Preston's Bedroom Update: A DIY Chalkboard Calendar

Although many of the plans for Preston's room have evolved and changed along the way, the one thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to bring in a large calendar. 

Preston is growing and all of the sudden he has this thing called "a life".  Practices, school activities, sleepovers and study nights.  Sometimes it is hard for both of us to keep up with it!

I keep a family schedule in a central location, and it's the first place Preston goes to look every night after school, or else it is just a daily, "Mom, what are we doing tonight?". 

The hope is that by giving Preston his own calendar, I can write in family obligations and his practice schedules and then he can write in his due dates, tests and plans with his friends.

Preston and I both really liked this version from PBteen, but I didn't love the $70 price tag for a large piece of vinyl...

So, we did what we do best, we made our own version.

I started out with a piece of MDF we had leftover from previous projects, along with a few pieces of oak wood strips found at Home Depot.

Following the directions on the cans, I gave the wood strips a couple coats of stain and the MDF board a few coats of the chalkboard paint. {Those iphone photos were accidentally deleted, boo.}

Once everything was cured and dry, it was time to create the calendar grid.

It helped by drawing a small quick version of the calendar on a nearby scrap piece of paper, along with measurements, so that once we started drawing on the chalkboard with a ruler and pencil, we were confident about our markings.

For the lines themselves, I found a white Sharpie paint pen on Amazon.  The pen would help me paint the perfect lines on the chalkboard {I have since seen a similar pen at Michaels}.

By painting the lines with a paint pen, the calendar can be updated month after month and then wiped away without the lines going away with the schedule.

Next step was to attach the trim pieces to the outside of the calendar with our brad nailer.  It was important to draw the grid prior to adding the trim boarder, so that the yard stick could lay flat.

To hang the calendar, we attached picture hanging loops and wire to the back {using a kit similar to this one}.  Oh, and we quickly primed the calendar with a piece of chalk too.  Isn't the finished product a beautiful piece of work!?!

Once the calendar was on the wall, I thought it would be fun to bring in a few of the colors from the room by adding vinyl lettering for the days of the week.

Then I got to work with the chalk and chalk pen to add a bunch of special dates and reminders to the calendar.  That way, I could surprise Preston with the finished product before he arrived home from school.

So much fun!

I wiped the board down a few times {I like to use a damp microfiber sponge to erase}, and it always washes up nice and clean and the lines stay nice and crisp!

Not only do I adore the functionality of it, but I also love the addition it made to the room!  It was a great way to begin filling the big empty wall.

We thought about adding a chalk holder {an upside-down cup drawer pull}, however, for now, the chalk just rests on the ledge...

To say that we all love it is an understatement!  And the best part of course is that Preston is enjoying it and can draw and add his own items as well.

Now, only time will tell if this keeps him more organized throughout the school year with all of his obligations and social life...  I think that it is fun enough that he will want to keep up with it.

Since we already had the MDF, chalk paint and stain on hand, the only cost to us was the trim so we came in far below the inspiration budget.  And it's not just vinyl!  Love.

What high end item have you been inspired by, that you DIY'd and saved some major moolah? 

Want to see more updates we have made to this tween boy bedroom?  We painted the dresser, the nightstand, some stripes on his curtains and DIYd a pendant light.