How Long Does Whiteboard Paint Last?

Knowing how long your whiteboard paint might last is a good thing to know. The short answer is that it can last for years - just like a normal whiteboard. The longer answer is a bit more complicated.

How long will your paint last?

This is the better question to ask. It all depends on your specific usage scenario. Here are some things to find out about your surface to get a better idea of how long yours will last:

• Is the surface to be painted textured or smooth?
• Is there an intact base coat of paint on the surface?
• Will the surface be regularly erased?
• Will dry erase markers be replaced before they dry out?
• What will you use to erase from your painted surface?

How to make your dry erase surface last longer

Going over the questions laid out above, you can see that there are some areas that you need to take into account when trying to improve the longevity of your surface.
Having a textured surface can make it more difficult to erase, thus making you rub harder and more often in order to erase. This means that over time your surface will degrade faster than if you have painted a very smooth surface. This can take a long time to cause issues, but it does make a difference.

If you have a good base coat of paint already on your surface before putting down Thought Formula whiteboard paint you will be ensuring a solid and thick coating is put down on the surface. If you have a porous surface when painting the coating may end up thinner and not as durable.

Regularly erasing your surface helps maintain its integrity - like any whiteboard if you leave marks on it for long periods they become harder to erase and can cause you to spend more time and effort cleaning.

Using dry erase markers when they are drying out can take time off of the surface's lifetime. When the markers start to dry they become harder to write with and cause you to press down with more force. At the same time, the marker tip is getting more rigid and may actually scratch the painted surface.

Again, this takes time to cause degradation, but over time it will really shorten the lifetime of your painted wall.

Using a soft eraser (cloth or regular eraser) will help to maintain your surface. Try to stay away from items like paper towels.

Taking care of your whiteboard surface will help extend its life

If you take care over time you can make your whiteboard painted surface last for many years. The reason that no exact length of time exists as an answer is due to individual usage patterns. Follow the tips above to get the most out of your paint!

Can Whiteboard Paint Be Removed?

Something that many people ask about is whether or not Thought Formula whiteboard paint can be removed or painted over. The short answer is yes - you can restore your wall or other surface back to it's original finish quite easily.

Returning The Original Surface

Returning your wall to its original condition is as easy as painting over your whiteboard paint. This may require a primer base - this depends on the paint you want to apply as the final finish (check with the manufacturer of the paint).

If you have already applied your whiteboard paint you know how easy this is to do. All you need are the usual supplies:

• Drop cloth or old newspapers
• Low lint roller or other application method
• Paint tray
• Mixer

Most people have some paint around the home that matches their current colors, but if you don't you can take a sample in to a paint store and have them match it. Most home improvement stores also offer this service - call ahead and ask if there is a size requirement or if you can take a picture instead.

Why Remove Whiteboard Paint?

There are several reasons - the most common being that you are moving or selling your home or apartment.

The good news is that the cost of whiteboard paint and the cost of painting over it is still far less than the cost of a large traditional whiteboard. For a comparison of costs, see our previous post on the cost comparison of whiteboard paint and regular boards.

So, should you find yourself concerned about your whiteboard wall, just remember that it's an easy fix should you need to paint over it.

Whiteboard Wall Paint - Great For Students

Have you ever been working on an assignment and as you furiously work through formulas, diagrams, and thoughts, you find yourself writing on several pieces of paper? Maybe you have a whiteboard mounted on the wall, but as you get going you realize you are running out of space and start writing smaller, and smaller, and smaller, until you have no more room and have to resort to paper.

Most whiteboards are only a few square feet and our natural tendency is to write larger when using them. This adds up to not as much space as we might think - another reason to go ahead and cover an entire wall for use as a whiteboard. Of course, you might not need to cover from the carpet to the ceiling; depending on your particular layout it may be out of reach.

One of the main objections that students often have is that they are renting and don't own the house; they do not want to alter the walls. The good news is that Thought Formula whiteboard paint can be put up quickly, used for a long period of time, and when you need to move out you can primer and paint right over it. Just like that your wall is back to "normal".
Of course, you should check with your landlord or rental agency to ensure that you can make any changes, just remember that whiteboard wall paint is not a permanent change. It is quick, easy, and cheap to revert the wall back to the original look.
The next time you are running out of space and want to take the plunge into a wall of whiteboard awesomeness, come get your whiteboard paint!
If you want to know what the cost of a whiteboard wall looks like, check out our previous post on the cost breakdown.

Looking For Whiteboard Paint Ideas

Thought Formula is looking for whiteboard paint ideas. We have several projects lined up but would like to hear from you about what types of projects would be most interesting to see in more detail. 

If you are looking to start a unique project, contact us - we are interested in helping out custom projects by offering reduced pricing on Thought Formula whiteboard paint and supplies.

Applying Painters Tape For Whiteboard Paint Prep

One of the first steps in setting up your whiteboard paint project is to get the surface marked off with painters tape. This allows you to have a demarcation of the area you want to paint - even if you are painting an entire wall you will want to mask areas that might inadvertently get paint on them (outlets, floorboards, light fixtures, etc).

