How to: Make a DIY Chalkboard Cheese Serving Tray

Faith Towers

When serving cheese to guests, there are many ways to label the different varieties. But what could be more efficient than using the serving tray itself to label the cheeses? So I went for it. Keep reading to find out how to make your very own colorful chalkboard serving tray.

Faith Towers

The shape of this board makes it especially perfect for serving cheese to a crowd; its length makes it accessible to guests on both sides of the table. And it’s made with clear chalkboard coating, which means you can use any color paint you’d like! Match it to your decor, or give it a seasonal feel.

And the best part? It’s really easy to make. Here’s what you’ll need:

– A 24″ x 6″ x 1.5″ piece of wood
– Sandpaper
– Painter’s tape
– Latex paint in two colors
– DecoArt Clear Chalkboard Coating
– Mineral oil
– Paintbrushes
– Chalk
– Paper towels

1. Begin by cutting your wood down to approximately 24″ x 6″ x 1.5″ (or have it cut at your local home improvement store).

2. Next, thoroughly sand your board. I used my Dremel Multi-Max, but you can easily use regular sandpaper. If it has rough sections, begin with coarse sandpaper and work your way down to fine.

3. Now tape off a 1.75″ strip down the length of your board and around the to the back side.

4. Paint this section and let it dry thoroughly. I used the Behr paint that also has primer mixed in, so mine only needed one coat. But if necessary, apply another coat and let it dry.

5. Now tape off the exact edge of the painted section, and then add another piece half an inch away on the raw wood.

6. Paint this area using your contrasting color. Let it dry thoroughly again.

7. Now apply your DecoArt Clear Chalkboard Coating to the larger painted section using vertical brushstrokes. Let this coat dry, and then apply another coat horizontally.

8. Once the chalkboard coating has dried completely, rub the side of a piece of chalk across the surface to prime it.

9. Rub the chalk off using a paper towel.

10. Apply mineral oil to the raw wood. You may want to do this every couple of months to keep the wood conditioned.

That’s all… you’re done! Now go eat some cheese! You could use any color combination for this project; gold and cranberry red would be pretty for the upcoming holiday season.