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I have not been all that much into the chalkboard paint craze. Who wants to have a ton of surfaces in the house that you can use chalk on, thus getting chalk dust everywhere? But even I have to admit that some chalkboard things are pretty cute, especially for kids. So when I had an opportunity to try a sample (yes, that means they gave it to me, FCC) of Lullaby Paints, which is not only a pretty chalkboard paint that comes in a multitude of colors but also really great for use around kids, I jumped at the chance.
About the Paints
Lullaby Paints are made with kids and the environment in mind. Some of the ingredients are even food-grade (but please don’t eat it) and the pigments come from Europe, where, sad to say, they have to meet a lot stricter standards for safety.
These paints are also cool in that they come in a great variety of colors, are super easy to use, you can order a full kit with all the stuff you need to paint, and you can order up to four free paint chips to check out colors in the real world before you order. You can also get a sample pouch (2 ounces for $3, or 3 samples for $6) or a large wall color card (50 cents) so you can try before you buy a whole bunch (they sell regular paint as well as chalkboard paint, so this makes a lot more sense if you’re doing a whole room or painting furniture, for example).
My Sample Project
My initial idea with this paint was to get some plywood and make an outdoor chalkboard for the Bit. Admittedly that is probably what I’m still going to do, and I’ll update you when I do. But the instructions with the kit I received said wood needs to be primed and, since I didn’t have any of their primer to use, I didn’t think it would be fair to mix up products.
So instead I made myself a portable chalkboard/photo backdrop out of a piece of foam board.
Here’s what was in my kit (you can of course just order paint, but this was super fun):
- Paint (my color is called “portobello” and it’s dark brown)
- Little plastic tray
- Little roller
- Little roll of painter’s tape
- Envelope with a few pieces of chalk
Cute, right?
The instructions say to do to coats and allow six hours between them. I did one in the afternoon and one in the evening of the next day.
I didn’t mix the paint enough to start with and found it really thin, but it’s not, so do better than me and shake/stir well, OK?
It goes on nicely and pretty easily once you have it mixed up. The second coat was necessary, but it looked nice after.
The only problem was, my foam board curled. A lot.
And it’s firmly stuck like that. I tried putting Mark Bittman’s books on the corners and it didn’t help.
I went ahead and primed it anyway, and I think it’s still pretty cute.
I’m thinking it will still work OK for what I want it for, or I may end up using it for something else.
Working with this paint was easy, it doesn’t smell a lot and I felt safe using it indoors. The coverage was nice, color selection is excellent and it got my mind going about a lot of different things I could do with it.
I may be becoming one of those chalkboard paint people after all. What do you use it for? I’d love some more ideas!
Win a Luxe Nursery Design
If you happen to be expecting or a new mom whose nursery needs a bit of an update, Lullaby’s retail partner Petit Tresor has a contest going on now where the winner will receive a $300 gift card from them and $200 from Lullaby Paints; that’s a $500 nursery makeover! Sounds pretty cool. Head to Lullaby’s blog to enter. A winner will be chosen Sept. 1. Good luck!
