Painting is a relatively achievable DIY project, and a very rewarding one since paint can make a big impact for a relatively small investment when you are doing the painting yourself. If you are at home and looking for ways to spend some unexpected spare time productively, here are a few projects using novelty paint products that might be worth considering:

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Create a chalkboard surface

This could be fun for either a framed section of wall as a permanent chalkboard for aspirational lists and messages…like chores you hope someone in your family might do, or groceries you hope will be in stock when your order is finally filled, or menus you’ll be serving in the coming week(s) …OR paint an entire accent wall (how perfect is that for a home-school space or office wall?!) OR paint a piece of furniture!… I’ve even seen a refrigerator painted with chalkboard paint! Think of it as those hugely popular chalkboard labels all over Pinterest, only on steroids. Imagine how much fun you and/or your kids could have doodling with chalk or chalk markers….And you aren’t limited to black or green for your chalkboard…chalkboard paint is available from Benjamin Moore in ANY of their 3500+ colors!

Create a whiteboard (dry erase) wall

With the same purpose and possible applications as the chalkboard surface above except you use dry erase markers to write on it (obviously), and it’s a shinier surface, so be sure that works for your space. Benjamin Moore and IdeaPaint both make dry erase surface paint and it is available in the traditional white board white but also in clear to put a dry erase surface on top of any color. It can be applied to nearly any surface - paint, glass, metal, wood, or laminate. But, as a side note, you can write on porcelain, stainless, and glass with dry erase markers anyway!

Create a magnetic wall

Yes, there is even magnetic paint - Rust-oleum makes one! It is, actually, a primer that has tiny iron particles mixed into it. A few caveats, though....It requires VERY thorough mixing to be sure the iron dust is evenly distributed, and should be applied in multiple thin coats - the more coats the more iron particles and therefore the more magnetic. It can be topped with latex paint in any color, but after two coats this decreases the magnetic ability so limit the top coats. And the bad news: the primer only comes in gray or black, so covering it in two coats is tricky if you want a light color. You will also want to use super strong rare earth magnets to make this functional, or just use it for those poetry word magnets because, in general, it is FAR less magnetic than a magnetic sheet metal. Still, it’s a fun idea for a door or wall.

Some essentials for your new project (click on image for buying info):

Happy Painting!