I have to admit, a good whiteboard is one of my absolute favorite things in the world. While I absolutely spend all kinds of time writing in text editors, and other digital medium (and have tried just about every tablet/digital/smart-pen replacement for dumb-pens and paper) there is something about how easy it is to work at a whiteboard, especially collaboratively. Maybe it’s good memories of doing work at the board in HS Math.
At home, I recently moved into a new apartment that has a slightly > 8′ long wall space right by the entry. While *clearly* too tight for me to want to put furniture on that wall, the space is *screaming* for a large whiteboard. One of my prime criteria is project/bucket-lists though – so I do expect items to stay up on the board for potentially a *loooooong* time. Looking at options, it seems like we have can figure out something:
- Actually buying a whiteboard – about $300 for a melamine one, and $4-500 for one made out of porcelain which should last longer (though given I don’t use it all the time, melamine would probably be fine)
- IdeaPaint – about $100-150, which I have used in offices before, and am a big fan of, but unfortunately requires *really* flat wall surfaces – and not sure it’s worth sanding and re-painting for the small number of blemishes (that absolutely will bother me). There are of course cheaper options – even Sherwin Williams seems to be getting in the game, but those seem to have mixed reviews
- Mark R Board – the paper guys (Georgia Pacific) – a sample at: http://blog.listia.com/2010/06/08/diy-white-board/
- Bathtub Reglaze Kit – about $30, plus something for probably a board or the like – seems like this is also a valid refinish strategy -Â http://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Shower_Board_as_a_white_Board
- IKEA Hacking – about $120 to use a TORSBY glass-top table, picture ledge, and some mirror hangers. Example with pictures at: http://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/01/not-expensive-glass-whiteboard.html
- White Tile Board – about $20 at Lowes, and even a bunch of comments that it’s a great DIY whiteboard, though some other people have posted notes about it not *quite* being the same, and definitely seeing ghosting if you leave writing on it for more than a few days
- Decals. http://www.incrediline.com/category-s/1819.htm has some fascinating pre-printed ones – baseball fields, maps, graph paper – that seem really interesting. http://mywhiteboards.com/opti-rite-easy-60.html also has some
Across the different options I have to admit, I think I’m almost definitely going to look into the glass tabletop – I have lusted after that look for a while, and this looks like by far the most reasonably way to get there I’ve seen so far, will post pics once I get something up.
… and then I can build one of these:Â http://www.cnet.com/news/3d-printed-plotclock-writes-the-time-on-a-tiny-whiteboard-every-minute/ 🙂
Searching for an ideal home whiteboard
I have to admit, a good whiteboard is one of my absolute favorite things in the world. While I absolutely spend all kinds of time writing in text editors, and other digital medium (and have tried just about every tablet/digital/smart-pen replacement for dumb-pens and paper) there is something about how easy it is to work at a whiteboard, especially collaboratively. Maybe it’s good memories of doing work at the board in HS Math.
At home, I recently moved into a new apartment that has a slightly > 8′ long wall space right by the entry. While *clearly* too tight for me to want to put furniture on that wall, the space is *screaming* for a large whiteboard. One of my prime criteria is project/bucket-lists though – so I do expect items to stay up on the board for potentially a *loooooong* time. Looking at options, it seems like we have can figure out something:
Across the different options I have to admit, I think I’m almost definitely going to look into the glass tabletop – I have lusted after that look for a while, and this looks like by far the most reasonably way to get there I’ve seen so far, will post pics once I get something up.
… and then I can build one of these:Â http://www.cnet.com/news/3d-printed-plotclock-writes-the-time-on-a-tiny-whiteboard-every-minute/ 🙂