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• • • • •
Time
30 mins

Button Checkers Tutorial
I hardly remember how to play checkers, but I sure had fun making this cottage chic distressed checker board with button pieces! I was cleaning out my garage and stumbled across my current checker board--BORING and frankly, quite ugly!

So I made my own, and now you can too!

Posted by Little Miss Momma from U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, United States • Published See Little Miss Momma's 5 projects »
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  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 1
    Step 1

    I didn't have off-white paint on hand so I mixed tan with white to get my desired color.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 2
    Step 2

    Paint the plaque a thin coat of the white. You can even add a tiny bit of water to the paint to give it the white washed look.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 3
    Step 3

    I like that you can still see the wood grains through the paint.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 4
    Step 4

    A checker board is 8 squares by 8 squares {64 total squares}.
    You will need to measure off your boxes. Take the number of inches long of your plaque and divide it by 8. This will give you the necessary width of each of your boxes. For example: if your plaque is 6x6 inches, take 6 inches divided by 8 boxes and you get .75. This means each box will be 3/4 of an inch wide.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 5
    Step 5

    Use your ruler and pencil to mark off your measurements on all four sides.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 6
    Step 6

    Now connect all the lines.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 7
    Step 7

    Vertically too.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 8
    Step 8

    Once you have all your grid lines marked off you are ready to begin painting your squares.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 9
    Step 9

    In order to get straight lines you will need to tape off each box with painter's tape.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 10
    Step 10

    Use VERY little paint when painting in your colored boxes, otherwise the paint will more like run under the tape {and it won't look as distressed}.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 11
    Step 11

    Peel the tape off.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 12
    Step 12

    Then place over the next square.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 13
    Step 13

    Continue along.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 14
    Step 14

    Once you have all your boxes painted, make sure they have dried completely.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 15
    Step 15

    Take your sandpaper and begin to distress your checker board.
    Sand extra hard on the edges. I sanded enough to be able to see some of the original wood color.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 16
    Step 16

    See how much lighter my turquoise boxes are now?

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 17
    Step 17

    And you can see the wood grains {which I LOVE}.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 18
    Step 18

    Take your pencil and go over any remaining pencil lines.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 19
    Step 19

    Go over the checker board with the sand paper again to remove the excess eraser goopies.

    And there you have it!
    Your very own cottage chic checker board.

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 20
    Step 20

    Now you just need to pick out your favorite button checker pieces!

  • How to make a checkers game. Cottage Chic Distressed Checker Board - Step 21
    Step 21

    And check mate!
    Oh wait, that's chess...

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Comments

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs · Toronto, Ontario, CA · 3 projects
AWESOMMMMMEEEEE!!!!
Reply
Jennie K.
Jennie K. · Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, US · 1 project
I love your idea of using buttons as checker pieces!
Reply
Jennie K.
Jennie K. · Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, US · 1 project
I love your idea of using buttons as checker pieces!
Reply
Krystal K.
Krystal K. · Honolulu, Hawaii, US
I love all your crafts that you shared!!!!
Reply
Jet H.
Jet H. · Haarlem, North Holland, NL · 108 projects
what an awesome sweet lovely idea!!!
like it, thank you very much for the greate tute and the sharing;-D
Reply
Senevilla
Senevilla · 10 projects
My brother LOVES chess, and I think I could make one for his Birthday, but man it up a bit for him, lol
Reply
PJ
PJ · Avondale, Arizona, US · 96 projects
I love this, and yes the old boards are boring..lol
thank you for a brighter way.
pj
Reply
sporkyllama
sporkyllama · Melbourne, Victoria, AU · 3 projects
This is SO cute. My boyfriend taught me how to play checkers just last week. I must say, I prefer this board infinitely over the standard black and white Happy
Reply

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