Multi-Layered White board
I’ve been meaning to make my own dry erase board for a while. I like using white boards for laying out websites, making todo lists and things like that. My goal was to make something that was functional but also something that looked nice. I decided that when I used large white boards I found myself sectioning off areas for different projects. Iwould line off one area to make a todo list, another for a site and then another for a different site. I thought it would be a good idea if the board was just sectioned for me. I sort of modeled my sections off of 11 x 17 paper. I have 4 11 x 18 sections and the section in the middle is 18 x 16. Each section has two pieces of panel board on it and the original magnetic / dry erase surface is behind that, so I have 3 layers if I need them. The other cool thing about this white board is that I can move the sections and take them to different areas of my home. I can grab a panel from the center and go work in my living room or kitchen if I need to.
Construction Process:
My first draft started with joining 2 pieces of pine board in the garage to give me a nice looking surface that was about 2ft by 6ft. I only decided to join pine because I had some, I would recommend starting with a nice piece of plywood. It will save time and money. After the join was completed I decided to stain the pine to give it a darker color.
After reading several posts on lifehacker about magnetic paint and dry erase paint I decided this would be the way to go.
Magnetic Primer:
Rustoleum makes a magnetic primer available from Home Depot for about $20 per pint. When you pick up the can you realize that their is a ton of metal in it because the can is really heavy. You then have to mix this metalish tar from the bottom into the paint solution to get something about the consistency of hot tar. All this was ok, but when I put the tar on my board it wound up adding quite a bit of texture to the surface. This is really not optimal for dry erase boards. I tried to sand down the texture to get a smoother surface but the other problem is that you need a pretty thick coat of this primer built up before you get any magnetic surface. The instructions on the can say you need at least 3 coats before it will work. I wound up putting on 4 or 5. The other thing you find once you are finished with this is that you don’t get a strong magnetic surface, the strength is about like sticking a refrigerator magnet to your fridge through a legal pad; it will hold the magnet in place, but not much else.
Dry erase Paint:
Dry erase paint is actually pretty cool, also about $20 at home depot. With Dry Erase paint you need to work quickly. The paint is like a 2 part epoxy, once mixed you get around 2 hours of useful paint. The paint also advises that you use 3 coats for a good surface. My project didn’t require all of the paint to get done, so I painted the inside of a few doors in the garage. These surfaces turned out great, my magnetic primered board…. less great.
- Painted area has a slight texture
Plan B:
The resulting surface would have worked for a board that was lightly used, the surface allows for writing and erasing fairly well, but it would have become pretty crappy pretty quickly. The smooth doors in the garage will be good for quite a while. Instead of throwing away my work so far, I decided to buy panel board to use as a dry erase surface.
Panel Board:
Panel board is dirt cheap $11 for a 4ft by 8ft sheet, and makes an excellent dry erase surface. I cut out sections of panel board to match the areas I painted on originally. Then I cut some dowel to use as hangers. If you skip all of the misc painting steps and just stain a piece of cabinet grade plywood this white board could probably be produced for under $60 (depending on the plywood)
I’ve been making a cool custom whiteboard for my home office, but keep thinking. I wish it was more simple to digitize what I write on the board. Using evernote and a digital camera works well, but its not the same as a digital surface. I have been thinking about a children s toy called a magna doodle and wondering if there is any way to digitally manipulate or scan weather each cell is filled or unfilled in an efficient way. If this were possible then it would be really simple to digitize large surfaces that don’t require superfine resolution. I think of white boards, classrooms, architectural plans and things of that nature.
The new Kindle device from amazon is completely amazing looking. I presently own the sony PRS-505 and can justify that device vs a kindle because of the price and pdf functionality in exchange for not having the integrated 3g provided with the Kindle. The DX, however, is a completely different story. Amazon now has the best device hands down as well as the most access to content and best delivery method. This is the trifecta of death for anyone entering this space. Not to mention being first to market.
