How to DIY a Whiteboard quickly and inexpensively
Who doesn’t want a nice whiteboard in a nice frame! One that doesn’t give off a corporate office vibe and cause work “scaries”. That, also looks custom, but doesn’t have the price tag of a custom piece. A perfect DIY whiteboard project.
More specifically, I wanted a whiteboard in my workroom to track projects and run a checklist for each of them. This would help me stay organized, because I often have a few pieces in progress at any given time. Also, my work space often looks like a large herd of cats had a craft party. Hence, anything to put some order into the room is welcome.
First – a Frame!
Luckily, I only had to go down a few steps to my basement to find the right one. Some time ago, I acquired about two dozen very outdated framed art pieces of various sizes and finishes. ALL for free! A real estate staging company was clearing inventory and I managed to grab some.
I rushed in excitement to sift through my options and immediately found one that offered the most promise. It was an early 90’s generic floral art behind a piece of glass. No matter what era came back into fashion, I knew I would likely never regret not holding on to it.
Initially, I wanted to use the whiteboard kit. But, after some research, I realized it would be a long and messy process. I just didn’t feel like pursuing that whole situation.
Luckily, I remembered that I scored an almost new glossy white spray paint from ScrapsKC (check it out, an amazing place and organizarion) for 50 cents. I did this completely by accident, thinking it was black paint! The good news – it could go on glass! And the frame had its original glass insert, and saved me from that dreaded trip to the hardware store. Just kidding, I practically live at one of those stores, so no fear there. I just did not feel like leaving the house.
First, I put the frame on the floor face down. Then I cut around the art and popped it out revealing the glass, which I left in the frame.
After wiping down the glass, I grabbed spray paint and went to town.
The magical thing is that the only thing I needed to make sure that every spot is covered. No need to worry about it being even, drippy, piled up … Because the sprayed surface is on the inside!
On the outside it looks clean and crisp. It doesn’t matter what kind of mess you are hiding on the other side.
Once done, I popped the print back in followed by its backing. I used old art to keep the glass in place. Then and nailed it closed!
And I had a brand new, ridiculously easy to make whiteboard!
But, I wasn’t so sure I liked the frame. It was simple with clean and modern lines without any grooves or carvings. However, the frame was stained an awful brown and it absolutely had to be covered!
Less is more…
I did not want to overdo it on the paint. So, I just grabbed a clean brush and dipped it lightly into the jar of gold paint. I used DecoArt Americana Metallics paint. Next, I applied it ever-so-slightly to create a streaky and random effect.
I just kept brushing in the direction of the grain that was already on the frame.
The best part? I used what I already had. Instead of buying a brand new frame, I up-cycled an old one and saved some money. But also re-used something that was still in good shape that could have ended in a landfill. And the final cost was about 50 cents.
Not too shabby!
And who says you have to use white paint? You can have a rainbow of colors to choose from to make your dry-erase board dream a reality.
