Forget little dry erase boards, if you have large ideas you need a large whiteboard. With a can of whiteboard paint and about one hour you can have an entire Dry Erase Wall. Which is much cooler.
4 years ago I turned an entire wall in my office into a very large whiteboard calendar. And it still looks great. It hasn't made my ideas any better but at least all of my bad ideas are in one place.
My name is Karen and I like to write things down with pen and paper. I do a lot of this in my office to keep track of blog posts. I realize this puts me on par with someone who washes their clothes against a rock or still uses a DVD player, but I don't care. Even though I like technology and use FIVE Google home assistants in my house - I love a good hand written list or calendar. I like it even better on a wall.
I've tried using my iPhone for taking notes but it just isn't as convenient or effective. Whenever you watch a tv show that involves detective work or research, you don't see everyone writing their evolving notes and research on a tablet. They do it on a big wall so everything is easy to see.
At least that's the way it goes on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.
I painted an entire wall in my office with dry erase paint and haven't regretted it once. When my DIY dry erase wall is - erased - you can't even tell it's different than a regular wall.
I did this on a whim because I wanted to consolidate all of my lists and notes so that I could see ALL of them easily and quickly at a glance. I didn't want to flip through 4 notebooks and 2 wall calendars, plus whatever receipts, napkins or matchbook covers I've written stuff down on.
Beside my office desk I have a completely blank wall. So my first notion was to run to Walmart or Home Depot to buy a Dry Erase board. But ... that wasn't going to be big enough for all of my big ideas.
I did some searching and discovered that dry erase paint exists (it's also called whiteboard paint). It's the same idea as chalkboard paint but Dry Erase. A couple of companies make it but I went with Rustoleum Dry Erase for no particular reason. This isn't a sponsored post!
It's not a new invention, but it was new to me and that's all that matters. It was exciting enough for me to run out and get everything I needed to make an entire whiteboard wall in my office at that very moment.
Which sadly meant I had to leave my laundry only partially pounded on the rock, before running out the door.
My local hardware store had everything I needed and by that night I had an entire whiteboard wall for writing notes.
Table of Contents
What will it cost?
A dry erase wall is going to cost you about $25 if you're in the United States, and about $50-60 if you're in Canada. I can't explain the price discrepancy for those of us in the North but I can tell you even at $60 it's worth it.
Materials Needed
- Dry Erase paint (comes with 1 can of clear paint, 1 can activator)
- Paint brush
- Paint roller (foam or microfibre)
- Paint tray
- Stir stick
- Blank wall
Instructions
You need a smooth wall, so make sure you have that. Sand off any huge bumps and patch any holes.
- Mix the can of activator with a stir stick. It's the smaller can. Then pour the activator into the can of clear dry erase paint.
- Stir them together until they're completely mixed and emulsified.
- Pour your mixed can of paint into a tray. It will look white but once it dries it is completely CLEAR.
Because the dry erase paint is clear you can paint over any wall and still see your original wall colour under the clear Dry Erase coating.
(just make sure you buy the "clear" dry erase paint, it also comes in white)
- Cut in near the ceiling and edges. My office ceiling is VERY low so I knew I'd be able to write on the wall all the way up to the ceiling. If your ceilings are high you don't need to go that far up *but* there will a noticeable difference in the wall's finish because Dry Erase walls have a semi-gloss look.
- Carefully roll on the Dry Erase mixture making sure you cover every inch of the area you intend to use as a Dry Erase board. Make sure you do an even coat. If you're doing just a small portion of a wall, tape out the area you want to paint.
- Let the wall cure for 2-3 days (a week is actually better) and then get busy scribbling. And erasing.
See that black thing over to the left of the photo? That's my DIY walking desk. If you work at a computer a lot all day, you should make one too. Although since I got a dog I don't find I need to be forced to walk in my office anymore.
