Can You Use Chalkboard Paint On Cabinet Doors? My Best Tips!

Can you use Chalkboard Paint on Cabinet Doors? Yes! Painting cabinets with DIY Chalkboard Paint looks great & it’s a fun way to organize & label what’s inside the cabinet! Or, a convenient spot for keeping track of all the things.

Can you use Chalkboard Paint on Cabinet Doors?

You can use chalkboard paint on cabinets in any room of your house – kitchens, laundry rooms, mudrooms, and playrooms would all be great places to use chalkboard paint on cabinet doors.

I even used chalkboard paint on the boring cabinets in my garage. Giving those cabinet doors a quick and easy makeover with DIY Chalkboard paint made keeping those cabinets organized so much easier.

You can see the before and after pictures on those chalkboard cabinet doors near the end of this post.

BUT, there are tons of reasons to use chalkboard paint on cabinet doors. Here’s 8 reasons you might want to paint 1 or all of your cabinet doors with chalkboard paint.

8 Ways to Use Chalkboard Paint on Cabinet Doors & Walls

1. You can label what’s inside to make it easy to find things and to make sure things are put away in the right cabinet.
2. As an easy way for everyone in the house to add items to the grocery list.
3. As a fun chalkboard menu board for family dinners.
4. Keep track of the family activity schedule where everyone can see it and add to it.
5. Of course, kids would love it as a normal chalkboard where they can write, color and play with chalk.
6. Make an easy to erase and update weekly chore chart where kids can color in items they finish.
7. My husband loves this to keep track of a to-do list for work around the house.
8. I also love chalkboard cabinets as a spot for writing little notes to family members. Sure, you can text. But a colorful little note for your kids or spouse is nice too. 🙂

This post has more helpful DIY tips for using chalkboard paint on cabinet doors. Plus, answers to common questions about using chalkboard paint. Let’s get to it!

Can I Use Chalkboard Paint Instead of Chalk Paint

If you haven’t used chalkboard paint or chalk paint the similar names can probably be confusing. Chalkboard paint and chalk paint are not the same thing.

I don’t recommend using chalkboard paint on furniture unless you want a surface to write on. It will have a very flat, slightly chalky finish.

What is Chalkboard Paint?

Chalkboard Paint is used to turn a surface into a chalkboard that you can write on with chalk. It won’t have as nice a sheen and finish as chalk paint. And, it has a very slightly rough texture. It’s made for writing on.

Wood, MDF, and glass are popular surfaces that people use to make chalkboards. You can buy chalkboard paint online or in hardware stores.

Chalkboard paint is typically sold in black because chalk colors really pop off a black background. Sometimes you can find other chalkboard paint colors that look beautiful too.

AND, I haven’t tried this yet, but I found a CLEAR chalkboard paint from Rust-oleum that gets high reviews. You can use that clear chalkboard paint over other paints, wood, plastic, metal, and other surfaces to turn them into a surface you can write on with chalk.

What is Chalk Paint?

Chalk Paint is a fast drying and curing, easy to sand, full coverage paint made for painting furniture, cabinets, bookshelves, and walls. You can’t write on surfaces painted in chalkboard paint and expect it to mark evenly or wipe off easily.

Chalk paint is my favorite paint for furniture projects. It’s easy to apply, dries hard, can be blended beautifully, can be sanded for distressed or layered looks, and is very durable.

If you want to learn more about using chalk paint to paint furniture and cabinets check out these popular posts about using chalk paint on furniture and why I LOVE it!

• How to Make Chalk Paint with Plaster of Paris
• How to Get a Smooth Finish with Chalk Paint
• How to Paint Furniture for Beginners
• 12 More DIY Tips for Painting Furniture
• 25 Step by Step Beginner Furniture Painting Tutorials

Which Chalkboard Paint Should You Use on Cabinet Doors

Most store-bought chalkboard paints will work exactly the same. Just be sure to buy one with a high review rating and it’ll make a beautiful chalkboard for you.

Check the per ounce cost on chalkboard paint to get a good deal. If you’ll need to cover a whole wall or will be using chalkboard paint on cabinet doors, I’d go with this quart of Krylon Chalkboard Paint.

