A Message Center Makeover

Hi everyone! A few weeks ago I picked up an old, dated looking message board at Goodwill. Made of pine (stained a lovely shade of orange), it sported both a chalkboard and a bulletin board. It’s a pretty handy piece, but one badly in need of a face lift, something that could turn it into an attractive message center.

Like I said, it was such a functional piece and had so much potential, I just had to bring it home with me. It set me back just $4.99.

It was a blast from the 80s for sure. The first order of business: two coats of Americana Decor chalk paint in “Primitive.”

Then I gave it some distressing with a sanding block after the paint had thoroughly dried.

Next I stenciled “MARKET” at the top with acrylic craft paint, using a stencil I bought at Walmart. You can see some bumps and unevenness because it’s made to look worn and old. I filled in the blank spaces with a fine paint brush.

I use my handy-dandy trick of applying the paint with the large, flat end of a make-up sponge, available at the dollar store. They give a nice, even result and are easy to use. Once the paint had dried, I sprayed the word “Market” lightly with satin finish spray acrylic.

The final step involved applying a coat of paste wax to the entire painted surface, letting it sit for 15 minutes, and then buffing it out by hand.

I like the look of a wax finish, where possible, but it would have dissolved and smeared the paint, if I hadn’t first protected the stencil with the acrylic spray.

It can be used for grocery lists and messages…

love notes and

for posting photos of some of my favorite people. This piece will likely go to the Shaker Craft Fair coming up at the end of October, priced at about $30.00.