Today I’m introducing you to a tool that you might already have in the garage & didn’t realize how useful it really is! The CHALK LINE!!!
I love Chalk Lines. I use them alot in my sculpting day-job. The basic use for it is to mark a straight line that can easily be erased! I use it whenever I have to hang shelves, or cut really long cuts with the saw. It’s so much better than marking up your walls with a pen or pencil!
It’s also great to draw really long lines. Have you ever tried to draw a really long line with a short straight-edge, then find that it gets all wonky & NOT straight? It would be perfect if you are feeling really creative & want to maybe paint some stripes or chevrons on your walls! Just snap the line & line up your masking tape!
You can get one of these handy tools at the hardware store for under $10 (don’t forget the chalk too!).
The proper way to use it is to mark a couple ticks at the measurement you want, hook the end onto the edge, line up the string with all the marks, pull the line tight, pull up the line away from the wall, let it go, & SNAP!
If you are alone or want to snap a line in the middle of the wall & don’t have a handy edge to hook off to, just use a piece of tape & tape it to the wall!
I used the Chalk Line to layout the frame work for my pegboard. This way I could line up all the edges of the framing wood straight, but without having to draw long lines directly on the wall.
I also use it to mark long cutting lines on wood or board. It gives you a bright line without using a sharpie that might bleed through once you paint it!!
That’s it! So easy to use! I think it’s the BEST way to draw a really long straight line.
