Where can I buy a classroom grade chalkboard for my girls for Christmas that isn't way too pricey?

Question

The chalkboards on easels are so cheap and tear up in no time!

Answer 1

discountschoolsupply.com is a good place to get all of your schooling needs, not just chalkboards. Another idea is to buy the chalkboard spray paint and use it on a metal sheet that you have screwed into the wall, on an easel, wherever it is convenient. I LOVE the chalkboard spraypaint and have used it both at home and in my classroom.

Answer 2

Instead of a chalkboard have you tried a dry erase board??? They don't have the mess of chalk and are easily cleaned. They also come in many different sizes at Staples or Office Depot, even Walmart.

Answer 3

I have a fun and inexpensive alternative to a chalkboard or a whiteboard ...

Buy the heavy-duty clearl vinyl that you can get in the WalMart fabric section and mount it on the wall or spread it across a table with a white sheet underneath it. The Expo black wipe-off board markers work great on it. The colored ones sometimes will stain, so stick with the black ones.

Some of the advantages of the clear vinyl method is that you can change the color by merely putting a different colored bed sheet or table cloth behind it. You can also add such school helpers as a checked sheet or tablecloth behind it to use as a graphing grid. You can use big maps behind it to chart a path as you learn geography or follow some historical travel. Lots of neat possibilities.

I also use the clear vinyl to give me more display space. My walls are limited due to an open floor plan, so I lay posters out on the table with the vinyl over the top to keep them clean. When it is dinner I just throw a tablecloth over it or slip it under the vinyl but above the posters and everything looks all formal again. Do insist on hot pads if it is used for eating so you don't get ripples in the shape of circles though. LOL. I have had mine on our table for about three years and it is still in great shape even with an occassional forgotten hot pad for a steaming bowl of soup.

Answer 4

Do you need to have a "chalkboard" or can it be whiteboard?  Inexpensive white boards can be bought/made out of shower paneling that you can find at Home Depot or Lowe's.  They will even cut it for you to make several smaller boards.  The whole piece is enough to cover half of a large school size chalk board.

Answer 5

You could try a warehouse club, or an office supply store. I don't know what is in your area, but they would be most likely to have what you seek.

Alternately, if you cannot find one, you might want to cosider blackboard paint. You apply it to the wall (area size your choice) and you can frame it with some simple molding if you want to.

You should be able to get further details at your local paint store.

I hope you find exactly what you want!

Hope I helped. God bless you.

Answer 6

I know what you mean.  I had a terrible time finding one.  They are quite expensive.  But here are some thoughts:

l.  You can post a request on Freecycle.  Sometimes churches, private schools need to get rid of them.  

I had a huge one offered to me that  had to be cut and repainted, but how wonderful.  Many of them have switched to white board.

2.  But the chalkboard paint on the wall outlined with chair rail is still my absolute favorite.

Answer 7

Have you considered the chalkboard paint that is available at home improvement stores?  It works quite well.  I'm not sure of classroom grade.  I did an area for my grandchildren and put moulding below it to hold chalk & erasers.  They love it.