Just one more chalkboard porcelain paint project, and then I’ll give it a rest. I promise. How about… a chalkboard serving platter? It’s perfect for serving cheese, cookies, or any other goodies you might need to label.
you’ll need:
a porcelain platter (mine is from CB2)
painter’s tape (optional)
Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Chalkboard Paint (available at Amazon)
(Don’t use regular chalkboard paint. This only works with porcelain paint.)
a soft bristle paint brush (a watercolor brush works well)
a regular kitchen oven
how to:
1. Make sure your platter is clean and dry.
2. If desired use painter’s tape to mask off the edges of the platter, otherwise skip the tape and freehand it.
3. Please note that this particular porcelain paint says it’s not recommended for surfaces that come in contact with food. Consider yourself warned. It’s water based and non-toxic, so I don’t see the harm in placing some cookies or cheese and crackers on it. I guess I’m just a daredevil! The folks at Dick Blick suggest painting a dinner plate with it on their website, so they must live on the edge too.
4. Apply the paint with a soft bristle brush. You will be able to see the brush strokes after the paint dries, so be careful and keep your strokes even. I ended up applying two thin coats of paint (allow the first coat to dry completely before applying the second).
5. As soon as you are done painting carefully remove the tape if you used it. If you remove it before the last coat of paint dries, the tape will be less likely to peel up the edges of the paint.
6. Let the paint dry for 24 hours. Then, bake your platter following the instructions printed on the back of the paint bottle. After baking turn off the oven and leave the platter inside until it has gradually cooled to room temperature. After you bake it the paint is dishwasher and microwave safe.
Sweet! :D
On my list to do today…i was laying in bed last night and thought this very thing. However, i’ going to paint just a thirdto half, just in case there are some food safety issues. Nice to see what it can look like.
Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice!
Lydia
Oh yeah, only painting part of it is a great solution for non-daredevils! ;)
That’s what I decided to do too, Lydia. Aside from safety issues, the cheese cutting or serving utensils might rake against and harm the painted finish.
Could you post a picture of what your final product looked like?
Thanks,
Laura
live life on the edge why don’t you? ahah this is awesome!
What a clever idea!
This is an awesome idea! I love it!
I’d love for you to link up and share: http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/2011/12/pinteresting-party-with-christmas.html
Cool idea, which I’ve now tried, but my chalkboard paint ends up looking shiny – not the nice matte finish like yours – it looks like you got it right though, did your paint just come out like that or did you have to do something else?
Please help :(
My paint just dried with a matte finish on its own. Sorry that yours is ending up shiny! Are you using the Pebeo porcelain chalkboard paint?
Yes.. I bought the same exact paint from Blick.
Well, I just tried to apply another coat, let’s hope it’ll turn out right this time.
Hopefully a second coat will do the trick. Mine had a few shiny spots after only one coat where the paint wasn’t covering the glaze from the serving platter completely. A second coat covered them up. Good luck!
I love the idea!! The serving platter and the mug!
Thanks you!!
Just found this DIY on Pinterest and had to come leave my compliments! I love this project, and think it would make an amazing hostess gift!
Can’t wait to try this!
I just found your blog – and I read all the way back to page 26 to your first anniversary. I’m in love with your blog and products, can’t wait to buy some and try out your DIYs!
Thanks so much Paige! I hope to “see” you around here often. ;)
your blog is sooooooo cooool!!!
Thanks! :)
Love this idea! What do you suggest for curing a wooden tray? I decided to be a bit of a daredevil myself throwing caution to the wind, painting sans tape and well…the paint says “non toxic” so I’m with you there. I’m just not sure about putting this in the oven?
Hmm… I wouldn’t recommend trying this with a wooden tray. It’s porcelain chalkboard paint, so it will only be permanent when baked on porcelain or a similar surface like ceramic.
I have done this on wood. I used regular chalkboard paint. Several coats. Did not bake. Let dry several days.
Wow! I’m so glad I found your blog via Pinterest… Love this idea. Now I’ll go back and read earlier posts. Will also start following via Bloglovin. Thanks for sharing your talents.
this is such a cute idea, i’ve been wanting to try the chalkboard paint!!
xx, kristina
This is genius! What a lovely idea! I will make one and offer it to my friend for sure!
xo
http://blog.boatpeopleboutique.com/ Fashion From all decades
I love this idea, especially for the person who has everything! I’m going to make this for a few friends for their birthday. Thanks :)
I just found your blog and can’t stop reading you old posts. I love everything. This project looks amazing I will try and let you know how I did?
