Here's a cost-effective way to create a customized chalk board. You need molding and chalkboard paint.

If your kitchen is command central, organize the troops with a message center that can broadcast shopping lists, carpool schedules, or a week's worth of dinner menus. The secret to this project is blackboard paint, which can be rolled or sprayed directly onto smooth walls. If your walls are wallpapered or do not have a smooth surface, apply the chalkboard paint to fiberboard that has been cut to size. This project would work equally well in a home office or child's room. Be sure to keep plenty of colored chalk and an eraser close at hand.

Cost: About $20 to $35(add $10 if you use fiberboard)

Time: A day

Skill: Beginner

• Chalkboard paint (available in spray cans from home centers; the Crayola Chalkboard Paint, which comes in a variety of colors and is sold in quarts, can be found at Benjamin Moore paint dealers)
• Picture molding
• Miter saw
• Paint or stain
• Brads or small nails
• Paintbrush for molding, and roller if using nonspray chalkboard paint
• Fiberboard (optional; home centers will usually cut it for free)
• Screws (optional)

Painting on the wall

1. Apply the paint. Measure and mark off the area to be painted. Apply the chalkboard paint, following manufacturer's instructions.

2. Frame it. Cut a frame from lumberyard picture molding, mitering the corners. Paint or stain the moldings. Nail the molding to the wall along the edges of the painted area.

Working with fiberboard

1. Apply the paint. Paint fiberboard with the chalkboard paint.

2. Frame it. Cut a frame from lumberyard picture molding, mitering the corners. Paint or stain the moldings. Nail the molding to the wall along the edges of the painted area.