A microfibre cloth works best for wiping off dry erase marker, but a whiteboard eraser works as well. For ghosting or marker that doesn't wipe off with a cloth you need isopropyl alcohol. Dampen a cloth with 99% isopropyl alcohol and white the board to remove ghosting.
2 days is the absolute minimum you should wait before you use your dry erase board. It needs to cure and the length of time it takes to do that depends on the temperature of the room and the moisture in the air. Waiting a full week will give you the best results.
Using the board too soon (before it's fully cured) will stain it.
1, 473 ml can will cover approximately 30 square feet with 2 coats.
If for whatever reason you want to get rid of the whiteboard wall all you have to do is give it a light sanding (this helps paint adhere), wipe the sanding dust off and then paint it with a coat of primer and then your final paint colour.
If want to do this but you're worried because you feel like it's permanent or will ruin your wall - don't worry about it. Just do it. It doesn't ruin anything and I use mine ALL the time When I'm not pounding laundry on rocks that is.
Nope I can't carry it around with me like an iPhone. But I can't drop it in a toilet either.
→Go follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
shoshana leeder
I am so doing this after Passover!!! I'm techno disabled and this is beyond perfect. I wish it would work on fridge doors!
Jo-Lane Birkigt
I write on my fridge door all the time, have done for years. I just make sure to use erasable felt pens. My fridge door is pebbly so to get it off ( in the deepest parts ) I run water or use a brush dipped in water. The writing comes off instantly.
Lez
Jo-Lane Birkigt, is an erasable felt pen the same as a white board marker?
linda in illinois
FANTASTIC idea !! I love it.
Melissa
That's so great! I like seeing everything in front of me, too.
By chance, does the surface accommodate sticky notes?
I sometimes use them to organize (and rearrange) my thoughts or my "to do" items for a big project. Was wondering if this slick surface would prevent something stick from adhering. Either way, I will have my own dry erase wall area.
I love the way your brain works, and that you share it with the world <3
Karen
I just tested it for you Melissa and yup, sticky notes stick to it. ~ karen!
Linda S.
Great opportunity to create your own Basquiat. Then change it out for Cy Twombly. I love it!
Karen
LOL. Yes. Or you know ... stick figures and happy faces. ;) ~ karen!
renee ryz
Give me my calendars and sticky notes any day. Heck my Mom still watches VHS tapes. Tried to buy a new VHS player for her, and they are priced like when they first came out! $400.00!!! Sometimes new technology does not always mean it is better. I say do what works for you!
I have a dry erase board attached to the side of my downstairs freezer with the contents, so that when I take out a chicken or roast, I can change the # on the board so I know what is in there without rummaging. Thought myself brilliant for that one.
Now, question is could this stuff be used on a varnished light colored wooden closet door?
Barb
Hey Karen - Great idea! But I have noticed that with my dry wipe boards that if I leave anything on for too terribly long that it becomes semi-permanent. You can still see the "Ghost of Writings Past" and I am wondering if the wall would be the same? Please do a followup in the future and let us know, as it does sound like a very cool thing to have. Thanks!
Karen
I think that's just the nature of the dry erase board, but that's what the isopropyl alcohol is for. A wipe with that and it comes up perfectly clean. ~ karen!
Barb
Well, Duh! I was so excited that I totally missed that part and now see that you used the word "ghost" too! LOL! Thanks! And really, is there anything that alcohol can't fix? Don't worry though, I won't drink it. :)
Jane S
We don't have a spare wall but have always used the side of our fridge as a white board. Lee Valley sells a stick on white board sheet that almost covers the whole side. Couldn't live without it.
Kate
OMG.
This could be life changing! I'm thinking of that pesky ever-accumulating groc list, that always gets left behind. Wow. Keep track on the white board, snap a pic on the way out the door to the store. We're too lazy to peck out a list on our smart phones and then remember that too.
Thank you!
