8 Pretty Ways to Update Your Knife Block with Paint

When I painted our knife block on a whim, it never dawned on me to see if there were other knife block makeovers around - turns out that quite a few people have painted their knife blocks!

I love this project because it makes use of something most people already have (and might hate).  Our knife block wasn't just plain, it was also very shabby.  I still feel this sense of pride that I used what we already had, saving us money.  I DIY a lot so this isn't really new, but there's something about this project (because it's something I use daily, and not an accessory or art) that feels like I accomplished something. 

Some more inspiration for you:

Offbeat + Inspired

Angel Food Design

Live Love DIY

The Creative Imperative

Etsy

Although simply painting a knife block is enough effort to make it look good, I think the extra work of painting the silhouettes of the knife blades makes this one look really polished.

Country Living

This one isn't a tutorial - but I love the inspiration for a dipped knife block, especially one with a rustic feel.

Rue Magazine

P.S.  I saw this one on Pinterest and it looks so familiar.  I'm flattered!

Pinterest

DIY Chalkboard Knife Block

Want a knife block you can doodle on?  Here's how you can easily re-paint your knife block, using chalkboard paint.

Our knife block, a cheap-o Winner's purchase from four years ago, was looking a bit worse for wear.  Due to my excessive cleaning, I had managed to scrub most of the varnish off and I wasn't a fan of the light wood in our kitchen.

Before

Before - Sans Varnish

I had a can of chalkboard spray paint lying around because I opted not to paint the magnetic memo board I made.  But that meant I hadn't actually tried super trendy chalkboard paint.  And all the cool kids are doing it.  So I thought the lonely can of paint + an ugly worn-out knife block = fun kitchen accessory, without spending any money!

Supplies:

• Sandpaper
• Old rag or paper towel
• Painter's tape
• Chalkboard spray paint
• Wood knife block 

Steps:

• Lightly sanded the surface of the knife block
• Wipe it down with a damp rag to remove any residue, let dry
• Tape off the feet - especially if they are rubber
• Spray in light, even coast in well ventilated area
• Let dry
• Rub the side of a piece of chalk all over the surface, wipe off with a damp rag

One coat of paint resulted in this: 

Here's what it looked like after I rubbed the whole thing in chalk using the side of a piece of chalk (as per the manufacturer's instructions):

Then I wiped the chalk off using a damp cloth.  Apparently this "conditions" the chalkboard surface.  Can you imagine doing this for an entire chalkboard wall?!?
 

Now I can doodle:

No doodle.

To save you some scrolling . . . the "before" again.

Before

I love the look!  Even as a plain black knife block I think it looks better: crisper, more modern and it fits with the other black accessories in the kitchen.  Check out these other knife block makeovers - I promise you'll be inspired!

After

Troubleshooting tips for using chalkboard spray paint:

• Use a very fine sandpaper because any scrapes or scratches in the wood will be made more visible by the matte paint.
• Don't paint rubber feet - the paint would NOT dry on the rubber feet so I had to spend a few minutes scrubbing them clean with paint remover.
• Be a bit more generous with the "conditioning" process.  The amount of chalk I used was insufficient and sometimes what I draw won't erase easily, but I still love it.

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