How to Restore a Whiteboard: Proven Method to Bring It Back to Life

How to restore a whiteboard is a common question among educators, office managers, homeowners, and business people. If you own a traditional framed whiteboard, this issue has doubtlessly come up when your board gets discolored after a period of use. The most common types of whiteboards, which are made of melamine-coated particleboard, are not durable.

Although they may be the most inexpensive types of whiteboards with respect to up-front cost, melamine-coated whiteboards require the most intensive maintenance, degrade quickly, and must be replaced often. So, over the long haul, using melamine whiteboards is not cost-effective.

Melamine is one of the least pricey types of whiteboard surfaces, but it’s also considered one of the lowest quality whiteboard materials. Melamine boards are susceptible to smudging, warping and degrading early in their life spans. The warping of melamine boards can be credited to the sparsely painted wood construction used in melamine products.

These boards also tend to acquire a gray, cloudy appearance after just a short stretch of use. However, they can easily be restored with premium whiteboard paint. In this way, you will produce an attractive, durable, and smudge-resistant writing canvas that is guaranteed to provide ten-plus years of reliable service.

I. Understanding Why Whiteboards Deteriorate

The surfaces of conventional melamine whiteboards are always at risk of wear, deterioration, and discoloration through constant contact with dry erase marker ink and erasers. Such surfaces grow increasingly rough over time with regular use, creating tiny ink-filled grooves that are hard to clean out completely. Also, the melamine material reacts chemically with the ink so that little by little the ink dissolves the melamine and sets in.

As a result, the chemical binders in the ink steadily erode the surface of a melamine whiteboard. This process leads to a gray, dingy appearance that can’t be entirely removed. Once a melamine board has been in place for a while, and if the dry erase markings have been left on for too long, they’re really hard to get rid of. 

In such cases cleaning agents won’t work, and fresh ink marks are also extremely hard to erase.  At this point, the whiteboard is no longer functional, and it’s time to get a new board. Such permanently stained whiteboards are often discarded. However, doing so adds large quantities of non-biodegradable waste to the world’s already burgeoning landfills and so damages the environment.

II. How to Restore a Whiteboard:  DIY Approaches

Replacing a whiteboard is a burdensome, time-consuming task, but restoring a whiteboard can be a simple process that requires much less time and effort. Many brands and varieties of restoration options are available. And narrowing down the choices can be tricky. For example, some websites recommend using toothpaste, baking soda, isopropyl alcohol, or WD-40 separately or in combination to get the job done.  

Such methods may be effective for a short time. However, the resulting clean-looking whiteboard will quickly get soiled and stained again. A much more intelligent approach is to coat the old surface with top-quality whiteboard paint. As mentioned, doing so will give you an eye-catching and highly stain-resistant writing canvas that is guaranteed to last for ten or more years of regular use.

III. The Best Product for Whiteboard Restoration

You can easily use top-quality whiteboard paint to repair an unusable whiteboard. In this way, you’ll save the time, energy, and money involved in buying and installing a new board. The paint comes with an application kit that includes two parts, A and B, a roller handle, several microfiber roller sleeves, and a stirring stick. These are all the items you’ll need to apply the coating like a professional.

Premium whiteboard paint is available in both a white and a clear version. The clear paint is designed to create writable surfaces on walls or other areas of any color. Given that your goal is to restore a whiteboard that is full of stains and dark areas, it’s better to go with the white variety.

Before beginning to paint, doing a light sanding to scuff the surface is important. Afterward, you can tape off the whiteboard’s frame with painter’s tape or masking tape to avoid over-painting. You should then follow up by applying ReMARKable Tintable Base Paint. Otherwise, you can use a type of white primer that is specially intended for use on melamine, porcelain, glass, or whatever other material your board is made of.

If you choose to apply a coat of ReMARKable Base Paint, do so according to the instructions included in your paint kit. Then, wait for at least three hours before applying a second coat. You won’t need to use a primer because premium base paint is both a primer and an undercoat. After applying the second coat of Base Paint, wait for at least 24 hours. Then, install a single coat of premium whiteboard paint on your whiteboard’s surface.

Premium whiteboard paint should only be applied with a high-quality microfiber paint roller cover like those included in your paint kit. The shorter the nap on a roller cover, the smoother the surface you’ll produce. Since they are designed to be used by those who require an ultra-smooth finish, microfiber roller sleeves with short naps are always the best choice.

And it’s the smoothness you’re looking for when installing premium whiteboard paint. Writing and erasing on your restored whiteboard will always be easy with a super-even whiteboard painted surface. You’ll experience no problems with irregular dry erase marker lines or incomplete erasing of your writings and drawings.

IV. Preventive Maintenance to Keep Your Whiteboard in Top Shape

Sticking to a steady maintenance schedule is essential if you want to keep your whiteboard painted surface in topmost working condition. When you maintain a regular care routine, your whiteboard will remain spotless and attractive. It will also stay smudge-resistant and serviceable for its entire life span of ten-plus years.

Your restored whiteboard surface will be easiest to write on and erase when you use only compatible tools. Specifically, use high-grade, eco-friendly, low-odor dry erase markers for writing and a microfiber cloth for erasing. These types of markers are available online or at most office supply stores. Doing so will ensure that your writings and drawings are always easy to see, even from a distance, and that you get consistent color quality from your markers.

Also, it’s a good idea to occasionally use a high-quality, eco-friendly whiteboard cleaner to maintain your surface in the most spotless and functional condition possible. You may use denatured alcohol to clean your board if a good water-based whiteboard cleaner isn’t available. Squirt a bit of the cleaner or alcohol on any stained areas you see, and wipe the surface down with a microfiber cloth. Then dry the surface thoroughly with another microfiber cloth, and you’ll be ready to write and draw until your next maintenance time.

While premium whiteboard paint is exceptionally hard-wearing and easy to write on and erase, periodic cleaning with an eco-friendly whiteboard cleaner will help to keep your surface pristine and easy to use for ten-plus years.

V. Cost Savings: Restoring vs. Replacing a Whiteboard

While they may be the most economical types of whiteboards with respect to up-front cost, melamine-coated whiteboards require the most intensive maintenance. They also deteriorate quickly, have short life spans, and have to be replaced often. So, in the long run, melamine whiteboards can be even more expensive than higher-quality porcelain enamel, glass, or painted steel boards.

For this reason, choosing to restore your whiteboard with top-quality whiteboard paint makes perfect sense for both your budget and your peace of mind. Doing so will give you a highly durable, easy-to-erase writing surface that will pay for itself many times over with the money you save throughout its lifetime.

Summary

Article Name

How to Restore a Whiteboard: Proven Method to Bring It Back to Life

Description

How to Restore a Whiteboard: Discover the best way to remove stains, refresh the surface, and make your whiteboard look brand new again!

Author

Susan Anspach

Publisher Name

ReMARKable Whiteboard Paint

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