What a lovely idea!
Thanks for sharing these amazing DIY tutorials!
Now I’m just thinking about when I’ll do this one.
Love it!
Gorgeous! Saw it on Pintrest (what isn’t on that fabulous website, it’s pornography for crafty people…), and thought I’d give you some love. Fabulous idea – I’ve eaten off worse surfaces, bring on the daredevil approach!
I love this idea and can’t wait to try it! I want to cover a couple of trays though. Does a little go a long way with this paint? It doesn’t seem like a very large bottle. How much area do you think a bottle will cover? Thanks for your help with this.
You could probably do 2 or 3 trays with one bottle of paint.
Not food safe? So put grape leaves or doilies under the cheese.
This is such a neat idea love it and your photos look amazing!
How neat. Thanks for sharing If someone is truly worried about placing their food on the surface of this paint they could always paint just an inch thick stripe instead of the entire surface and then write on that part.
As I read the post from misty, I thought of she might outline a few different shapes of cheeses on the platter. Maybe even using tape to outline and paint outside the shapes. Thought your idea is a great one. I will be doing some of these for engagement gifts. Thanks so much.
This is awesome! I know several cheese lovers who would LOVE this! Thanks for a great present idea!
Nancy
alifedesigned.blogspot.com
Beautiful. What an awesome gift this would be! I’ve definitely pinned this :)
Kristina
Nook & Sea
I have an idea for those worried about the paint not being safe for food. (I was more concerned about having the food touching the chalk!)
How about having a piece of glass cut the size of the platter and using it to cover the paint and the writings before serving the food (on the glass!)?
That is a fabulous idea. Then you can use the tray over and over for other food serving smacks. I wonder (with your glass idea) if you could use regular chalkboard paint and those hard plastic trays from the dollar store? I think i’m going to try that. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Amanda, here’s an idea: to avoid setting food directly on the porcelain paint, you could always set the cheese on some edible leaves, leaving room to write what kind of cheese it is. I’ve seen Ina do that.
I used the peel and stick chalkboard by Wallies
Same idea, but it’s vinyl and can be removed and restuck anywhere
ok I’ve spent over an hour searching this porcelain paint and EVERYONE is sold out … is it really NOT ok to use chalkboard paint instead???
You can use regular chalkboard paint if you want, but it will easily chip/wash off a porcelain platter, so your project won’t last very long. If you decide to use regular chalkboard paint do not bake it! Who knows what kind of crazy fumes that would put off.
Can you actually use a knife on this paint when you cut the cheese or will the knife go right through the paint?
I haven’t used a really sharp knife on it, but I haven’t had any problems so far.
Great Post! This seems like a trick that is good for food blogging as it is for dinner parties. Thanks for the great idea!
Love this DIY post! Great idea and I’m so peeked to try this on one of my serving platters. I’m definitely going to share this with my fellow Crate&Barrel associates.
You can just buy a piece of natural slate and write with chalk onto your cheese display board. Then find a platter that it will fit, or just put the slate piece directly on your serving table. Wash off with water after your party. That’s what I suggest.
I made one! I LOVE it! I’m using it for a coffee bar next to my coffee maker when not in use for occasions. It’s so nice to write “Love notes” on! I REALLY do love my husband for making coffee in the morning…:)
WOw, this looks awesome. What a great gift idea.
I am definitely going to try it out.
Perhaps when complete you could place a sheet of clear plasgtic (perspex or similar) over the chalkboard and the writing before serving.
That way, neither the paint nor the chalk would compromise the cheese ??
Just a thought.
I mean “plastic” not “plasgtic”
I love this idea, and painted my platter yesterday. As careful as I was, it has a very rough surface full of my brush strokes. It has two coats and I haven’t baked it yet…will it smooth out some after being baked?
