Upcycling Old Crib Parts

Yesterday I showed you how I used the side rail of an old crib to create storage / art for children's books so it just seems logical that I should share what I did with the rest of the crib.  When I picked up this crib for $5 bucks at a yard sale I actually pictured it as multiple projects.

This is what  I did with the head and foot boards.  

I have grandkids  The two smallest, a girl and a boy needed chalkboards.  If your under six then a little chalkboard isn't going to make the grade, when under six bigger is better.  With these crib ends in my stash I thought they just might be big enough to satisfy.

For both these boards I removed all the metal hardware for adjusting the sides etc. and gave them a good cleaning with hot water and vinegar.  Then using my DIY chalky paint I gave them two coats of paint over the entire surface.  I choose the colours from what I had mixed. I choose blue for the little boys and the nice peachy pink for the girls.

 Tip: when you mix up some custom paint put some on a paint stick so you can see at a glance what you currently have to work with.

I love the spindle detail at the top of these pieces.

Once they were dry I taped off the flat area and did 3 coats of the  DIY chalky paint in a slate black. I do three coats on all my chalk board surfaces going in opposite directions for each coat.

I let both board dry for a few days and went back and did the final touches.  The area painted with the pretty blue and pink got a good coat of clear furniture paste wax from Minwax, being careful not to get any wax onto the black chalkboard area. Just rub it in with a rag and when its dry go back with a soft cloth and buff to a nice shine.  

 

 

To get the chalk board ready it needs to be primed.  To do this rub a piece of chalk on its side over the complete surface of the chalkboard.  This fills all surface area of the board in with chalk and prevents ghosting when the board is used later.  Really rub that chalk in to the whole surface. Now clean off the board and  it's done.  Ready for gifting to two happy grand kids.

I could have turned these boards into easels but like the book storage idea, I was going with the thought that we need to keep as much floor space available for other activities.  Using wall space in a childs bedroom only makes sense.

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