Having a big, folding sign to use in your teaching garden or outdoor space can be critical for communicating with your group, announcing the plan for the day, or promoting a community event
Putting this together was so much fun to do with my kids. Not only is it a great introduction to a variety of tools, but we also get to be creative together on a low-stakes, high-reward project! Give yourself 5-8 hours on a weekend or spread out over a couple of evenings to finish this chalkboard and feel free to embellish or adjust the design as you would like. One thing I wish I had considered with this is transporting it. While it's not particularly heavy, it isn't the easiest thing to get in and out of a car due to its size. So if you need your sign to move around with you, I'd definitely suggest modifications to the overall dimensions to make it a bit smaller.
Materials List
3 - 1 in. x 3 in. x 8 ft. Furring Strip Boards (chalkboard border and kick leg)
1 - 1/8" thick 2 ft. x 4 ft. Hardboard Tempered Panel
1- 1/8" thick 2 ft. x 4 ft. Plywood panel
Wood glue
Chalkboard paint
Acrylic paint or spray paint (for the frame)
3/4" wood screws (I like wafer-head screws for this, but you can work with what you already have)
2 - 3 in. Zinc-Plated Tee Hinge or similar hinges
150 Grit Sand paper and 250 Grit Sandpaper
Tools List
Power drill or screwdriver
Nail gun or 1 1/4" inch finishing nails and a hammer
Miter Saw or hand saw
Paint brushes
C- Clamps or lots of heavy objects
Electric hand sander or sanding block
Small foam hand roller or 2 in. foam paintbrushes (for the chalk paint)
Regular 1 in. or 2 in. paintbrushes (for the frame)
Let's get started!
Step-by-Step
Decide the size of the board you want. If you would like it smaller then make those tweaks to the dimensions now as you move forward. For the size and simplicity of the original design, I'm going to use the two boards at full 2 ft. x 4ft. size.
Grab your hardboard tempered panel first. This super smooth board will serve as the face of your chalkboard. As a general rule, the rougher the texture, the harder it will be to write on, so the goal for your painting should be to minimize streaking and texture. If you've ever used chalkboard paint before, you know that this is extremely hard to accomplish, but I have some tips to help! First, you'll be thinning or watering down your chalkboard paint slightly. Grab a small bin to mix paint, add a few cups of your mixed chalkboard paint then add 2-3 tablespoons of water and blend them together thoroughly. Using your foam roller or foam brush, dip it in this mixture and paint the entire hardboard, making sure to go all the way to the edges. Then set aside to dry.
Once dry, grab your electric sander or your sand block with the 150 grit sandpaper and sand the whole surface. This part was really fun to let the kids try. Once you've sanded, wipe off the dust with a slightly damp towel to remove any little debris. Then paint another layer of your chalkboard paint. Continue doing steps 2 and 3 until you're happy with the finish. Let the board dry completely.
4. Locate your plywood panel and wood glue. Generously apply a layer of glue to one whole surface of the plywood and lay your newly painted hardboard panel on top of it to attach (chalkboard side facing out, not into the glue) This extra panel will provide structure for your chalkboard so that you can write on it firmly without the board warping.
5. Use your C-clamps and/or multiple heavy objects to press these boards firmly together while they dry. Pay attention to the edges so they don't peel away from each other while drying.
6. Now we will make the frame for your board while this dries. Set up your painting station and place two of your 1 in. x 3 in. strips for painting. This is another spot to bring the kids in! If you're particular about brushstrokes showing, you may decide to go over their work to touch it up, but this time I decided to leave the expressive texture of the kid's brushstrokes. I'm really glad I did because it works well for my application. You do you! If you want to paint rainbows or flowers or apply a sleek glossy finish, this is where you can shape the style of your board. If you have a paint sprayer on hand or spray paint, you can use it here for a streak-free professional look. Let them dry.
7. Take your painted strips over to your saw or miter saw. You're going to cut them to length that matches the board. So you'll cut your first strip in half to make two 4 ft. pieces. Your second strip will be cut in half and then in half again so that you have two 2 ft. pieces.
If you would like to miter the edges,
so that the seams are more like a picture frame, then before you cut your edges to length, just mark the lengths with a pencil and then take them over to your board. As a visual person, it is super tricky to remember which piece will go where without looking at it in the moment. So I hold up the strip to the top of the board, lining it up so that the top of the strip aligns with the top of the board (so the entire strip is sitting on the surface of the board), and mark the lines for cutting right there with the angles the ultimate piece will have. Then take your other strip and do the same thing on the sides. You'll be able to see clearly which pieces will come together to complete the frame. It's ok for these lines not to be perfect angles! You will accomplish that with your miter saw set to a 45 degree angle. What this does is ensure you have the angles correctly oriented for cutting.
8. Assemble your frame using a nail gun or hammer and finish nails. Have someone hold the frame corners together while you nail them together starting on the outside of the frame and nailing towards the center. Put about 3 nails in each side of each corner. Once you're finished, you'll have a full frame for your board.
9. Attach your frame to your board by first laying your frame face down, then your chalkboard/plywood panel face down on top of that. Align everything and then use your drill and screw the screws from back to front all around the outside until you've connected the whole thing together. I put in 3 screws on each side. Make sure to check that the screws haven't come through the front.
10. Now you have a full panel, you just need legs! Grab your hinges and attach them to the top back of your board near the top corners. The hinges will open towards the ground so make sure they're oriented correctly.
11. Grab that last 1 in. by 3 in. piece and use your saw to chop it in half. Then take each half and attach them to hinges you just added. These pieces will be the legs of your board so they should run the length of your board. From there, if you want to add extra support, take your scrap piece from the earlier framing and use it to attach these two legs together across the middle, similar to a ladder or an easel. I attached a scrap board to mine close to the ground for added stability (you can kind of see it in the first picture, it's the white piece connected to the legs). Doing this will also help the legs swing out to the same distance whenever you set your board up.
12. You're all done! You could experiment with adding a closing latch or a carrying handle. Give your chalkboard a try!
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