Make Your Own Wedding Chalkboards

Chalkboards can add a beautiful element of vintage rustic charm or a quirky modern edge to your wedding. It is simple to make your own, and in any colour you want!

Where to use chalkboards?

• Make huge boards in vintage picture frames to show your wedding seating plan;
• Use small boards for table numbers or names, or for guest name cards;
• Make little chalk boards, wrapped with a little set of chalks and a wiping cloth as favours for the children at your reception;
• Use your home made chalkboard paint to decorate anything from wine glasses to candle holders, coasters to place mats;
• Use chalkboards as props in wedding photos.

Take a look at our pinterest page where we have pinned lots of great photo ideas to inspire you!

How to make a basic chalkboard

Use plywood for the board – you can get your local timber shop to cut it to the exact size required and it won’t cost the earth. Square or rectangular is the obvious choice, but you can choose any shape you want. You can get ready made chalkboard paint as spray paint or as quick dry liquid paint which will give you a durable and smooth finish to your chalkboard.

Make your own paint – in any colour!

The fantastic thing about chalk boards is that actually, you can make your own paint so that it matches your wedding colour scheme perfectly.

Choose or mix acrylic or emulsion paint (the tester pots are ideal) in the exact shade that you want to use for your chalkboard. Thoroughly mix 1 cup of the paint with 1 tablespoon of unsanded grout (buy this from your local DIY shop) and simply paint the mixture onto your boards. Here is a clear tutorial demonstrating the technique:

Write on your chalkboards

If you choose chalk to write on your boards, you can buy spray fixative at most craft or art shops, which will stop the chalk from smudging after you have finished your design.

However, you don’t have to stick to chalk, which can be dusty and prone to smudging. Liquid chalk pens, available in many colours, enable you to write with more precision and to colour coordinate. They come in lots of colours, are shower-proof and if you make a mistake you can erase it using window cleaner.

Save time

Save time by creating your own chalkboard wedding seating plan on the computer (using Toptableplanner, of course, to work out who is sitting where first!), and get it printed by a local printing firm. There are instructions and downloads available for a chalkboard texture and fonts.

Mount your chalkboards

The beauty of making your own chalkboards is that you can choose the mount to match the style of your wedding reception. If you have a large chalkboard to mount, how about a gorgeous shabby chic vintage frame, or add a modern touch to your chalk designs. Consider mounting small chalkboards on mini easels or mount them in a coordinating picture frame.

Other ideas

Once you’ve got the hang of your chalkboard paint, you don’t have to stick to painting flat wood. With a couple of coasts, you can paint things like wine glasses, candle holders, coasters and even bowls for your table centrepiece. This blog is great, showing how to make beautiful vases.

Go to our pinterest page for a lot more chalkboard ideas!