The process is very easy once you've done it. Watch the video below and then give it a shot yourself. 

You want to make sure you mark off the correct area with pencil (so you can erase it before painting - place the tape slightly off the marks so that you can reach them before painting. Alternatively, you can place the tape slightly over the marks and erase them after painting.

This was first posted on Thought Formula.

Does Whiteboard Paint Work?

Well, of course we are biased, but the short answer is YES! The main thing you need to keep in mind when considering Thought Formula whiteboard paint is to really think through the end application. 

The situations where whiteboard paint works really well is where you need to cover a very large area or have an unusually geometry (think corners or segmented walls). This is where traditional whiteboards will generally fail or be prohibitively costly. 

So, where might whiteboard paint not work the best for you? If you need a whiteboard that is the size of a regular whiteboard and would like to have it be "mobile" then going with a normal board is going to be your best bet. There is something to be said for being able to take down the whiteboard, although most people tend to leave them stationary for years at a time. 

Best use scenarios to make your whiteboard paint work for you is to place it in an area where it will be used regularly. Whiteboard paint reacts well to regular use and will stand up to the test of time. Like other whiteboards, erasing and using the surface without waiting weeks in between will help maintain the surface and keep "ghosting" and other surface defects from appearing.

The best question you can ask yourself before buying our paint is, "Does this whiteboard paint work for me?" - answering this question is the most important step. After knowing how and where you want to use it the answer will be pretty clear.

This article originally appeared on Thought Formula.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of whiteboard paint versus whiteboard wallpaper?

Whiteboard paint and whiteboard wallpaper have different intended uses. If you are interested in finding out what the advantages and disadvantages of whiteboard paint versus whiteboard paper are, then read on.

First things first - if you are not aware of what each product is:

• Whiteboard Paint: A paint that is applied like normal latex paint but results in a dry erase surface. This can be applied to almost any material and can cover corners and odd angles and geometries.


• Whiteboard Wallpaper: An adhesive backed material that is dry erase capable on the front side. You place the wallpaper onto a wall or other surface and carefully ensure it lays flat. Some types can be removed and replaced.

What advantages does whiteboard paint offer? There are two main upsides; you can cover any type of surface geometry and it conforms (follows) the surface. What does this mean for you? If you want to easily go around a corner or bend or have a non-flat wall (most home walls are NOT perfectly flat) you can use whiteboard paint and it will cover the surface without bubbles or imperfections.

Whiteboard wallpaper can be difficult to apply to non-flat surfaces and is not recommended for use in areas that have corners.

On the upside, if you are not wanting a permanent solution or want a smaller area covered, whiteboard wallpaper can be sized appropriately and in many cases is cheaper. If you keep in mind the surface quality issues. you may find that one is better than the other for your specific case - it's not that one or the other is always the best.

Want to learn more about whiteboard paint? Read the Thought Formula Blog.

Is Whiteboard Paint Cost Effective?

Let's skip the preamble and get to the nitty-gritty cost calculations:

Price Breakdown

Cost of 32 square feet whiteboard paint kit from Thought Formula: $79.99
Lowest price 8 foot by 4 foot whiteboard on Amazon.com: $258.00 (prices range from $258 up to over $700 for a porcelain material board)

Now, we aren't going to pretend that those are the only costs. If you do take the whiteboard paint route you will need a few supplies (although most people will have at least some of this in their home or office). Let's take a look at these additional costs:

• Painting kit (tray, rollers, brush): $6.97
• Painter's tape for masking off area to be painted: $3.53
• Drop cloth for protecting floor / carpet: $2.98

All of these prices were taken from Home Depot at the time of writing. These supplies total up to $13.48.
Anything else we might be missing? Well, most people can skip the drop cloth and use either old newspapers or an old sheet, but we wanted to include it for completeness. However, we do need to add one more thing - shipping. If you order whiteboard paint from Thought Formula we do have to ship it to you and we aren't going to pretend that it doesn't cost us anything! Shipping is a flat fee of $10.

What is the shipping cost for a large whiteboard from Amazon.com? It depends - some of the boards are offered via Amazon Prime and include shipping. Others have additional shipping charges (varies by product). For our price breakdown we'll assume that there is no shipping cost with a traditional whiteboard.

Price Per Square Foot

Now that we have our component prices, let's see how each one works out:
Traditional whiteboard: 32 square feet at a cost of $258 = $8.06 per square foot
Thought Formula whiteboard paint: 32 square feet at a total cost of $103.47 = $3.23 per square foot

Results

It's a pretty clear cost equation - using our whiteboard paint is a great way to save a lot of money when you want to have a large area dry erase surface. The savings and aesthetics really tip in our favor as the sizes get bigger and bigger. Most whiteboards larger than 32 square feet become prohibitively expensive and whiteboard paint really emerges as the clear winner.

