Christmas Countdown Chalkboard

I love my Christmas Countdown Chalkboard! It was easy to make and you can use it any time of year!

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Christmas Countdown Chalkboard:

Piece of 3/4-inch plywood – mine was 24 in. x 24 in. You can cut this yourself or have it cut at your favorite hardware store. Some stores also sell pre-cut plywood squares like this.
Wooden yardsticks – you’ll need at least four for a 24 x 24 piece of plywood. I had some broken yardsticks that I had gotten from a yard sale and a trash pile, so I used more than that here.
Two wooden rulers
Chalkboard paint
RYOBI 18V ONE+ miter saw
RYOBI 18V ONE+ nailer – use finish or smaller nails for this.
Wood glue
Chalk

Instructions for Building Chalkboard

First, cut the plywood to the size you want, if you haven’t already. Then paint it with chalkboard paint (I used RustOleum chalkboard paint – it’s the best, and they didn’t pay me to say that). It should take two coats of chalkboard paint for good coverage. You’ll need to let the chalkboard paint cure for three days before you can use it, so get this done first. (That being said, I have let it cure for only a day before using it and it was fine.)

Next, figure out the layout for the yardsticks. As I mentioned above, I had some broken ones I wanted to use, so I had to figure out how to piece them together to make a frame around the plywood. Also, I wanted the “Clements Antiques” yardstick on the bottom (just because I liked it).

Once you have the yardstick arrangement figured out, you’ll want to miter the edges of the yardsticks where they meet in the corners. (In the picture, I had already cut the yardsticks, but I would plan the frame out first before cutting if I had to do it again.)

Christmas countdown chalkboard - thediybungalow.com

Yes, that’s Bear, the Dog Who Doesn’t Eat Pizza, in the window.

Using the miter saw set to a 45-degree miter, cut the yardsticks.

NOTE: if your yardstick is thin, it may split when cut with the miter saw. I used standard or thicker yardsticks, but when I tried the saw on a thinner one, it did split. So be careful if using thinner yardsticks.

Once the yardsticks are cut, fit them back onto the plywood the way you laid them out before, to make a frame around the edge. Glue them down and then fasten them with the RYOBI nailer.

Next, take the two rulers and glue them to the bottom edge of the plywood, then nail in place with the nailer. This becomes a shelf for your chalk and eraser!

You’re almost done! Take a piece of chalk and rub it all over the board. This primes the chalkboard for writing on it.

And that’s it! Add a festive message, using regular chalk or a chalk marker.

Get it?!? “Measure”?!? Because the yardsticks and rulers?!? (DIY humor, har har!)

I placed it on the bookcase in our breakfast room so that our kids could reach it and change the countdown number.

What I love about this project is:

(1) You don’t have to just use it for Christmas! You can use it as a memo board, or as a countdown board for birthdays or other holidays.

(2) It’s easy to find the materials for this project (you can find yardsticks everywhere) and it’s easy to make.

(3) I love using the RYOBI 18V ONE+ tools because they all use the same battery and they are really easy to use. While RYOBI did provide me with the miter saw used in this project, I would not tell you how easy it is to use and how much I love it unless I actually did. Word of honor. RYOBI tools rock.

Want more easy projects for the holidays? Hop on over to the other blogs participating in the RYOBI Christmas Blog Hop!