No, the bumps won’t smooth out after it bakes. The first time I painted mine it turned out really rough, so I scrubbed the paint off (it comes off easily with water as long as you haven’t baked it yet) and re-painted it more carefully. My final product still has its fair share of brush stroke rough spots, that’s the beauty of hand painting I suppose. :)
This is seriously so awesome! Just added it to a list of my favorite chalkboard paint uses:
http://www.skinnyscoop.com/list/cathleenking/clever-ways-to-use-chalkboard-paint
Thanks for sharing and making it so easy!
How did your tray hold up with guests slicing cheese on it?
I’ve only used it once for cheese so far (right now it’s holding some candles on my dining room table), but the chalkboard surface held up great!
Just got the paint and found a platter. Can not wait to try!
Hello! Just curious what size platter you used? This is such a great idea and excited to try it!
Just looked up the paint product on Dick Blick… THIS PRODUCT IS NOT FOOD SAFE… it even has a warning not to use on surfases coming in contact with foods…
Yes, I mention that above in the post. However the paint is completely non-toxic, so I personally don’t have a problem eating cheese off of it. If you are concerned you could always paint half the platter, rather than the whole surface. FYI, here is the official toxicity statement directly from Pebeo (the manufacturers of the paint):
Porcelaine 150 paints have been given the ASTM D-4236 seal of approval by Duke University, they are completely free of any hazardous materials. They hold the AP Seal of non-toxicity from ACMI and they conform to toy standard 71.3, and are deemed safe for use by children. The Porcelaine 150 paints, outliners and markers contain NO lead or cadmium, they are water based and contain only NON-TOXIC materials. Inadvertent contact with food or drink is not a health hazard. Any decorative or utilitarian pieces may be painted. Paint the exterior of a drink container, and on a dinner plate, it is recommended that you paint around the perimeter of the plate. If you paint the center of the plate, a steak knife or other utensil could damage your design. If a painted design becomes damaged by a sharp object, rough edges may be left on the surface. It is not approved for food or drink containers.
I love this idea, thanks for sharing!! Can you give me the baking directions? My paint directions are in another language and I want to make sure that I don’t over or under cook it. Thanks!!
Sure Kimmie, my bottle says to bake it for 35 minutes at 300 F (150 C).
The painted plate is such a wonderful idea! But I have a question…. how does the chalk paint hold up when you cut food or cheese on it?
I haven’t done a lot of cutting on my chalkboard surface, but it has held up great through the dishwasher several times.
I love this!!! Definitely going to give this a try…and with the different colours available now I can feel more than one platter getting this treatment :)
Love this. Did you use the medium size platter for this from cb2? Don’t know what size to order
I got the large platter, but you should get whichever size you think you would use the most. :)
I love the idea! Perfect for wine and cheese tasting parties. This cake plate can serve as a cheese platter too I think.
A party must!
What an awesome idea, I’ll definitely be doing this!
Have you tried washing your platter with water? Just wondering how the paint fares! Thanks!!
After baking the porcelain paint is waterproof and dishwasher safe.
I found this idea on pinterest and I was just wondering how much paint to order? I ordered two medium size platters on that cb2 website. I’m going to give them to friends for Christmas.
One bottle was enough for me to do two platters!
I love this idea!! The chalkboard paint I got does not have instructions for baking. Is there a general time and temp you can share?
Hi Trish! If there are no baking instructions on your paint I’m concerned that you may have the wrong paint. Did you get Pebeo’s porcelain chalkboard paint, linked above? It’s specifically for porcelain, and is not the same as regular chalkboard paint. Regular chalkboard paint shouldn’t be baked.
Ah, that’s it! Thank Amanda. I was able to scrub off the chalkboard paint I had originally applied to the plate today and ordered the porcelain paint you put in the link. Thank you! This is going to be my new favorite holiday gift!
I’m going to try this one for a gift, it looks great! If you know, what size platter did you use? Thank you!
I used the large 16.75″ x 10″ platter.
I loved this idea so much, I made five platters for the holidays! I followed each of your steps closely. I’m just wondering how you got the chalkboard surface to look matted? When I painted and cooked mine, they all came out somewhat shiny. Also, the chalk does not write on them even close to as nicely as your pic. Did you use a special kind of chalk? I’m disappointed it’s not visible when written.
