The curse of the stainless steel refrigerator–no where to put magnets! How am I to express myself? Well, I’ve found a way!
Saw instructions on a blog months ago to make a magnetic chalkboard that I thought would be perfect. Click here for the tutorial: DIY Magnetic Chalkboard
I found a really bad print in a nice frame at a local thrift store for $8.00. Tossed the print and spray painted the frame pewter gray. We picked up a 24″ x 36″ piece of galvanized sheet metal in the plumbing department at Home Depot. Terry cut the sheet metal to the size of the cardboard backing that was with the frame.
I found some directions on the blogosphere on how to make my own chalk board paint but decided making the blackboard would be enough of a challenge! So I bought a small can of Rustoleum Blackboard paint at Home Depot. The magnetic chalkboard tutorial calls for spray blackboard paint but I’ve used that before and it took a couple cans for a wee board. After agonizing over which color to get, I decided on black. I’m boring like that sometimes. But I like black. And now I have enough paint leftover to do a whole wall.
Then I just followed the instructions on the blackboard paint can–used a foam roller and primered the sheet metal with Zinzeer Bullseye 1-2-3 primer. Because that’s the kind of primer I had in my totally organized garage. Followed up with two coats of blackboard paint at the specified intervals. Let it sit three days and then conditioned it with chalk.
Now I’m having lots of fun putting clever phrases on it. Because I need to be clever and have somewhere to put all that cleverness.
And it really is magnetic. Now I have a place to put all those refrigerator magnets that have been hiding in storage for a few years.
