IKEA Hack Pizza Pan Chalkboard
I think IKEA furniture is an abomination, but have to hand it to them with their nifty little GRUNDTAL organization stuff (Side note: Why does IKEA have to capitalize everything? It makes me feel like I am being yelled at.)
One of my favorite things in the GRUNDTAL series are their cool little stainless steel containers. I have them on my fridge holding my spices, on the sides of my washing machine, and of course all over my office studio. I like that they are stainless steel so that I don’t have to worry about them rusting and they are safe for food. I don’t use them for my powdery spices though because it gets too messy.
You can buy them on Amazon, but they are half as much if you buy them at IKEA.
One of the ways I use them in my studio is to hold stuff like paper clips and rubber bands. But I needed a place to stick them and wasn’t going to pay $15 for their little magnetic knife rack. So I bought a pizza pan at the 99 Cent Store and painted it with chalkboard paint.
Did you notice my little turtle in the photo? I LOVE him! My Grandma made it years ago to store dish sponges and now I use it to store my chapstick and stuff.
It is so easy to do and it only cost me a buck because I already had the paint. Here’s how I did it:
1) Lightly buff the metal with fine grain sandpaper so that the paint sticks better.
2) Take a big nail and hammer it through the middle of the pan. This will give you a place to screw it to the wall later. It is better to do it before you paint so that you don’t risk damaging the paint.
3) Paint the pan. If you want a rougher textured look, brush it on. If you want it smooth, you can try the spray paint kind. You can read a good comparison of the two at youaretalkingtoomuch.com.
4) I always let my chalkboard paint dry for three days before I write on it. I then cure it or season it to prevent ghosting.
6) Screw it to the wall. I mounted it on a stud so I wouldn’t have to worry about it coming off. I also like to use drywall screws because they are black and blend in well.
If you don’t want a chalkboard, you could also do the same thing and paint them another color or Mod Podge
So thank you IKEA for making my life a little more organized and for watching my kids for free while I shop. Bless them. But am I the only one who has a hard time getting back to the playroom before my hour is up? I always get lost in their monstrous showroom and can’t seem to find my way out. I feel like I am in the movie Labyrinth frantically trying to get back to my kids before David Bowie, the Goblin King, decides to keep them.
