Painting your boring mug with chalkboard paint puts a little bit of fun into your morning coffee chug, creating a convenient space for a little doodling before your early morning classes and midterms. If you already have a plain, old mug, then you’re pretty much halfway there, and you can always buy one from dollar stores for fairly cheap.
Step One
Start by washing your mug and letting it dry. If there’s any dirt on the cup, the paint will show it, and the paint won’t lay on the surface evenly.
Step Two
If you want to use different colors of chalk paint, tape off the parts of the mug that you don’t want painted yet. If you just want to keep it simple, then paint the whole mug.
Step Three
With a medium-sized paintbrush, paint the first coat of porcelain chalkboard paint onto the mug.
Step Four
Let this coat dry for about an hour. If you paint too many coats before the previous one dries, it can cause the paint to run or not dry correctly, which could create cracks later on. Just try and use enough paint to cover the surface beneath.
Step Five
Now that the first coat has dried, apply the second coat.
Step Six
For those who didn’t use any tape, go ahead and skip to step seven. For those who did use tape back in step two, you’ll need to do this part. Once you finish painting, it’s time to peel the tape off. You’ll want to do this when the paint is still wet––if it dries, it’ll peel the paint off. Start at the bottom and pull the tape back, not up. To avoid mistakes, it’s best to be patient and take your time with this step. If there’s a little unevenness, you can just use a piece of paper and a small brush to even out the lines after you’ve peeled all of the tape off.
Step Seven
Let the mug sit for 24 hours.
Step Eight
Place the mug in the oven and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
Step Nine
Turn off the oven and wait for the mug to cool to room temperature before taking it out. Make sure to use oven mitts to protect your hands.
Step Ten
When it’s ready, write a fun message in colorful chalk, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy.
Kaela Bernardino can be reached at kaela.bernardino@spartans.ut.edu
Brianna Kwasnik can be reached at brianna.kwasnik@spartans.ut.edu