I finished a project this morning, and I’m so excited about how it turned out. Let me introduce you to my new framed magnetic chalkboard spice rack.
If you’ve been around here much, you probably recognize that frame. It used to be a dry erase message board.
I made that dry erase message board in January of this year, and since then I have learned an interesting thing about myself. I don’t use message boards. In the months that this has been on my wall, I’ve written on it once. That’s it. Once.
So, having no need for a message board, I started thinking about other ways I could use that space. Let’s face it, when you live in 834 square feet, every single inch is valuable, and that includes the limited wall space I have as well.
I didn’t need a message board, but what I desperately needed was a way to better organize my spices. The spice shelf in my cabinet had become so messy that it was useless. Little jars piled on more little jars, and everything overflowing to the point that my lazy susan wouldn’t even turn anymore.
Before making mine, I searched online for some instructions. Obviously this idea isn’t an A2D original. You can even buy magnetic spice racks at Ikea and other stores. I did make some changes to mine, though. Here are the details:
Tools & Supplies:
- 1/4” plywood or MDF,
- Metal duct,
- Decorative frame,
- 4 oz. jelly jars,
- Neodymium magnets,
- Epoxy adhesive,
- Chalkboard paint,
- Sandpaper,
- Chalk,
- Gloves,
- Tin snips,
- “L” square or yardstick, and
- Jigsaw.
Instructions:
1. Using a jigsaw and “L” square (or yardstick), mark and cut out a piece of 1/4” plywood or MDF to fit into the frame.
2. Use a jigsaw to cut out the plywood (or MDF).
3. Next, using a metal duct that looks like this (available at any big box home improvement store)…
…use tin snips to cut the metal to fit the plywood. Be sure to use gloves!! The edges of the cut metal will slice right through your skin if you’re not careful!
You can also purchase a flat sheet of metal (also available at big box home improvement stores), but the cost is significantly higher. This metal duct was under $5, while a flat sheet of metal would have cost $20.
4. Using a strong adhesive like this one…
…adhere the metal to the plywood and weigh it down with heavy items so that it’s completely flat.
5. When the adhesive is completely dry, use 220-grit sandpaper and sand the surface of the metal, then cover with chalkboard paint. Remember, when using spray paint, several thin coats is better than a couple of thick coats!
6. Next, assemble the jars. *Don’t use hot glue for this! I learned the hard way that hot glue doesn’t hold those super strong magnets!
So using an epoxy type of adhesive, glue the lid of the jar into the ring, and then glue two 1/2” x 1/8” neodymium magnets to the top of the lid.
With everything assembled, it should look like this.
If you use larger neodymium magnets, you could probably get away with using only one per jar. Unfortunately, this was the largest size I could find locally.
7. With all of the jars assembled, you’re ready to fill them with spices.
8. Before assembling everything, be sure to condition the chalkboard by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface, and then wiping off the chalk.
9. I also chose to write the names of the spices on the board before nailing the chalkboard into the frame.
10. Nail the plywood into the frame, attach the spice jars, and you’re done!
I think I’ll definitely get much more use out of this than I did out of the dry erase board.
As a side note, I’ve read from many sources that spices retain their flavor much longer if they’re not always exposed to light. Unfortunately, my kitchen gets almost no natural light, so I’m not worried about these spices losing their flavor.
However, if your kitchen does get a good deal of natural light and/or if you find that you leave your lights on in your kitchen quite a bit, then it might be better to use the inside of a cabinet door for a magnetic spice rack, or you could make this framed spice rack to put inside a pantry if yours is large enough and has enough wall space.
I still have a lot more organizing to do in my kitchen. Remember when I said I’d give myself two weeks to get it organized? Ha! Yeah, right! But it’ll get there, slowly but surely, one project at a time.
I'm a self-employed interior decorator-turned-blogger, and a DIY fanatic. I hope you enjoy your visit here at A2D! If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to 
Love this! I made something similar at my old house and had it inside my cabinet, but I love showing it off
How do you get your jars open without spilling the contents?
The top is magnetic.
I love this, Kristi! My problem would be that if I took three down at the same time and they looked similar, I might not know for sure where to put them back. Guess I would need labels on the jars, too.
I was thinking that too but what if you used the chalkboard paint on the bottom of the jar? Then you could put the spice name on the bottom of the jar also.
While searching today, I just found some chalkboard contact paper- so you can write the name on the jar, and remove it if you choose to put a different spice in that particular jar.
I was thinking about that, too. I think I'll write the name of the spice on top of the lids with a Sharpie marker. That way it won't show when it's on the magnetic board, but I won't lose track of what spice it is when it's sitting on the counter.
I just pull them off the magnetic board, give 'em a little shake to even out the contents, and then open the lid.
What a fun, useful project! It turned out beautiful. The timing is perfect for me as I recently had my husband price the sheet metal for a magnetic board and decided not to do it for now because of how spendy it was…maybe I can reconsider with your metal duct tip. Thanks! Have fun with your projects!!!
Great DIY project! I'm noticing a trend with chalkboard paint-do you plan on using it for other projects?
Right now I don't have any other plans for it. In general, I'm kind of tired of the whole chalkboard paint trend, but it seemed appropriate with this project.
