REMARKABLE'S WHITEBOARD PAINT BLOG

10 tips for applying whiteboard paint

Home / News / 10 tips for applying whiteboard paint

These top 10 tips for applying whiteboard paint will summarize and cover all that you need to know to have the perfect whiteboard wall before you even mix the 2 part dry-erase coating.

10 tips for applying whiteboard paint

Tip 1.

Smooth whiteboard painted walls erase better.

The smoother and more even your wall is to the touch, the more easily it can be written on and erased after the application of our premium whiteboard paint. This means that you will need to produce as flawlessly smooth a finish as possible on your wall. To do so you’ll need to remove any irregularities in your surface such as scratches, nicks, and bumps, no matter how small. This can ensure that writing and drawing on the wall after the whiteboard paint installation will be uniformly even and that erasing will be complete without showing any spots or lines. For this purpose, it’s handy to use a drywall pole sander to give the wall a thorough sanding with 200-250 grit paper, thus ensuring that you will have a completely smooth surface before you begin painting. Then wipe off your wall with a moist microfiber cloth or towel and let the surface dry completely before applying a base coat or the whiteboard paint.

Tip 2.

Use the right tools for the whiteboard paint application.

When installing our whiteboard paint, be certain to make use of a full-sized 9″ microfiber paint roller sleeve with a 1/4″ or 3/8″ nap, and not a 4” mini roller sleeve. Avoid using a foam roller sleeve or other types of synthetic roller cover as these types of roller sleeves apply paint in thin coats, and this is not appropriate for the application of our top-quality whiteboard paint.

Tip 3.

Prep your paint roller before applying whiteboard paint.

Before installing our whiteboard paint, the ideal procedure is to get rid of any surplus lint from your paint roller by wrapping it with two-inch masking tape in a spiral motion from top to bottom, making sure to wrap every bit of the roller cover. After you’re certain that the roller sleeve is completely wrapped in tape, slowly and carefully undo the masking tape from the sleeve, and as you do so the tape will remove any surplus lint. When you have finished taking off the tape, the extra lint will have disappeared from the roller sleeve. This process needs to be completed before the two components of our whiteboard paint are blended together.

Tip 4.

A white dry-erase wall must start with a pure white base coat.

The white version of our top-quality whiteboard paint has to be installed over a substrate of no color other than true white. If other colors are present as base coats, when the white paint is applied, an irregular appearance may result after the paint has cured, thus making your whiteboard surface less visually appealing and possibly harder to use.

Tip 5.

Relative humidity must be lower than 50% to ensure proper curing of the whiteboard surface.

The relative humidity in the room where our whiteboard coating is to be installed must be lower than 50%. This is an important point to consider before attempting to apply our premium whiteboard paint because too much water vapor in the ambient air can affect the paint’s ability to dry properly and in turn affect the appearance and erasability of your whiteboard wall after the paint has cured.
Tip 6.

Commercial grade whiteboard paints are impervious coatings.

When choosing the sheen of your base coat, a product designed specifically for whiteboard paints such as our top-quality base coat is the ideal option. Water-based satin eggshell enamel, semi-gloss enamel or high gloss enamel paints are also workable as undercoats. However, if you plan to use a product other than ours for your base coat, it’s important to thoroughly check the contents to make sure that it does not contain ingredients that could cause an adverse chemical reaction when whiteboard paint is applied as the topcoat. Impervious coatings are key to longevity and easy erasability however If you’re the least bit uncertain about whether the base coat you’re considering is compatible with our whiteboard coatings, you can contact our customer support representatives @ 800-936-2159, as they keep a list of suitable substitute base coats.

Tip 7.

Whiteboard paint dries best at 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit.

The prevailing room temperature should remain at a constant 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 25 degrees Celsius) during the 48-hour curing period after your whiteboard paint is applied. While installing your whiteboard paint, the ambient temperature should be between 65° and 85°Fahrenheit (18o to 29o Celsius). Before application, it’s a good idea to let the contents of your whiteboard paint containers acclimate to the room temperature of 65°F – 85°F for at least 24 hours. In colder climates, the acclimatization process for the container contents will take longer.

Tip 8.

Gently and thoroughly mix parts A and B for the intended area of coverage. (No more no less.)

Use a clean stirring stick to gently but thoroughly blend components A and B of the whiteboard paint formulation for three to four minutes in a clean container that has a capacity a little larger than the amount of product you plan to use. Blend and fold in the parts for three to four minutes right before you apply the mixture, and make sure to avoid shaking the bottles for part A and part B beforehand. Remember that you have just 40-45 minutes to use the whiteboard paint coating after it’s been mixed, so before mixing you should accurately estimate how long it will take to complete the application to avoid doing a botched installation and wasting your time and money.

Tip 9.

Avoid whipping bubbles into the dry-erase mixture.

Avoid using a power drill with a mixer attachment or a strong swirling motion by hand when you’re blending the two parts of the whiteboard paint product together. These rapid actions can cause too much air to enter the mixture and cause bubbling while the product cures, thus compromising the sheen and quality of your surface. Instead, gently but thoroughly blend the two parts together with a mixing stick until you achieve a uniform consistency and then carefully pour the mixture from its container into your paint rolling tray. As mentioned, your mixture has a so-called “pot life” of approximately 40 to 45 minutes so you will have to keep this in mind and work efficiently as you apply the paint after it’s mixed. Next, you can begin working while maintaining a wet edge during the course of the painting process by cutting in with a sponge brush as you paint, one section at a time.

Tip 10.

If applicable, cut in your corners, top, and, bottom first.

Two-inch sponge brushes work especially well for cutting in the ceiling, floor, and corners of your room as you paint section by section of your surface. Cut in the first part of the wall that you will be coating, and then put a medium to heavy coat of whiteboard paint on that part of the surface. Next, cut in another section, roll paint onto that section, and so on, overlapping a bit each time, until you finish applying the coating on your whole surface.

While painting your surface, remember not to attempt to “stretch” or make the paint go further by applying it too thinly, and thus produce a poor quality whiteboard surface that will look uneven and not erase well. On the other hand, it’s also important to avoid applying the product too heavily, as this approach will produce drip marks after drying. You can apply generous amounts of the paint, but remember to catch any drips or runs that might occur while you’re painting. Trying to remedy drips by re-rolling over these areas at the end of the painting process can produce a botched application, so keep a close lookout for runs and drips as you roll on the coating.

Moreover, it’s important to avoid over working or backing up and painting over an area again after it’s already been coated once, because this will disturb the film-forming process as the coating dries. This practice is common with house painters using traditional indoor wall paint, but should definitely be avoided with our product, which is actually a coating rather than a kind of paint and does not have the same properties as “regular” paint. When over working is done with our product, an irregular and unsightly sheen is created that is difficult to erase cleanly. So if you have a little bit of whiteboard paint left over, refrain from adding more at the end of your work.

Thanks for checking out these top 10 tips for applying whiteboard paint…


 

Summary
10 tips for applying whiteboard paint
Article Name
10 tips for applying whiteboard paint
Description
10 tips for applying whiteboard paint. Check out this quick article and video to find out more...
Author
Publisher Name
ReMarkable Whiteboard Paint


Publisher Logo

Shop Remarkable

want to save 20% & get free shipping on your first whiteboard paint kit order?

Recent Posts

Loading
Home / News / 10 tips for applying whiteboard paint

Posted: November 21, 2019

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

css.php