Pretty excited. Just finished making a chess board for my new set. I had an idea that a nice, deep red color would look really nice with this set, so I made a mock-up with paint.net.

Here's what I envisioned.


I went to Home Depot to buy some supplies. Spray paint, a yard stick, tape, polycrilic, some sandpaper, foam brushes, etc.

I got some plain particle board, too. Took it outside and painted the whole thing red. As soon as it dried, I couldn't wait to see what the pieces would look like on it. I drew the chess board grid lightly in pencil using the yardstick, and then put the pieces on it.



Half the light squares painted on. Have to wait for it to dry so I can tape over those and do the other half. Also, I found out that some of the paper I was using to cover the board was a little bit porous since there is a light haze on the near edge. That's something I could touch up easily, so not too big a deal.



With all the light squares done, I still needed to add the black border. The black border will make a big difference in keeping the eye contained to the action. Here is the board with only the border to go.



After adding the black border, there were a few errors to clean up. Finally, I added 3 coats of polycrilic for protection and to give it a little bit of shine.

I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out. No, it's not perfect, but I think it's beautiful and really works well with these pieces.

Please let me know what you think!

Looks awesome! I'm not normally a fan of red boards and something like your mockup looks way too high-contrast, but I like that tone and it goes really well with the pieces.

Wow, that looks beautiful!

I'm not a fan of red boards either. I also don't like high contrast. I felt like I was taking a risk by choosing these colors, but it seemed like it would work, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Thanks guys!

Gorgonian, how many boards have you made?
Did you figure it out yourself or was there a guide you used?

I've made a lot of boards, actually, but only 3 I wouldn't be ashamed to show off. I'm figuring it out as I go along. A lot of googling about how to apply polycrilic, wood stain, can you spray paint when the temperature is below freezing, that kind of stuff. The hardest part is waiting for stuff to dry before you can do the next step.

Just finished a blue one in the same style. 2.25" squares, 0.625" border (5/8"). Red one was 2.375" squares and 0.5" border.

Man, these are looking sharp!

Another spray paint board, with an extra border and more natural wood colors. My favorite so far.

Love that one! I always prefer natural wood colors. Great job!

That one is amazing Gorgonian!

that last one is great