How to Season a Chalkboard

Are your chalkboards haunted by the ghosts of writings past? Ghosting is when an outline or ghost of your previous artwork remains even after erasing. Whoops!  Nobody wants that!

Modern chalkboards are no longer made of slate but instead are made of MDF, wood, metal, or any smooth surface that can be painted. Most chalkboards, like the ones we carry in our store, are porous and therefore need to be seasoned to prevent ghosting.

To season your chalkboard and ward the ghosts off, there are just a few simple steps to follow before you write on your new chalkboard for the first time.

1. Wipe off any dust with a paper towel.
2 Take a piece of stick chalk, and using its side rather than the tip, rub the entire surface in a vertical direction, ensuring the board is completely covered.
3. Repeat in a horizontal direction, also ensuring that the board is completely covered again.
4. Wipe off with a soft cloth, rag, or chalkboard eraser.
5. Blow off any dust.

Seasoning the chalkboard fills any pores, tiny holes, or depressions in the chalkboard. It helps create a smooth surface that is easy to write on and more importantly, easy to erase. This process minimizes, and sometimes eliminates, chalk from sinking into the pores and leaving behind ghosts. Chalk from liquid chalk pens can be harder to erase because the liquid helps the chalk into all those tiny pores.

Pro tip: If you still have some ghosting on a seasoned chalkboard, just re-season the area. It usually comes right up!

If you already have a chalkboard ghost making an appearance on your board, all is not lost! You can buy small cans of chalkboard paint from most hardware or craft stores. Follow the directions on the can and put a fresh coat or two on your board to freshen it up.  Just don't forget to season it when it's completely dry.

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