i just revealed my new workspace here, or as you all helped me to decide to call it my “studio”. and as promised i am sharing how i covered the wall behind my desk with magnetic chalkboards!

at first i thought i wanted to cover these with fabric, but i couldn’t decide on colors or patterns; i liked too many! then i stumbled upon this blog post that says to cover them with chalkboard contact paper! violá! wow. i love the color and the dual use! it’s a win/win. i love, love, love it!

use IKEA SPONTAN magnetic board + chalkboard Con-Tact paper :)

here’s how

how i applied the contact paper:
carefully peel off a few inches at a time place at the top of board (make sure to have enough to wrap around to the back) and slowly pull the backing underneath the chalkboard contact paper down the board smoothing out bubbles as you go. this contact paper is super user friendly it seemed easy to smooth out bubbles and to lift and reapply if i couldn’t get a bubble out. wrap the edges around to the back and press to secure. cut any extra off and out of your way.

most important step:
(i did this before hanging them up) break it in. before you use the chalkboard, rub a stick of chalk sideways across the entire board in a good thick layer of chalk then erase with a dry cotton cloth or a tissue. if you skip this step the result is permanent chalk lines and “shadows” of writing never going away. this also makes your chalkboard look more like a chalkboard than a black wall.

to hang:
you can use screws at the top of the board, IKEA has notches for this in the board, however, if you’re using magnets then you will want to secure the bottom of the board as well so it doesn’t lift up every time you pull a magnet off. instead of putting holes in my walls and messing with screws at all, i used 3M picture hanging strips.

i use these all over the house – i love them. i removed small sections of the contact paper from the back the size of the 3M strips so they would stick better. i put one in each corner of each board and after drawing a level line i stuck the boards to the wall. they are just above my desk, not resting on my desk because if i move my desk i don’t want the boards to rip off the wall.

cost:
i bought 6 boards at $12.99 each and 3 rolls of chalkboard contact paper at about $8 each and 6 packs of 3M picture hanging strips about $4 each for a total of $125.94. if i ever move anything around then these can move too instead of painting the wall with with magnetic chalkboard paint and having less options for remodeling.

on a side note: i hung my floating shelves after the magnetic chalkboards.
also; don’t order chalk from amazon or through the mail at all. it will come in pieces the size of gravel.

now what to hang? i have a few ideas. do you have any more?
do you have a magnetic chalkboard?
how did you make yours?
xoxo,
krystina