Top 5 Whiteboard Paint Projects

So, you've got yourself some paint - or are at least thinking about it, and want to know what some of the great things you can do are? Well, we've got you covered. In no particular order, here are 5 great projects that you can do with whiteboard paint:

1. Make Your Desk Dry Erase

Ever wanted to jot down a quick note while at your desk? Couldn't find a notepad, a pen, or didn't want to leave the webpage or application you had open? If you had painted your desk you could grab a whiteboard marker and go to town! This is very easy to do and the process is the same as painting your wall. Many desk materials will work, although you should test a small area first if you are unsure.


2. Paint Your Cabinets

Have you seen the pictures of kitchen cabinets with chalkboard paint? Pretty nifty, but chalk can get messy. How about putting whiteboard paint on your cabinet(s) or on the inside of your pantry? Hang a whiteboard marker nearby and you have an easy to clean up place to list items to shop for, jot down a recipe, or inventory the shelves.

3. Garage whiteboard

The garage. The domain of tools, boxes, and a car or two. Well, if you spend any amount of time in the garage you will understand how useful whiteboard paint could be. You can grab a dry erase marker and jot down notes, draw out plans, or anything else without having to wash off your hands. Plan out your next woodworking project, car repair, or other job with ease.

4. Paint Your Walls!

Ok, this is what 95% of you want to do with whiteboard paint and for good reason. Painting a wall (or walls) with Thought Formula whiteboard paint can really change your home or office. It gives you a huge brainstorming or organizing surface for a fraction of the cost of a regular whiteboard.

5. Use It For Organizing

You can paint nearly any surface - even things like shoe boxes work. Use some whiteboard paint to cover the tops of a few storage boxes and you get a nice erasable surface that lets you catalog what you are storing and change it as necessary. No need for a label-maker or stickers that never come off all the way.
Of course there are more than 5 projects you can undertake with whiteboard paint - what will you do?

For more info on whiteboard paint visit Thought Formula.

How Much Time Does It Really Take To Paint Your Wall?

This is a pretty common question - most people first think that it won't take any longer than regular painting (which is true) but then starting to think more about it and for some reason they start to convince themselves that there must be some secret step that adds time and complications to the whole process! However, there really isn't anything time consuming or hard about putting whiteboard paint on your walls.

What part of painting your walls takes the longest? Just like a regular paint you will spend the most time waiting for the paint to dry and cure. For whiteboard paint you let the paint cure for several days before using it - this isn't really something that "regular" paint has listed as a step since you wouldn't be trying to do something like write on it.

Setup for painting your walls is fairly simple. If your walls are clean you can skip to outlining the area with painters tape to give it a sharp border, if desired. If your walls are dirty you want to give them at least a wipe down with a damp rag to get dust, dirt, and other junk off of the paint. This will help the whiteboard paint adhere and last longer. After wiping down your wall you want to give it a day or so to fully dry.

When you are ready to paint, mix the components together well and then let it sit to ensure all of the bubbles are out of the paint mixture. This is a great time to take care of the other details prior to painting.

After your walls are wiped down and ready to go, tape off the area you want to paint - be sure to use extra wide tape or put a couple of strips down; most people will have a hard time not crossing a 1 inch tape outline at least once while painting!

Putting down a drop cloth (or old newspapers) doesn't take more than a minute, and then you are ready to start painting.

Now that you are ready, go ahead and paint. After the first coat give the paint time to dry (about 1 hour) and then follow up with a second coat. After this you can peel your tape off, take away the drop cloth, and do any other general cleanup.

Time from start to finish? Depending on your skill as a painter it should take between 2 and 4 hours. An afternoon or an evening is easily enough time for the task. It's a small amount of time for the end result - a huge whiteboard on your wall.

This article was first posted on Thought Formula.

What It Takes To Make A Whiteboard Wall

 There are really only a few things you need to successfully turn a wall into a giant whiteboard:

• Whiteboard paint
• Painter's tape
• Low-lint roller or other low-lint applicator for paint (any home improvement store will have these)
• Paint tray or other area for spreading paint onto roller
• Drop cloth or newspapers for protecting floor or carpet
• Possible extras: stick for mixing paint, brush for touching up edges and corners, camera for taking pictures of yourself making an awesome whiteboard wall.

That's really all it takes. What is the total cost of the supplies you need in addition to the whiteboard paint? About $20. Not much at all - and if you have some of these supplies around your home or office you can cut the costs even further. Usually the item that most people have to buy is a paint roller with a decent low-lint roller head and some painter's tape. You can get these two items for less than $10 at a home improvement store like Home Depot.

Once you have your supplies together you just need an afternoon or morning to put on the paint. Make sure that your wall is clean and relatively smooth, have your paint mixed and settled, and go to work (read the full instructions here if you are interested). Once the first coat is down you can take a break and let it dry for about an hour and then put the second coat on. After that you can remove the tape and clean everything up. After the paint has cured for several days you are ready to go. That's it!

So - now that you know how to do it, what is holding you back? For less than $100 you could have your own whiteboard wall in your home or office.

What It Takes To Make A Whiteboard Wall first appeared on Thought Formula.