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I picked up this old mirror off a yard sale site several years ago with the plan to use it one day in our half bath remodel. It’s been sitting behind the chair in my bedroom, gathering dust, since. This past month as I have gotten serious about redoing that half bath, I realized the mirror was no longer the look I was after. Instead of letting it continue to snuggle with dust-bunnies, I decided to give it a new life as a farmhouse chalkboard.

Here’s the before:

The DIY couldn’t be simpler.
With a bit of primer and paint, that forgotten old mirror is now looking fresh and cute.

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Now back to the post…

Supplies:

• Spray primer
• Spray chalkboard paint
• Chalk paint- I used Magnolia Home Chalk Style Paint in Weekend
• Sealer- I chose Polyvine for a wax-like finish

How to DIY a farmhouse chalkboard:

The first thing you’ll want to do when turning anything into a chalkboard is clean it really well. Scrub off all the dirt, grime, and oil. If the piece is wood, give it a light sand. Once it’s good and clean, you’ll want to do any repairs that may be needed. The hard plastic frame on my mirror was cracked, so I glued the broken pieces back together and did some filling on a few holes. I was going for a collected, farmhouse feel so perfection wasn’t needed, just a little bit of love.

When the mirror was all prepped, I sprayed the whole thing with a few coats of primer. Make sure to follow the drying time instructions to help the primer stick. Once the primer was dry, I sprayed several coats of chalkboard paint. You can totally roll the chalkboard paint if that is more your style, I did that HERE and HERE. I just find the spray can so incredibly quick and convenient!

This hot mess of a mama needs a little convenience these days.

After the chalkboard paint dries, paint the frame with chalk paint. I decided to give Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Home Chalk Style Paint a try after falling in love with the color Weekend last time I found myself at Target. The great thing about chalk paint for a project like this is that it adheres well to almost any surface. Plastic can sometimes be a bit tricky to paint, so I generally turn to chalk paint in those cases. Plus, chalk paint distresses well, which helped me achieve the farmhouse look. I wanted a bit more movement on the frame, so I dry brushed a tiny bit of white chalk paint to get the effect I wanted. After the paint was dry, I lightly distressed the whole frame.

Because the mirror will be used as a chalkboard and there will be a lot of chalk dust falling on the frame, I chose to seal the mirror. I used Polyvine in Dead Flat Varnish to achieve a wax-like finish without all the upkeep. You just brush it on and you’re good to go! No re-sealing down the road. Gotta love that!

I love the way the farmhouse chalkboard turned out. The color is so pretty and depending on the accessories, could pair well with both masculine and feminine decor. I think this chalkboard would make the cutest decor at a baby or bridal shower, in a kids room, as a menu at a cute little cafe, or even to decorate an outdoor garden party.

My thoughts on the paint:

Joanna’s chalk paint went on easily and was beautifully pigmented. If you see it at Target and can’t pass it up, don’t stress. It’s good paint and, like most chalk style paint, a little goes a long way so you can make it stretch. This project barely tapped into the jar, leaving me plenty to play with on another project. Totally use it again.

So there you have it, an old, broken, yard sale mirror becomes a farmhouse chalkboard. One more forgotten gets saved from the landfill. Makes my heart all sorts of happy.

By the way, this post isn’t sponsored by Chip & Jo.
I’m just a paint addict and wanted to give it a try.