The first thing to double check is to make sure you purchased the matte, chalkboard black porcelain paint, not the regular gloss finish black paint. I’ve had a few readers contact me recently about their paint having a shiny finish, and I’m wondering if Pebeo has a defective batch of paint out there. My paint was matte as soon as it dried, and stayed that way after I baked it. I didn’t use special chalk or anything. So sorry it didn’t work out the same way for you! You might want to try contacting Pebeo directly. Maybe they can help? Here’s their contact page: http://en.pebeo.com/Pebeo/Contact-Us
Yeah, same here, bummer. My platter is still completely glossy (and the bottle definitely says “matte”). I wrote to Pebeo and will comment back if I learn anything worth sharing…
I loved this project! Fast, easy, and classy.
I had the same problem as Calyn & Melinda. Pebeo responded that “It must be very well stirred with a stick or an old paint brush, going very well at the bottom of the jar until the paint consistency if completely even.
You see the chalkboard paint pigments are very heavy and will agglomerate at the bottom of the jar.
So if it is not stirred thoroughly they will remain at the bottom and the results will not be the same at all.” This makes perfect sense and my second attempt was successful.
AWESOME! Thanks so much for letting us know Kristie!
On the second attempt, I did the same thing – mix, mix, mix! Once I did that the paint dried to a matte finish and it was still matte after I baked. Turned out perfectly!
I have the Pebeo chalkboard paint and I’ve done 2 coats. The surface is matte, but it is grainy and rough. It’s not smooth at all. I’ve not baked it yet, but I can’t imagine baking it will make it smooth. did I get a bad batch of paint?
This worked out so awesomely! Thank you for this. I actually had to do mine twice – the first time I didn’t mix the paint well and I didn’t let it dry 100% before I took the tape off…needless to say it all peeled off. Second time around, I mixed the paint well using a toothpick and only had to do one decent coat. Waited over 24 hours before I baked and then baked it for 35 minutes at 300 degrees fahrenheit (like the bottle directed). I also bought a chalk pen, rather than real chalk and it works beautifully! There is no dust and it comes right off with a slightly moist cloth or paper towel.
Love this idea and am thinking of getting head start on Christmas gifts. One question: have you tried cutting on it? I am worried that the paint might chip when you cut a piece of cheese. Anyone tried it?
This would be great on coffee mugs, too.
Lovely girl and brilliant ideas! Thank you! From sweden :-)
Love this! Pinning it on my Hospitality board on Pinterest ~ great idea. :)
One suggestion is to paint a strip of the platter instead of the entire surface. That way the food won’t come in contact with the paint but still gives you an area to write in chalk.
Could you use a porcelain tile from a hardwired store? Felt it on the back like a coaster (after baking it)?
Sure!
I am not crafty at ALL, but I think even I could manage this one. :) Pinning it now!
For those who may not be as adventurous… If you like the look but don’t want to have your food touching the chalkboard paint, just have a piece of glass cut to fit the dish/platter.
This is an amzing handmade present.Thanks,so much,for the idea!
This is such a great idea. I painted two platters and baked according to directions. The surface is glossy and chalk will not work. Did anyone else have this issue? I am really disappointed as these were Christmas gifts not to mention I wasted the platters that I bought. Any or all suggestions appreciated.
I have noticed some are concerned about food safety with the paint. I know you had suggested if someone was concerned they could paint half the plate. Great idea. I paint a lot of thrift store finds and I cut parchment paper to go under my food. I often use my Cricut cutting machine or cute paper cutters to get pretty shapes! Works great, keeps you your guest from wondering if it safe, it’s clear see through and pretty.
Hey, these paints are not food grade safe – not a good idea – would suggest leaving food area un treated and using chalk “bannered” around edges only
Yup, I mentioned that in the original post above.
What a lovely idea! I am going to try an to this with a large group (70) of ladies at a MOPs meeting. The meeting is only a couple of hours long, so I wanted to know a) how many platters (approximately 13″X9″) you could paint with one container of paint, b) how long does it take one coat to try enough to paint a second coat on it, and c) how long would it take for the platter to be dry enough to transport home? Thank you for the tutorial!
It has been years since I did this project, and I only painted the one platter so I’m not sure how many you could paint with one container. At least 2 or 3? If I’m remembering correctly, I put on pretty thin coats and they dried within 30 minutes or so.