Futon Frame turned Chalkboard Shelf

This chalkboard shelf was another one of those, “it almost ended up in a landfill” projects.  My daughter had a metal futon bed, which she loved, but somehow, the bottom of the frame got bent, and the bent part was miserably uncomfortable on her back.  We had another futon in the back room that my son used over the summer, but since he went back to college, my husband took her futon out, and replaced it with the other one.  He took her futon out by our garage, and planned to haul it away.  I walked by it a few times, and kept thinking there should be something I could do with at least some of it – especially the rounded sides of the frame.  The more I looked at it, the more I could see how easy it would be to turn the flat black part into a chalkboard.  I’m sure my husband wasn’t thrilled that he had carried the thing outside, only for me to drag it back in again…but he’s learned to just accept that if I think there’s any chance of finding a new use for something, I’ll attempt it.

I cut a piece of wood that was salvage from a door frame to make a shelf for it, and attached that to the futon frame with brackets.

I brush-painted chalkboard paint over the flat black part, and used a strip from a vintage tape measure to cover the holes where the seating part had been attached to it.  There’s a little “lip” on the chalkboard area, that can act as a tray to hold chalk.

A few D-ring hangers got added to the back, and it was done!

I listed this one in my shop, because I still have the other side to create another one.  It’s available here.

See more creative Shelves, Cabinets and Cupboards HERE.