I would like to purchase dry erase board skins to cover the chalkboards in our classrooms. If you have done this can you share the pro's and con's of doing so. If it was successful can you share the vendor name.
· When I was a science teacher, I went out and bought white board paneling at Menards and covered my chalkboards and it worked wonderfully and was a great deal cheaper. Remember to get board cleaner.
· We have done this, and the teachers and students love them. They reduce chalk dust, make the room appear brighter, and provide excellent visibility. We just had the custodians measure accurately, bought the pre-cut skins, and installed them ourselves.
· We have had good luck with School Specialty. This summer we are ordering another 8. Last summer we received skins with a peel off backing and they were much easier for our custodial staff than the previous ones which were put up with special glue. The sales rep will come out and measure the black boards that you are covering.
· We did it. It was a nightmare for us. They are pretty hard to handle...
kind of like using contact paper because they have adhesive on the back and once you place it, it's stuck. It didn't help us any that the boards were measured wrong and the maintenance staff had to do a lot of adjustments to the boards to make them work. We'll never do it again.
· I don't know what your budget is, I covered mine with 4x8 shower surround laminate and it worked great. We placed it over the existing chalkboard. Worked like a charm at a fraction of the cost.
· Last year we purchased a total of 10 classroom boards. We used Best Rite Boards (www.bestrite.com). A Porcelain Steel Skin that is applied over the chalkboard. Prices from Highsmith were $520 for a 4'x12', $586 for a 4' x 15' including installation. After one year they are holding up just great. Teachers love the magnetic aspect of the boards.
· I have done so in the past - expensive. Glued on - they do wear out - about 3 years of a heavy duty math room is it.
· What is less expensive and has the same life span are boards from any catalog. They come with an aluminum frame and tray - four screws and you are in business. I have also bought white board at the lumber yard - like what is used in a shower - they work. I have also cut these into 12 X 12 pieces for students to use with a marker.
· I went through school specialty and got the good magnetic porcelain skins and glued them to the old chalkboard. My son and I put them up 24 in two days on the weekend. 4 x 12 sheets. Glue had a strong odor and I did not want to wait until a school holiday for maintenance to put up.
· We purchased inexpensive melamine (something like $10 per sheet) and glued it over our existing chalkboards. It works well.
· We have tried those- to expensive and don't last. Your maintenance man can go to Lowe's and get full sheet for like $12. For us they have last and they look good cut to size and glued to the chalkboard. Good luck.
· We tried the skins as a replacement program over a three year period in all Kindergarten - Third grade classrooms. We found that they eventually came un-glued from the blackboards. We then went to those that have wooden frames and we have not had any problems since. We used Schick in Danville.
· The material may have improved in recent years, but about 5 years ago I used these skins in two classrooms (teachers with severe allergies) and they only lasted two years before needing to be replaced. The surface of the skins tended to wear down fairly quickly, resulting in making the erasing of the markers more and more difficult. Since the cleaner is toxic and can't be used while children are in school, this made things difficult to read by the end of the day. We eventually started on a multi year program of replacing the chalk boards several rooms at a time. The actual white boards (with the metal backing) last much longer and are actually more cost effective in the long run. The problem is the initial cost, thus the phase in program.
· We tried the approach to use lumber yard white board.....that is not worth the money. I use Schick School Supply. They come in measure the boards, and give directions to the custodians on mounting them. The magnetic, erasable boards are what you want.
· I did this on some several years ago. Teachers did not like and had pealing on the sides. Lots of work to put on... Take board down...then glue then dry then put back up. So I just starting replacing all boards with new completed sets. Did some every year over a 3-4 year period. Worked out well. Even looks better.
· We were able to get sheets of whiteboard for less than $10.00 per sheet at Menard's. Our custodians used contact cement and rollers. They placed the contact cement on the chalkboard and then on the back of the whiteboard sheet. They CAREFULLY placed it on the chalkboard (You only have one shot here-it sticks where you place it, good or bad!) and pressed it down. They ran a towel over the entire thing to work out the bubbles. They can slap a board up in about an hour. Works great! We've done all of our chalkboards. LOVE THEM! Rooms really look updated too.
· I dont know what the material is, but custodians at the school I was at last year in Stockton went to the lumber yard and bought a white metallic material that did an excellent job playing a white board. The teachers said that it was easier to keep clean than a regular white board.
· Lowe’s - Tile Board that has a glossy finish and comes in 4x8 sheets costs 11.74 at the store plus the glue.
· Have your custodian’s measure very accurately, because the stuff is difficult to cut. I think we ordered it from the Decker catalog, but here is another website. There is a new product with adhesive backing. I don't know if it would stay up, though http://www.dryeraseboard.com/208s.html
Porcelain Steel Skins 4'H x 4', 6', 8', 10', 12', 16'W 208S pad<http://us.st1.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/Img/trans_1x1.gif> Choose Your Size: 4ft x 4ft 208SD-NT With-Out Adhesive (+$160.94)4ft x 6ft 208SG-NT With-Out Adhesive(+$195.44)4ft x 8ft 208SH-NT With-out Adhesive (+$241.44)4ft x 10ft 208SK-NT With-out Adhesive (+$287.44)4ft x 12ft 208SM-NT With-out Adhesive (+$344.94 )4ft x 16ft 208SP-NT With-out Adhesive (+$448.44)4ft x 4ft 208SD-WT With Adhesive (+$172.44)4ft x 6ft 208SG-WT With Adhesive (+$229.94)4ft x 8ft 208SH-WT With Adhesive (+$287.44)4ft x 10ft 208SK-WT With Adhesive (+$344.94)4ft x 12ft 208SM-WT With Adhesive (+$413.94)4ft x 16ft 208SP-WT With Adhesive (+ $540.44) Thanks, Peggy Quick ------Original Message------