Vintage Framed Chalkboard DIY

Do you ever pin an idea on a Pinterest board over and over again but never seem to get around to bringing the idea to life? That’s exactly the situation for me and vintage chalkboards. I’ve always planned to revamp a framed piece of art into a vintage framed chalkboard and decided to do this little DIY for Valentine’s Day. Thrift stores and yard sales are great places to find old frames to repurpose, although I found this gem in my own collection. In this post, Vintage Framed Chalkboard DIY, I’ll show you how to transform an old frame into a pretty chalkboard styled perfectly for Valentine’s Day. I’ll go through all the preparation and painting details and share how I styled the finished DIY project.

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Before Photo and Backstory

This piece of artwork has a lot of meaning for me as it was a seemingly permanent fixture on the wall in my mother’s room at my grandparent’s home. Whenever I would go to visit, I would stay in the “pink” room and stare up at this framed needlework art. I took ballet lessons as a child and I adored the pink ballerina dress depicted here. After my grandparents moved to a retirement home, I was given this piece and have treasured it. However, I never found the right place to display it in our home. So, I decided to repurpose the frame and carefully store the beautiful needlework and glass. It was important to be able to return the needlework to the frame in the future if I ever decided I wanted to do this. The one permanent change I decided to make was to freshen up the look of the frame. The frame had yellowed quite a lot with time and looked dingy and the glue at the seams was showing through.

Materials Needed for the Vintage Framed Chalkboard DIY

• Vintage frame or framed art
• 1/4″ thick plywood (good quality fine-grained plywood, I used Baltic Birch) cut to exact measurements of glass removed from frame
• Pliers, hammer
• Dishtowel and dish soap
• TSP (optional)
• Fusion Mineral Paint (Victorian Lace and Metallic Champagne Gold) for frame
• Chalkboard Paint or Fusion Mineral Paint (Ash, Coal Black, Soapstone, or any colour you like) for chalkboard insert
• Paint primer
• High-quality paint brushes (one flat and one rounded)
• Paper towel
• Fine grit sandpaper

Step 1- Disassembly and Cleaning

The first step in this project is to remove any hardware or nails holding the glass and artwork in place. Then, you will want to thoroughly clean the frame with a wet, soapy dishcloth. To ensure proper paint adhesion, clean with TSP too.

Step 2- Painting

Use a rounded brush to paint the entire frame (front and back) with Victorian Lace and allow it to dry before applying a second coat. Allow to dry before gilding- one to two hours is plenty of time.

Step 3- Gilding

You will be using a dry brush technique to achieve a lightly gilded look. To do this, dip the rounded brush into the gold paint and scrape the excess paint off on the side of the paint pot. Then, dab the excess paint off onto a paper towel. Start with very little paint and gently graze the paintbrush across the top of the frame to highlight the higher relief portions of the frame. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with the amount of gilding. I wanted a subtle look, so I used a light hand and completed the gilding in less than 2 minutes. If you “overgild” you can allow the gold paint to dry and go over the area using the white paint and a dry brush technique. I had to do this in one spot where a glob of gold paint came off my brush onto the frame.

Step 4- Cutting and Painting the Plywood for the Chalkboard

Cut the plywood to the exact measurements of the glass you removed from the frame. You can have this done at your local Home Depot or do this at home if you have power tools. I used our compound miter saw since the piece was not too large. For larger pieces, you would likely need a table saw. Gently sand the plywood edges and wipe clean before priming.

Using a flat brush or microfibre roller, apply one coat of primer to the plywood front. Allow to dry for two hours and sand very lightly to remove the texture that can appear after painting. Wipe away any sanding dust. Next, apply a coat of chalkboard paint or Fusion Mineral Paint. I created a custom Fusion colour with 80% Coal Black, 10% Sacred Sage, and 10% Mist. Allow to dry, very lightly sand again, and add a second coat of paint.

Step 5- Reassembly

Place the plywood into the frame and secure using the original hardware or nails. Store the glass and original art somewhere safe so you can reuse them again in the future if you choose to.

Step 6- Styling for Valentine’s Day

I made a cute little fabric heart garland using fabric heart ornaments from my Etsy shop and linen yarn. I have a tutorial to make fabric hearts right here. These ones don’t have a hanging loop on them, but you can easily add them by placing the loop ends into the heart before stitching around the perimeter. I then used five hearts strung together to create this little garland.

To style this Valentine’s vignette, I added some fresh flowers, a “love” wooden letter sign, and a marble heart-shaped tiered tray.

Summary

I hope you enjoyed my Vintage Framed Chalkboard DIY post and seeing how to transform a thrift store find into a decor gem. The finished project has a vintage romantic appeal and is the perfect spot to share sweet messages with loved ones. If you’re looking for more Valentine’s inspiration, you can see my home tour here.