Kitchen reclamation: How to make a chalkboard with a cupboard door

This project is great if you've just remodeled the kitchen or you spot a cabinet door at a garage sale or reclamation company. It keeps the door out of the landfill while adding something unique to your home. You might use it as a memo board for appointments, needed grocery items or reminders to other family members about daily chores.

This tutorial uses a mint-green milk paint to outline the chalkboard, but you may use any color as well as any type of paint. However, if you plan on hanging it in the kitchen, use a semi-gloss or gloss paint to make grease-spatter wipe-ups easy.

Materials
- Cupboard door
- Drill with screwdriver bits
- Paint scraper or blade (for any adhesive bumpers)
- Fine-grit sanding block
- Clean rag
- Milk paint
- Paintbrush
- Medium-grit sanding block
- Painter's tape
- Small paint roller
- Paint tray

Instructions
1. Remove all hardware from the cabinet door, such as the knob and hinges. Scrape off any bumpers.

2. Sand the entire front surface of the cabinet to remove the shiny finish. Wipe off the sanded particles.

3. Paint the front with the milk paint; leave as much of the center unpainted as you would like for the chalkboard paint. Let the paint dry.

4. Sand the painted area with the medium-grit block to emulate a worn look.

5. Frame the area you want as the chalkboard with painter's tape. Apply chalkboard paint to the blocked-off area. Let it dry, remove the tape, and hang your creation where desired.