his wild hair, scribble and attempt letters, and numbers, and shapes, and tap into his creative side, is what I truly love. 

My child is an artist... says every proud parent. 

But seriously, chalk board paint is a wonderful invention. We selected this portion of the basement/playroom/family space, just below the stairs, as a perfect spot for a small chalkboard wall that was easy to access and just enough space to go wild with creativity.

I picked up Rustoleum chalkboard paint from our local Home Depot store for about $20. And using a small roller applied the paint on the wall.. closely following the tip on the side of the can to not excessively roll or brush. So application was quick and, unlike magnetic paint, I found chalkboard paint really easy to roll on. Two coats was more than enough, and we left the wall for about a week. During that time I looked around for dustless chalk.. but to no avail. Instead, we've been using our outdoor sidewalk chalk and it's worked great. The playroom isn't carpeted, so it's easy to vacuum any chalk dust. Here's the wall painted and untouched. 

As per the recommendation on the can, we prepped the wall by dragging the side piece of the chalk over the whole chalkboard for "best erasability." Here's just a small demonstration after the fact. 

In place of dustless chalk, I purchased chalkboard pens from Michael's with a 40% off coupon, which release no dust. I find them a bit tricky to use and it requires a wet cloth to erase, so I use it to write a quote I like and provide the kiddies with the outdoor chalk for every day use.. a purple bin from Solutions is my method for now to corral all the chalk and a cloth for erasing. 

The kids love the chalkboard wall and it's an awesome element.. I even enjoy it too.

For fun, let's just rewind back to where we started.. furniture heavy, unorganized, a wee corner that held the children's toys, awkward furniture placement.. 

To this.. more open, child friendly, inviting..

It's wonderful to have a well used, enjoyable space especially in the heart of winter in London, Ontario, Canada. We've really knocked off a number of plans from this list.. go us! With a few more transforming items to go:

• Finish painting the stairs and add a runner.
• Purchase two large rugs (we have our eye on the sisal rugs at Home Depot, but we would need to special order the size).
• Purchase an entertainment unit.
• Accessorize the living area with coffee tables and art (and perhaps some shelving to hold books/magazines).

Elements that I hope will cozy up the space even more. In the meantime, where else can I use my leftover chalkboard paint?...