$28 huge cheap whiteboards

559104213 C7F8Bdeeda
Chris shows you how to make some large cheap white boards...

...the same material that they make most commercial whiteboards out of is available at most big-box lumber stores like Home Depot for less than $15. "Showerboard", which is basically cheap plywood with a waterproof white plastic coating on one side. Its the same stuff that they make cheap showers out of - four walls of showerboard plus a cheap plastic base makes a decent stall. It also makes a great whiteboard.
How-To: Dirt Cheap Wall-Sized Whiteboards - Link.

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Jun 28, 2007 01:00 PM
DIY Projects | Permalink | Comments (10) | Email This | Bookmark and Share | Digg this!

Recent Entries

Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: MrCaN on June 28, 2007 at 2:38 PM

I made a huge white board using two of these sheets. I used particle board for backing on the cement wall. You can see all the details here:
http://www.cymek.com/?q=node/61


Posted by: Vrogy on June 28, 2007 at 4:08 PM

Neat, we do the same thing, but for some reason showerboard is cheaper here in Florida..
http://flickr.com/photos/vrogy/543224654/in/pool-grooveshark/


Posted by: ivansmearov on June 28, 2007 at 4:23 PM

"four walls of showerboard", eh? You must have a pretty sweet shower...do you climb in from the top? If so, please post pictures, I'd like to see that.


Posted by: mgrusin on June 28, 2007 at 5:17 PM

Caveat Maker. I tried this a few years ago, and found that these become unerasable if you leave the markers on for more than a week or two. Definitely not as good as commercial products, which come in two grades, $$ (melamine) and $$$$ (porcelain). Been thinking about "dry erase wallpaper" made by several manufacturers for floor-to-ceiling meeting rooms, but it's not cheap either.


Posted by: fogboy on June 28, 2007 at 9:12 PM

We've never seen "showerboard," but for several years we've been using Melamine Tile Board and found it to perform exactly the same as commercial whiteboard, in that if dry-erase is left on either for more than a week or two, it must be removed but simply by going over the letters/images with fresh dry-erase and wiping clean.


Posted by: MrCaN on June 29, 2007 at 9:42 AM

Also if a "stain" sets in just use windex to get it off.


Posted by: bill_mcgonigle on June 29, 2007 at 12:44 PM

mgrusin is right, these do get shadows on them. I've used one for a few years and there's a bit of history on them - I haven't tried Windex yet.

Here they were just under $10 at Home Depot. I had some trouble finding them recently for a new whiteboard, but they were in the aisle with the mouldings. They will do 1 or 2 cuts for free on the panel saw, and that's the right tool for the job.

If I ever get tired of the shadows I'll get a new one for another $10. A board this size in a fancy boardroom is > $300.


Posted by: Cody Taylor on October 15, 2008 at 1:03 PM

Lexan Dry-Erase

A teacher at my school has a commercial white board mounted right next to a piece of showerboard. And the whiteboard definitely erases better than the showerboard.

I wanted a small white board to put in my room, but didn't want to buy one. Knowing the cons of showerboard I bought a 2'by 3' piece of 1/16" lexan from the local hardware store, and spray painted the backside of it white. I used stainless hardware to mount it. I must say, it works rather nicely.


Posted by: Kam on October 31, 2008 at 11:17 AM

What a rip

I have a whiteboard already but I'm looking for something much bigger. I just can't seem to fit entire solutions on my tiny whiteboard. Anyways, I read your post and I figured, this is great and cheap. Let me just tell you how upset I am right now. First of all I live in Toronto Canada. Today after school, I go to Home Depot and look for the specific tileboard... OK, I find it... great... I look at the price... $70 for a 4x8 piece!!! Solid White Tileboard $70!! What the hell is wrong with this country? I told the salesperson and he was going on for about 30min about how we are getting so ripped off in this country. Anyways, that totally ruined my friday project.


Posted by: Kam on October 31, 2008 at 11:20 AM

Upset

I have a whiteboard already but I'm looking for something much bigger. I just can't seem to fit entire solutions on my tiny whiteboard. Anyways, I read your post and I figured, this is great and cheap. Let me just tell you how upset I am right now. First of all I live in Toronto Canada. Today after school, I go to Home Depot and look for the specific tileboard... OK, I find it... great... I look at the price... $70 for a 4x8 piece!!! Solid White Tileboard $70!! What the hell is wrong with this country? I told the salesperson and he was going on for about 30min about how we are getting so ripped off in this country. Anyways, that totally ruined my friday project.


Leave a comment


Subscribe to MAKE!Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

Subscribe today, save 42% and get web access to MAKE free. MAKE Digital Edition is available only to subscribers.

$34.95 / 1 year
(4 Quarterly Issues)

Subscribe now

How-to videos for Makers and Crafers!


Void your warranty, violate a user agreement, fry a circuit, blow a fuse, poke an eye out... Welcome to the Make Blog!

Features and more @ MAKE!

Maker shed - cool stuff to make!
Stop by the Maker Shed store and check out THE place for open source hardware, Arduino & Arduino accessories, electronic kits, science kits, smart stuff for kids, back issues of MAKE & CRAFT, box sets, books, robots, kits from Japan and more.

Add MAKE to iGoogle - GoogleGoogle.
Add MAKE to your RSS reader - Real simple.
Add MAKE on Twitter.
Add MAKE on FriendFeed & the MAKE room.


Advertise here with FM.

Why advertise on MAKE?
Read what folks are saying about us!

Click here to advertise on MAKE!

Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

Makezine authors!


Suggest a Site!

Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor
Tel: 707-827-7311
Twitter / AIM

Gareth Branwyn
Jonah Brucker-Cohen
Collin Cunningham
Marc de Vinck
Kip Kay
Luke Iseman
Patti Schiendelman
Becky Stern
Mike Dixon
Peter Horvath(intern)


Current Podcast

itunesdl.gif The Best of Maker Faire Austin 2008 Check out all the fun and excitement at this year's Maker Faire in Austin, Texas. People from all over the world came to experience this amazing event. Take a look at some of the highlights and make plans to... More...

Get the Make blog sent via email

Enter your email to receive the Make blog each day:



WOW! Thanks to everyone involved with Maker Faire Bay Area and Maker Faire Austin in 2008: attendees, makers, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, and crew...it was an AMAZING year! Over 1,000 Makers and 87,000+ attendees total! Be sure to check out the photos @ Flickr, and our Maker Faire posts for all the action! Check back for dates for 2009 soon!

Make Categories

www.flickr.com
photos in MAKE More photos in MAKE Flickr Pool
www.flickr.com
photos in Craft More photos in Craft Flickr Pool

Advertise here.
Why advertise on MAKE?
Read what folks are saying about us!

Click here to advertise on MAKE!
Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

Recent Posts from the Craft: Blog

Recent Posts from the Hackszine Blog