Blackboard paint and a suitable substrate

[The Other Mike]

I've used blackboard paint directly on plaster before with ok results but I want to make one to fix to the inside of a panelled door.

I happened to catch an episode of "How it's Made" the other day on TV (Quest) and they showed a blackboard being made a metal (unspecified) surface bonded to a ply backing and then sprayed with blackboard paint.

Plywood especially from the sheds has a really crap surface finish that even a lengthy spell with a sander probably can't fix so I was thinking of a similar approach to the commercial ones shown on the tv.

Would I be better with mild steel, aluminium or something else, maybe mdf bonded to a plywood backing?

Any recommendations for blackboard paint?

[Tim Watts]

MDF?

[dennis]

Its steel, allows magnets to stick.

MDF unless you need the steel.

You can buy blackboard paint so I would use that.

[chris French]

Yup, that's what I used when I did one for the kids. nice smooth surface.

Blackboard paint - what ever is in the shop, which will most likely be International Paints version it seems

[Man at B&Q]

The shiny side of hardboard is a good stopgap.

MBQ

[Peter Parry]

If you want to use plywood rather than the much smoother MDF then a good smooth surface for paint can be achieved by using car body filler applied with a steel scraper and sanded down afterwards.

If you use an angle grinder for the sanding (not really recommended unless you like a rustic finish) you will have managed to use the two universal uk.d-i-y solutions to all problems in one project.

[The Other Mike]

Did you really mean to say that?

[Huge]

It's dennis. I expect the medication is wearing off.

[dennis]

Yes.

But to be more specific, this looks good

claims to make stuff like MDF magnetic and black.