A poor man's white board

[thehuckster]

Sort of a self-sighting, although I don't consider myself an SC, just weird.

As someone who is very visual and likes to draw on large mediums, I've always loved white boards. I worked in software while at university and the office had a THREE huge (around 10'x5') white boards that were always filled with stuff. Afterwards I wanted to have something like that in my own home-office, but after looking at the prices (those kinds of whiteboards can cost hundreds of dollars), I decided on my own solution.

I bought 8 very large piece of poster board ($1 each) at Staples, got some dry-erase markers, and then went to the copy center and asked if I could have them laminated.

The look on her face was a combination of concern, confusion, and near-panic.

Her: "Bu-- but... but... there's nothing on these sheets! You know that after it's laminated you can't add stuff to it?"

Me: "I'm fully aware. This is my way of building my own cheap whiteboard."

Her: "...huh? I don't understand."

Me: "The laminate material works similarly to the glossy surface of a whiteboard. You can draw on it with dry erase markers and erase it."

Her: "We have whiteboards for sale, though!"

Me: "Yes, but they're extremely expensive. This is just something cheap. Heck, I can even roll them up if I wanted to."

Her: "I don't understand, but it seems like you do."

She then went to the machine, and got to work, although it looked like she was hesitant the whole time, as if I had asked her to laminate a kitten. In 5 minutes she was done.

Her: "So, here they are. As you can see, it's still all white, with nothing on it. I really don't see the point of all this."

I took out my marker to demonstrate.

Me: "See? You put the marker on the surface, and it works just like a real whiteboard."

Her: *shakes head* "...I still don't get why you want to do that. We already have whiteboards."

The total price for the whole thing, including markers, came to about $30... and while it wasn't as good as a white board (it sometimes still stained a bit if you left marks on it for a while), it was well worth the money. This was a few years ago, and I still use it to this day.

[Jay 2K Winger]

That's actually a cool idea, and something I wish I'd thought of before I bought a whiteboard for myself.

My whiteboard, however, is just there for me to draw stuff on. I've had various snarky commentary on the weather, and now draw pop culture-related things.

In the past few weeks, I've had...

• Turbo from "Wreck-It Ralph" ("turbo-tastic!")
• Frowning Grinch ("Decorate? For Xmas? NO.")
• Evil Grinning Grinch ("You're a mean one...")
• Strax from Dr. Who and the moon from Majora's Mask ("I have declared war on the moon!")
• Harry Dresden ("Q: Will Harry Dresden ever catch a break? A: No he won't." "(sigh) Story of my life")
• A set of glaring eyes ("SOON.")
• A Dalek ("EXTERMINATE")

I don't have pictures of most of them, because I'd need to take the whiteboard home to take the picture. (No cameras allowed in The Client's secure facility.)

[dalesys]

My daughter and I spent a hot August afternoon painting the cupboard doors of her classrom with whiteboard paint... so she could do Big Science! on the poor little 7th graders.

[Pixilated]

Great idea, thehuckster! I must keep that in mind!

I also like the "blackboard paint" that's out there now -- first saw it in a friend's house and was kind of until she explained what it was. Dalesys, I'll keep the whiteboard paint in mind as well. Great ideas!

[fireheart]

My boyfriend wanted to cover his desk in whiteboard paint.

I said that if we ever move in together and buy our own house, he can do it in his man-cave

(I'm going to do a feature wall in my office with a blackboard so it can be drawn on and used as a memo board)

[FenigDurak]

I'm contemplating the magnetic paint myself. Love me some magnets.

[PepperElf]

The total price for the whole thing, including markers, came to about $30... and while it wasn't as good as a white board (it sometimes still stained a bit if you left marks on it for a while), it was well worth the money. This was a few years ago, and I still use it to this day.

hey sometimes DYI is a lot cheaper than Done-for-you items.

that sounds cool - and quite creative.

[Eevie]

That's genius! I think I might actually try it at some point! And seeing as my mom's a teacher, I could probably get her to laminate for free!

[CoffeeMonkey]

The total price for the whole thing, including markers, came to about $30... and while it wasn't as good as a white board (it sometimes still stained a bit if you left marks on it for a while), it was well worth the money. This was a few years ago, and I still use it to this day.

If you haven't, try one of those all-purpose cleaners with vinegar (windex makes one.) spritz, let sit, and wipe. A regular home-made vinegar cleaning solution should work, too. It's what I use to clean my gaming mats, and takes the marker off better than anything else I've tried. Also works great on vinyl mats.

[Sparky]

More expensive than poster board, but less expensive than whiteboard: Solid white vinyl wall paneling. It's designed for kitchens and bathrooms, and comes in 4' X 8' sheets.

[ADeMartino]

More expensive than poster board, but less expensive than whiteboard: Solid white vinyl wall paneling. It's designed for kitchens and bathrooms, and comes in 4' X 8' sheets.

Laminated Masonite. It's actually what dry-erase whiteboards are made of, and it is available in colors, as well - in case you want to depart from the common white. You can get it at almost any home-improvement store.

I built one out of this stuff a few years ago, and rather than have the typical boring rectangle, I made it in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head (for my daughter), with cork boards for the 'ears'.

I do like the OP's idea, though. The notion of a large-size, inexpensive whiteboard that you can roll up and take with you has a certain appeal - and the price certainly was right.

[EricKei]

It's what I use to clean my gaming mats, and takes the marker off better than anything else I've tried. Also works great on vinyl mats.

Covering stuck-on dry-erase markings with more dry-erase often works, too. The "ink" contains a solvent that dissolves dry-erase "ink", which, I presume, is part of how it works in the first place.

[CoffeeMonkey]

Covering stuck-on dry-erase markings with more dry-erase often works, too. The "ink" contains a solvent that dissolves dry-erase "ink", which, I presume, is part of how it works in the first place.

Indeed! You can even take SHARPIE off a dry erase board with enough scribbling. SCIENCE!

[mhkohne]

Glass can also work as a whiteboard, but it's expensive (when sold as a whiteboard). But doors and tabletops made of glass are often much cheaper, especially at the Ikea scratch-n-dent department.

[Ghel]

Hubby made our gaming table out of masonite. He even took the time to make a 1" grid out of auto pinstriping in the middle of the table, leaving about a 1' section around the outside for character sheets and notes. It's huge, though, and will probably never come out of our basement.