I know there are a lot of different ways to update clipboards. I've seen the ideas on Pinterest and Classroom DIY. My first idea was to use contact paper on the clipboards, but I know me and how I was when I was little. I needed a solid color to focus if I was writing on something. So I turned to spray paint.
Here's how I tackled this project.
Materials: 3 blue cans of spray paint, 1 can of metallic, and then the basic drop cloth.
First, I had a big plastic drop cloth that I put all the clipboards upside down on. I spray painted the backs first. It took the entire can to tackle the backs, and they still needed a little spritz of a second coat to finish it (2nd can). The type of spray paint that I used dried very fast. I only had to wait about 30 minutes between coats for them to be really dry.
Then I flipped them over and I sprayed the front. I didn't worry so much about the metal part, I just aimed a little closer to tackle the top part of the clipboard. I had to do a 2nd coat as well - that put me onto my 3rd can of blue.
The last part was a spray on the metal part with the metallic spray. I used a file folder, traced out a rectangle from the top part and cut it out. That allowed me to put the file folder under the clip part and protect the blue color at the top part of the board from the metal color. The metal paint was just a quick spray, and I didn't do a second coat.
I think they turned out so nice. After using the same clipboards for 12 years, these look brand new. No marker stains, no pencil marks, no doodles... we'll see how long they last like this.
Now, my neighbors have seen this project in my front yard basically all afternoon. I had to do it in my front yard as my puppy probably wouldn't have been much of a helper. The last thing I need is a blue dog. I had quite a few people slow down as they drove by my house. It might have been that they were looking at the boards, or they were admiring my now "smurf" looking hands.
It was an easy project, one that I won't think twice about tackling again if I ever want a different color.
Happy Painting!
Sincerely,
