An old-school whiteboard may have its advantages, but what it always lacks in is size. Making an entire wall writable is a great alternative as it gives you and your students much more room for creativity and collaboration. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Now that you have decided that a writable wall is the way to go, you probably want to know how to make it happen. Today, we are going to share with you four ways to make your classroom wall writable.
1. Cover your wall with whiteboard
Cheap and cheerful. If you don’t mind a bit of DIY, you can have your wall covered with whiteboard for less than $15 for 32 sq. ft. Hardboard panel boards made of MDF with acrylic coating are available at Home Depot and other home improvement supplies stores. They are very light, so you can use heavy-duty double-sided tape to hang them on the wall. Unfortunately, it is not a good idea to use typical cleaners like Windex on it, as it will strip the surface, but if you mistakenly use a permanent marker, you can easily replace a panel. While plain white hardboard panel boards might not look like a masterpiece of design, it is a simple, cheap and undoubtedly creative solution for your classroom.
2. Paint your wall with dry erase wall paint
If the idea of sticking anything to your walls isn’t appealing, dry-erase wall paint is a popular method of turning a wall into a writable surface. There are various companies offering this product, so you have plenty of options to choose from. Most of these paints come in white, but if you wish to have your walls in a different color, several companies also sell transparent dry-erase paint that can be applied as a second coating on your painted wall. This method requires some labor from you, and the process is not always pleasant. Some dry-erase paints have a strong odor, others are hard to apply with a roller, and oftentimes you need a professional to do the work for you. Additionally, you have to wait at least two days before being able to use your new writable wall. The result is not always flawless either: many whiteboard paints leave ghosting, making the wall look dirty.
3. Go magnetic
If you want your writable wall to be magnetic as well, you can try magnetic dry erase wall panels or paint primer. The primer contains tiny pieces of pulverized iron which makes it magnetic. It sounds amazing, yet again, it’s far from perfect. It’s quite sticky and can be hard to apply, plus it’s rather dark, and oftentimes it takes more than two coats of paint to achieve a desired color. Not to mention, multiple coats negatively affect its magnetism which is not strong to begin with. You have to use strong magnets – and many of them to hold anything heavier than a piece of paper.
As for the magnetic dry erase wall panels, they do look good with their white porcelain-like steel surface, smooth and shiny with almost invisible seams. However, they require some work from you to install, as well as tools such as a stud-finder, level and hand-drill. These panels are also not lightweight by any means – one 4’ x 8’ panel weighs 50 pounds. The smallest panel is 46’’ x 46’’ with a price tag of $499 which makes it a serious investment.
4. peerhatch your classroom
This is one of the newest and most innovative ways to make your classroom wall writable. Imagine you could write on a custom wall mural that leaves no ghosting. With peerhatch, you can. It is a writable wall covering created with a patented technology that guarantees no staining. You can even use a permanent marker on it and wipe it off without a trace with just a spray of rubbing alcohol. The graphic layer infused in the surface is fully customizable, allowing you to drastically improve your classroom design. Of course, you can have it white, if you wish, but what about the periodic table in your chemistry lab? Or a map in your geography classroom? The possibilities are endless.
Moreover, peerhatch has no limits in size. With near invisible seams, you can cover a wall of any height and width. peerhatch is designed for high-traffic areas and frequent use, so it will serve your school a long time. The installation is quick and done by professionals, and you can start writing on the wall in a matter of hours.
Curious what peerhatch would look like in your school? Contact us, and we will be happy to create an image of your classroom with peerhatch for free. We are looking forward to hearing from you!