Make your own dry-erase boards

[Packard]

Porcelain is the ideal surface for dry erase boards and the institutional dry erase boards (think "schools") are all made from steel that has a porcelain surface fired on it.

But you can easily make your own using 12" x 24" or 24" x 24" glossy porcelain tiles.  White works best, but I've used "marble" designs with very pale markings. 

These tile wipe perfectly clean.  I even am able to use "permanent" Sharpie markers on the tiles.  the permanent marking does require spraying with alcohol to clean the surface, but it will come perfectly clean. 

So, if you need a dry erase board, glue a tile to a backer board and apply a picture frame molding to the perimeter.

It probably should be mounted using a french cleat or a similarly robust mounting system.  Picture frame wire will probably allow it to move around too much. 

 

[hdv]

In the office we use glass sheets attached to the wall as whiteboards. Works great and looks good too. Easy to clean. The glass wasn't cheap, but that isn't a big surprise considering the sheets are seriously large and made from safety glass. I liked it so much I considered doing the same at home.

 

[Cheese]

I purchased the raw material from these people. It's erasable metal chalkboard and will also respond to magnets.
https://www.billyboardsmfg.com/collections/frameless-chalkboards

I made the frame out of ash and painted it with a rattle can to match the existing cabinetry.

[attachimg=1]

I routed a couple of magnets into the underside of the ash frame to hold the chalk holders & eraser. The Koh-I-Noor holders were chosen because they have internal mechanisms that are made from steel.

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I made a wooden holder for the eraser and routed magnets inside to align with the magnets in the ash frame.

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[Packard]

I remember when the chalk boards in school were made from honed large slabs of slate.  Then the artificial slate chalkboards came along.  They did not accept the chalk as well nor did they erase as well.

How well do those chalkboards work?

 

[Cheese]

I remember when the chalk boards in school were made from honed large slabs of slate.  Then the artificial slate chalkboards came along.  They did not accept the chalk as well nor did they erase as well.

How well do those chalkboards work?

I was pleasantly surprised with how well the Billyboard accepts chalk...can't tell the difference from the old school slate board.  [big grin]

The erasure though isn't as good as the slate or maybe it's the material used in modern erasers? Maybe modern erasers are made with recycled products? I take a damp cloth to the board every 3-4 weeks and that seems to work well.

Before I made this board the refrigerator was filled with sticky notes and pieces of paper held down with magnets...what a mess. I also use 2 different colors of chalk, one for items from the supermarket and a different color for all other items. I'd never go back to the way it was.  [smile]

 

[peter halle]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  Beautiful kitchen!  I should have known that your attention to detail and love of cooking would shine thru.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  Beautiful kitchen!  I should have known that your attention to detail and love of cooking would shine thru.

Peter

Thanks Peter, but just to put this into perspective here are a couple of before shots.

The original fridge was nestled next to the bump-out for the chimney which was at that time needed to exhaust the furnace and the water heater, this took up almost 30" of valuable space.

[attachimg=1]

However, once I installed a new furnace and then installed a Rinnai water heater, the chimney no longer needed to exist so down she went. That meant that room was now available to move the fridge over 30" which really gained us a ton of options for a small galley kitchen.

[attachimg=2]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

You can also buy 4'x8' sheets of HPL (plastic laminate) that are intended for this too. That what we use in the shop for temporary things. Lists of what to order, laminate inventory (check out) etc.

They also make one that is magnetic. Just don't cut it on your SawStop, at least without by-passing the mechanism.

 

[eschumac]

In the office we use glass sheets attached to the wall as whiteboards. Works great and looks good too. Easy to clean. The glass wasn't cheap, but that isn't a big surprise considering the sheets are seriously large and made from safety glass. I liked it so much I considered doing the same at home.

Ditto on glass. You can paint the back side of the glass whatever color you want.