Karen
That's what I used to do with the chalkboard I have on the inside of one of my cupboard doors. I'd write my grocery list, snap a pic and off I went. But NOW I have an even better solution. More on that in an upcoming post. ~ karen!
Susan Schneider
You crack me up~!
Elaine
Me again, Karen ... I forgot to comment on your upside down painting. I can’t recall the last name but is that the work of Sandra E? Can’t remember the spelling of her name. Every April at our local art auction, I look for her entries - they are such fun and your painting looks similar to her work.
Elaine
I still use good old paper and pen too, Karen, but REALLY love this fun idea. I like those gilt-framed chalkboards you see hung in the kitchen but I’d still have to rewrite my list on paper to walk to the grocery store! I’d look pretty stupid walking to Metro with a framed chalkboard under my arm! I love the idea that the original wall color still shows through ... genius! I’m now looking around to find a blank wall.
(Off subject ... not too long ago, you mentioned our local dollar store now takes credit cards. I had just discovered that a few days before your blog; great, isn’t it?! Although, I do find I spend more now - lol!)
Thank you for today’s post.
Beth
Elaine, take a photo of your list on the way out the door.
Elaine
Good idea, Beth, IF I owned a smart phone! I could do that with my iPad, though. (I only have an old fashioned basic cell phone for emergencies.)
Jenny
Neat! I, too, am rather old-fashioned--I tried doing a digital to-do list at work (my new boss tried to force me into it after expressing a snooty disdain for my paper to-do list) but it just doesn't work for me. They can pry my handwritten to-do lists out of my cold, dead hands.
At my old job, I had this great chart system with 2 big whiteboards so everyone in my workspace could see at a glace where we were at with our multiple ongoing projects/deadlines. Having an entire wall would have been AMAZING.
Garth Wunsch
Hah!!! I’m going to paint our entire house with this stuff and then my wife can wash walls to her hearts content and I will never have to paint again! Amen!
Karen
Perfect! ;) ~ karen!
Cheryl
When this type of paint first came out, it was so expensive and only available by one supplier (we ran a handyperson business and one of the businesses we did work for had white board walls). So glad it's on the shelves for us 'regular' people now! Love that it comes in clear and can just go over any colour wall.
Mary W
O GIRL! This is fantastic and I hadn't heard about this paint. I never tried to find it since cheaper models of dry-erase board just never fully erased so I assumed anything I did myself was doomed to fail. I can't wait to do this ESPECIALLY since you can buy it in clear. My daughter has a chalk board painted wall in her garage entry and loves it - so do the kids who write on it the most but white or another color is a huge improvement.
Mindy Northrop
Shut up. I've used this brand's chalkboard paint, but had no idea the dry erase existed. So fun!
Karen
I'm very glad to know I'm not the only one who was stunned by its existence. ~ karen!
Lori
Love this idea!! Never heard of the product before either.
On another note - where did you get your apron? I need one!
Karen
THAT is my favourite thing of all time. The Rough Linen pinafore. I have 3 and I use them for everything. ~ karen!
Heather
Great idea! Wish I'd known about this when my twins were toddlers (about 20 years ago). I'd have painted the bottom third of all my walls this way.
j
Great post--
Noticed your laptop and your watch/pedomiter. Will you be posting about them? Particularly interested in your selection process and satisfaction and suggestions.
Karen
Macbook Pro and Apple Watch (sport model). Both work great but I'm going off Apple products. They aren't what they used to be but as of yet there isn't an alternative. Part of their genius is that everything works seamlessly together. Tablet, phone, laptop, watch, Tv etc ... ~ karen!
Arlene Saunders
What a great idea!! But as a former resident of your area ... I am dying to know what the hell is going on with the Sydenham Road Bridge??? I can't quite make it out. Maybe you could write a whiteboard note about THAT news! And draw a picture!?!
Arlene Saunders
WTFalls ON
Chrissy
I found myself perusing the newspaper too, LOL.