If you only need to make a small chalkboard, you can probably save about five dollars buying this smaller American Crafts Chalkboard Paint.

Homemade Chalkboard Paint Recipe

You can also make your own chalkboard paint in any color and for less money per ounce than the store-bought chalkboard paint. All you need is latex or acrylic wall paint in flat, satin, or eggshell sheen AND non-sanded grout or plaster of Paris.

I made the chalkboard paint for my garage cabinets and this DIY Chalkboard Sign from an Old Cabinet Door by mixing 2 rounded tablespoons on non-sanded grout with 1 cup of latex interior wall paint. Be sure to mix in the powder completely.

Then wait 3 days for the paint to fully cure (harden) and finish the chalkboard surface by rubbing the long side of a piece of chalk across the entire surface. You can clean off the chalk with a damp rag.

You can find more answers to common questions about how to make chalkboard paint with grout in another post.

And be sure to check out my picks for the 20 Best DIY Projects Using Chalkboard Paint for some really AWESOME ideas.

Does DIY Chalkboard Paint Really Work

Absolutely, homemade or DIY Chalkboard paint works just like any store-bought paint. They both dry hard, are durable, and chip resistant.

If you’ll be painting a large area, like using chalkboard paint on cabinet doors, making your own chalkboard paint will save you money.

What Can You Use to Write on Chalkboard Paint

You can use regular chalk, dustless chalk, or liquid chalk markers on painted chalkboards. I recommend dustless chalk for kids indoors. Regular chalk can leave a dusty mess on floors that can stain carpets or grout.

How to Add a Chalkboard to Cabinets Without Paint

One more tip, guys! You can add a chalkboard to a cabinet or wall without using chalkboard paint on cabinet doors and walls.

You can buy Vinyl Chalkboard in tons of sizes. Its a peel and stick vinyl that can be easily removed without causing damage.

Vinyl chalkboards are a great option when you only want to make a temporary chalkboard or if you just don’t want to deal with the mess of paint. You can even cut the vinyl to size to fit in a frame.

You can even get a vinyl chalkboard calendar that you can update every month. Or this weekly menu vinyl chalkboard with space for a grocery list and notes too. They both look great!

Garage Storage Makeover Using Chalkboard Paint on Cabinets

Our garage can be a hot mess, guys. I use it every week for all of the DIY home remodeling projects and DIY furniture builds that I dream up.

My husband also uses it to store everything he needs for keeping our outdoor spaces and yard looking great. So, storage in our garage is critical!

I’ve spent 8 years trying to keep that garage organized and ready for the next project. It’s a never ending struggle. Over the years, I’ve added simple 2×4 shelves to the built in cabinets that were already there.

In 2020, I added 6 Easy DIY Drawer Boxes with DIY Wooden Drawer Pulls and open shelves over those drawers that were a huge help with keeping everything organized into easy to find spaces.

But, the first huge change I made that really helped us keep everything organized and looking better was using homemade chalkboard paint on the cabinet doors.

It was especially helpful for labeling those upper cabinets that can be hard to keep track of without pulling out a ladder.

That’s it for Using Chalkboard Paint on Cabinet Doors. Be sure to check out my YouTube Channel full of Home Cleaning Hacks, Remodeling, DIY Projects and Tips.

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You might also like this tutorial for How to Remove Water Stain from Ceiling without paint!

Or How to Hide a Kitty Litter Box in a Cabinet. With 6 Great Ways, 4 of them work in rental properties.

Here’s the Best Way to Deep Clean Car Seats at Home.

Check out the Best Way to Paint Vinyl Shutters. This DIY works on old and new vinyl shutters.

I also love this tip for making grout look new – Does Grout Renew Work – a grout paint review with DIY steps and tips.

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Feeling inspired? I hope this helped you decide whether or not to use Chalkboard Paint on Cabinet Doors in your house!

Have fun and let me know if you have questions. Sign up for the Abbotts At Home Email Newsletter to get our weekly email full of easy DIY projects for homeowners.