Chalkboard Fireplace-- baby proofing at its finest!

A few weeks ago I was pulling my hair out. My little ones were continuously getting into my fireplace. Now, I have a gas fireplace, so there really wasn't too much danger, with the exception that the panel on the bottom (that houses all the wires) was their favorite toy EVER in the history of toys. So after pulling them away from it approximately 7 billion times I packed them up and went to Home Depot.

Case and point: 

It's a good thing she's cute!

I had found this great idea on pinterest but I didn't exactly trust my kiddos with a piece of heavy metal mounted into the wall, and I really didn't want to drill into my fireplace. Naturally, I improvised.

 

I figured that if I could find a thin enough piece of wood I could simply use mounting tape to put it on the wall. I love the idea of a magnet board but the more I read about the magnet chalkboard paint the more it sounds like a paint in the butt that isn't very magnetic (one blog said they used 20+ coats and it still only held industrial magnets) and I figured thin wood would be safer than heavy sheet metal. At least that way if they (my children) tore it off somehow it wouldn't hurt them if it fell on them. So I went to Home Depot, where I was greeted with lots of stares and, "Wait, what are you trying to do again?" I showed them pictures. I wandered aisles. This is what I came up with, and so far it's working.

Now I should mention that Home Depot actually sells pre-fabbed 2ftx4ft chalkboard AND whiteboard, that would have worked perfect, with the exception that it was 6 inches too short for my fireplace. Believe me, I stood and stared at it for quite some amount of time before I finally settled on the fact that it wouldn't work for me. If it would work for you, get it. You can skip the next couple steps.

1. Find a Home Depot "Dude." If your home depot is like mine, that will be an issue. Ask him for the thinnest, lightest piece of plywood they have. I believe that my "dude" mentioned that this was used for subflooring? But don't quote me on that. It's super thin, as pictured, and really pretty inexpensive. The only catch is you have to buy a ginormous piece. However, they will cut it for you if you ask. So measure before you leave home (or if you're like me, measure, tell them the wrong dimensions, and then cut it again when you get home).

2. Paint. Get Rust-oleum Chalkboard Paint. This comes in black (what I used) or tint-able, so you can pick any color you want. I was seriously tempted at the last minute to get the tint-able variety, but I decided I had enough on my plate. There is enough in here for several projects. You'll also need a paint tray (if you're classy, unlike me, see step 4) and a roller (for super-smooth surfaces).

3. Stick with it. You'll need mounting tape. Now, I found another Home Depot "Dude" in electrical because I was lost and he took me to the exact some place the paint was, just on the opposite side of the aisle. Man, did I feel intelligent. I purchased the oh-my-god-it's-never-coming-off-indoor-outdoor variety (I don't remember what it was called, but apparently it's 3M by the packaging). He warned me that it would peel dry-wall off. So apparently it has some teeth. After using that particular variety I feel like I could have gone with something a little lighter, but, whatevs. I figure the worst thing that will happen is when I go to take it off it'll peel the paint off my fireplace. Which I'm TOTALLY OK WITH. I've had some issue with it being a little cold here at night and the adhesive seems to detach a little. Just fair warning. I'm sure that someone has a better way of mounting their chalkboard, and if you do, totally clue me in!

4. Assemble. Now if you are the prepared crafter that I am you will pick the next available opportunity-- which is when your kids are taking a 30 minute nap-- to complete this project. I put the board on a couple of upside-down buckets and painted it by dribbling the paint directly on the board and using a roller. It's a miracle I don't have chalkboard floors, but, as I said before, I was desperate. The directions state that it's dry to the touch within 30 minutes but to wait some impossible time (like 3 hours) for the second coat. I painted the second coat about an hour later. It also says not to use it for a few days, but, I drew on it that evening and... it's cool. The Rust-oleum people apparently have ample amount of time on their hands to sit and watch paint dry (literally). In hindsight I might have added one more coat, but I figure I can always paint it while it's hanging if it needs a touch up. After you are done painting and drying (and being a rebel) cut off small pieces of mounting tape, cross your fingers, and press. I was terrified of the mounting tape, but, in hind-sight it isn't as unforgiving as I thought it would be.

5. Voila. Baby-proofed.

 
Now, I should mention that it's important to make sure your pilot light is off and the gas is off before you mount the board (I may have had a panic attack over if I had done this or not). I also taped the switch "off" because I'm paranoid. Also, my fireplace conveniently has a "lip" where the board sits into that is created by the tile. I think that was the key, for me. Because my kids can't get their teeny tiny little fingers underneath it, it hasn't budged at all.

Also important that everyone realizes that I have little no idea what I'm doing and that I'm not responsible for any outcomes that are not desirable (squished children, burned down houses, those kind of things).

One final note, and I didn't realize this until afterwards, be prepared for fingernails on a chalkboard. Hahaha! It's the lesser of two evils in my book.

Overall though, I love it. I get tons of compliments on it and I have WAY too much fun playing with chalk. I can't wait until the kids are old enough to draw on it.