Yeah, I didn’t either.

For the cost-conscience small business owner, paying $50 for a tiny dry erase board is absurd. We have ideas, we have project flows, and they just aren’t going to fit on a 2 foot X 3 foot surface.

So, Christy and I built our own, 120 inch X 30 inch dry erase board for only $46 using parts from Staples.

Step One: Materials.

For this project, we bought a 3 pack of foam boards, a 24 foot section of laminate, and two sets of dry erase pens. The foam board cost $17.49, the laminate $8.49, and the two pack of Expo pens came out to $18.48.

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The first step was to line up the laminate with the edge of the foam board, and smooth out the air bubbles with a straight edge ( in this case a ruler ).

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Continue this down the length of the board, using one person to hold the laminate feed, and one to smooth out the laminate on the board.

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The finished product will be a perfectly smooth run of laminate. The true test comes next, will it blend? I mean, will it write and erase?

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Eureka, it works!

It needs to be noted however, the dry eraser will NOT remove all traces of ink from the laminate. I would recommend erasing the board with water and a paper towel after you are finished, just to ensure that the laminate doesn’t become stained.

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It also should be noted that you need to take care not to scratch the laminate with your fingernails or straight edge while smoothing it out. If you do, the dry erase ink will set up in the scratch, and cause it to leave a mark.

The finished product? A 120″ by 30″ dry erase board for only $46 in parts, and about 2 hours in labor. Time will tell if the board holds up, but we’re hoping that it will be a complete replacement for expensive dry erase boards.

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Here is the complete finished product, all three lined up on the wall.

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