How to Make a Menu Board From an Old Door

With the stain on the patio barely dry, I decided to host a birthday party. I know, right? Like pile one more thing on your plate CoCo! But this party was a special one. Even in the midst of feeling like the Mayor of Crazytown, it was important to me to reign it all in and make this party a priority.

I really wanted to have a menu board outside but I had no idea where it would go. I mean, hanging anything on the hardie board was a big no no. We enjoy eating on the back patio quite a bit though so I knew there had to be a way to work it out.

I was going through my wood stash in the garage when I came across this old door. I bought it from one of my uncles over a year ago. I previously used this same door as a divider in my booth space but I had to bring it home once we built the display unit.

I knew painting both of the door panels would read way to modern at this cottage dweller’s home. So I decided to paint just the top panel using Valspar’s Chalkboard Paint. If you’ve never used chalkboard paint before carefully read the chalkboard paint label to be sure you’re leaving adequate drying time between coats of paint. Chalkboard paint does not dry or cure at the same rate as latex paint, milk paint or even chalk paint. This took multiple coats.

While I was waiting for each coat to dry, I decided to stencil the word MENU in between the two panels.

After I filled in all the letters with paint and they were dry,

I distressed with a piece of 80-grit sandpaper.

Then I seasoned the chalkboard after the paint had dried and cured according to the chalkboard paint label. Seasoning is easy – just rub a piece of chalk making sure to cover the entire chalkboard painted surface. Just a tip – using the side of the piece of chalk as opposed to the top of the piece of chalk will give you better coverage. Then wipe the chalkboard with a soft cloth.

I’m really pleased with how everything came together. As it turns out, the old door and the menu were both big hits at the birthday party.

See you guys back here tomorrow. I’ll have the full patio reveal.

Many blessings,

CoCo