I have a silly question. When you prepare the chalkboard is there a certain brand of calk you use? When I tried some generic brand it just scratched the paint and when I went to write on it you could barely see the words. I started over with the chalkboard paint but can’t figure out were I went wrong.
Love this. I agree this is much more useful than the white board. I love how you reused the frame.
I love pretty organization and this is super cute! Great idea, Kristi! (We did something a lot different but similar idea using metal lazy Susan's. It's definitely a huge space saver!)
likeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
What a great idea….I made a message board with sheet metal too….painting it with black chalk paint so it doubles as message and magnetic. I bought a piece of sheet metal at a home improvement store for $18.00 (my frame is 2ft x 3ft). My husband said no way! He visited the local furnace installer and got the piece cut to fit for $8.00…..thats why I married that guy……he's the best!
This is amazing! I love the idea of using spices as a decorating technique and getting rid of that spice cabinet where you cannot find anything. So creative and going to try it out myself.
Did you know they make magnetic paint? Just sayin'
I’ve used the magnetic paint and it would not be strong enough to hold these jars.
Yep. I've used it on several projects. It's awful, especially when you consider that it's about $20 for a quart. Last time I used it, I vowed to never use it again.
This was far easier than the magnetic paint, and worked much better.
simply brilliant!
Great idea!!! If your kitchen has a lot of natural light, you could also use opaque containers rather than clear glass ones. It might not be as pretty, but perhaps paint them different colors?
Kristi great idea! You are so creative! Thanks for sharing. I'm a new blogger who's trying to learn the "secrets of blogging" step by step. Wanna pay a visit? I'd be thrilled to see you around my place.
Love, Olga
http://www.stardust-decorstyle.blogspot.com
Beautiful idea – wish I could implement it myself..but my boyfriend gets through so many spices that he would need much bigger jars than on your spice board as I would be forever refilling them
Wow…totally awesome, creative and out of the box thinking…love it! In addition to my love of decorating I am a huge foodie and my spice cabinet looks a lot like yours did…having to pull everything out just to find one item is a pain the butt not to mention time consuming. This is quick easy decorative and perfect!!! Great idea and fabulous execution! (can you tell how much i love this?)
This is awesome! I used to have my spices in a similar thing but used little tins with pop off tops. The screw thing would work so much better so it doesn't spill when getting the top off! Love it!
I love this! I have clear canisters but I never thought about making my own spice rack. I like seeing the color and textures of the spices. The frame pulls it all together nicely.
Absolutely AWESOME, Kristi! I also love the "live and learn" aspect of this project. ;-)
Very cool, unique idea! Great job!
Very cool unique idea-I will remember this one and maybe try it someday!
I love it! It's beautiful and functional. I have the same problem in my kitchen. This would be a great gift as well.
Beautiful job on a (decorative) functional piece. The colors look great against the mural. (And thanks for the tip on the metal.)
Oh I LOVE THIS! Amazing job.
I would love for you to link up to my Fresh Friday LInky Party!
http://www.releasemecreations.com/2011/11/fresh-fridays-link-party-4.html
What a great idea! We have been toying around with some different ideas for organizing our spices and something like this just might work! I think I might put chalkboard labels on the bottoms of the jars though… we'll see… Thank you for sharing!
you´re amazing really! where did you go to college??
I went to Dallas Baptist University.
hope we could find all this things here in Mexico!! but its really hard to find decent scrapbook paper! I can imagine looking more complicated stuff!! :S
Love the idea…the chalk wall makes a beautiful suggestion as the containers may change and obviously so the labeling.
Beautiful.. Stylish & Functional! Love it!
What a great idea! This would be the perfect gift for a friend of mine that has all of her spices on the counter… she's running out of room!
Thanks for the post!
This is simply fabulous and so practical. I love that tree too.
Question…do u think I could bypass the metal and use magnetic paint. Think it would be strong enough? I heard somewhere that peeps paint magnetic and then chalkboard on top of it so they have both magnetic and chalkboard together.
I’ve used the magnetic paint a couple of times, but I personally wouldn’t suggest it for this. My experience with the magnetic paint in the past is that no matter how many coats I use, I can only get it to hold up very lightweight items, like a magnetic clip holding one piece of paper. Anything heavier, and the magnet slides down the board.
i LOVE this!!
Just curious as to what size of metal duct you used and picture frame size?
I’m not sure about the metal duct size. I just measured the flat portion of it to be sure it was large enough to fill my frame. The frame I used is a 16″ x 20″.
This is a great idea…I have a piece of metal I have been hanging on to for a long time not knowing really what to use it for….now I do! Thank you
This is fantastic. I’ve never been a fan of the traditional spice racks, but didn’t have any ideas for an alternative. Definitely giving this a go!
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This would work great for nails and screws, as well. Mine are usually loose.
You’ve done a great job with that and your tutorial is fantastic, thanks! I’ve got this linked to my spice racks post too today, for inspiration!
Instead of using sheet metal AND chalkboard paint you could use metallic paint instead of the sheet metal. you could then use the chalkboard paint over top or just make/buy magnets with the names of the spices on them!