So I brought it home, washed it up and removed the sticker. Unfortunately, the sticker left a slight color discoloration on the metal beneath it. So I went bigger than originally planned for the chalkboard surface.
I like how it turned out, though. Especially since I discovered that the only chalk in the house is my son's huge preschool sidewalk variety - which makes writing kind of difficult.
I didn't take any in-progress shots because I honestly had to wait to do the spray paint until midnight because of the heat and humidity this week. But if you'd like to replicate the look at home here are the steps:
1.) Find a cookie tin! They're everywhere - garage sales and thrift stores especially. Or wait until the after Christmas sales and scoop up one with actual cookies inside. If you wanted to make a bunch for cheap office presents, you can also buy them new here.
2.) If it has stickers like mine did - let it soak for a bit in some water with dishwashing liquid. Then the sticker will peel off easily rather than trying to scratch it off with your fingernails. Then clean the entire thing thoroughly.
3.) Tape off the section that you'd like to be painted with painter's tape. I did not use an exact science with this. I first made a rectangle on the tin using the old sticker residue as a guide. I created rounded corners by using a cup and pencil to mark an arc on the painter's tape. Then I just cut the painter's tape and used the arc to make the rounded corners. After you've got the shape you want, go around again and use newspaper and painter's tape to cover the area you don't want painted.
4.) I didn't do this step and turned out fine, but the chalkboard paint and all tutorials I've found on the subject suggest using sand paper (or a sanding block) to rough up the area where you want to be painted. Especially if it's super glossy. Mine, however, has held up fine without this step.
5. Paint! I used Krylon's Chalkboard spray paint (bought at Michael's with a 40% off coupon). It gave a nice finish, but there were two things I didn't like. First, wear gloves. They didn't stress that on the can and it doesn't come off easily. That's probably a no-brainer for people who spray paint a lot, but I don't. Secondly, it doesn't say how long to wait between coats. I just waited until it was dry to the touch (about 30 minutes). Make sure to do several thin coats instead of a thick one (you need 2 coats to make it chalkboard paint anyway). I did 3 coats, alternating between horizontal and vertical strokes.
6.) Remove painter's tape. I removed mine as soon as I did the third coat because I hear that makes a smoother line. Although mine didn't bleed very much, I did get wet paint on one side. I was able to scrape it off pretty easily with my fingernail after it had dried. So if you choose to remove it while the paint is still wet, I suggest being more careful than this klutz.
7.) Let it dry for 24 hours and then rub chalk all over the painted surface to season it. (The timing may vary between different brands.)
8.) Lastly, fill will cookies and enjoy! I haven't gotten to this step yet. Does anyone else have people in their house that eat the chocolate chips right out of the bag instead of waiting for them to be baked?
That seems like a lot of steps, but it's really a simple project. Because I did it and I'm not at all crafty.
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