No to the whiteboards. I have bought many which ended up donated due to them leaving residue & staining with use.

I've been researching this lately, too. I'm going to use glass with standoffs. It needs to be anchored into the wall well. Thick glass is needed.

Cool ideas here

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/419890365229847377/

video how to install the standoff spacers

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DTcYcpDjBoM

thank you!

what do you think about acrylic? would it look cheap? especially with my glass panel backsplash (coming Thurs)? I mean, it would be on the other side of the room and around the corner from the fridge, but still.

I have separate components--wall calendar, corkboard, framed glass for writing notes. I couldn't find a unified solution that I could afford and would fit my space, so I just created my own.

Originally I wanted a blackboard and chalk, but chalk dust is really messy. I considered a whiteboard, but it's so ugly and office-like. I settled for a plain picture frame, with glass, that you can write on and wipe off easily with bold dry-erase pens. Pick a frame you like that goes with your decor. Under the glass put paper in a color you like that makes the writing easy to see, i.e., not strong patterns. You can change the paper any time.

I have made several types of command writing projects in the past that didn't last.

I told myself next time, I'm going to do glass. I made a mock up prototype with a cheap glass frame from a yard sale. I spray painted it white on backside. backside was scratchable, so not the best way. It lasted a long time. I sold it with intentions on making a much more elaborate one. It's on my "when I got extra time list". lol.

So, my experiments went....

Whiteboard , nope, ghosting letters

Acrylic, nope, scratches, ghosting writing,

Glass is more difficult to work with however it is non-porous & will last years. It is wonderful to write on & easily wipe clean. Definitely, my favorite.

Glass shops should be able to cut for you, if you give them a template or scale drawing. Definitely, wear thick non sliding gloves when handling.

This post is a good read with more details.

http://www.experimental-playground.com/mobile/index.cfm#postDetail.cfm?post=33D82F66-9606-A19F-0473DBE849A1878E

This be easier to make.

We used to have a glass shop right around the corner from us, and they moved. :( When the jalousie window in our shower broke, we ordered one from them, and they cut it for us for free because we were neighbors.

I definitely wouldn't do regular whiteboard, but porcelain is supposed to be good. Probably expensive too though.

I think I will experiment with a cheap picture frame to start. I could even paint the backside of the glass with the same color they are using on my backsplash. That would look so cool.

Didn't even think about acrylic scratching, but I could totally see that. I am afraid of doing a cork board b/c I could see the pushpins falling onto the floor. Maybe we could get away with doing the flat ones.

stillpitpat, I made my own cork board with inexpensive picture frame. I needed to use several layers of cork so that push pins go deep enough to not fall out. None has so far.

We used magnetic paint for our command center. The paint we used was black but then was repainted white to match our cabinets.

So many good ideas!!

I shy away from pins in a hallway. someone could walkby & knock one on the floor & the next walkby...ouch!

magnets would be better or clips or clips with

To help it look attractive, keep a theme & or similar in color. Here's some ideas.

I painted my wall with a clear chalkboard coat that allows you to use either regular chalk or chalk markers. I use chalk markers. The clear coat is applied over any already painted surface of any color so you really dont have to change your decor.

What is your family make up that will be using this board? Kids too? Do you have a separate spot for mail and papers? Is the door at the end of the hallway to the garage? If so, I'd probably want some coat hooks on the wall too.

Kids will be using it in the sense that they will look at it (hopefully), but idk that they will be writing much. The door you see actually goes to the foyer, and we have a mail basket in there. At the other end of the kitchen, we built a little closet (which I love), so we're set for coats. I haven't measured the width of the hallway (and I'm upstairs right now), but it's too narrow for anything other than a board or painted surface. Baskets or something would be nice, but they would probably just get knocked off the wall.

One of the reasons I'm doing this is that I don't want stuff on the fridge anymore. We have an old, beat-up dry erase board for a shopping list, and I want it gone. We used to have a paper calendar on that wall, but I like the idea of a bigger, reusable one. And I want space for chores/reminders, plus just a little room to attach a few short-term things like permission slips. Basically, when anyone has a question, I want to be able to say "go look in the hallway." I also think with a big calendar, the kids will be more likely to actually look at it and be able to plan. I used to have a weekly dry erase calendar for one of the kids, and that was helpful, but I want to do it on a bigger scale.

artistsharonva, I love that final pic you posted. How would one find that paper storage center?

lesliet, the last picture is window shutters. can get them at a hardware store & spray paint them any color

artistsharonva, I had NO IDEA! That's awesome. Thanks. Perfect storage for the billions of papers our family brings in, needs to deal with, but often loses.

I might suggest talking to an automotive paint place or a metalwork place, and see what it would take to get some steel painted in a glossy white. Then it would be both write-on/wipe-off AND it will hold a magnet.

You can use skinny black artists tape to make the grid.


I will say this about the calendar:

A wipe-off calendar is a lot of constant, and it can't replace a paper calendar because you can't write things on it very many months in advance. So as a display space, it might be useful.

but for efficiency in planning, it would be far better to have a paper calendar with big boxes, so you can write things down months in advance without having to REwrite them as time moves forward.

You could peel the months out of the calendar and stick them onto the wall, if you want to display them.

This 22x17-inch desk calendar has big squares, and the pages can be torn out with a smooth top edge. It has two holes so you could hang it.

I have spent some detailed time thinking about the wipe-off calendar, and I think they're only really good for short-term display. Trying to track everything on them is labor intensive, because you have to keep moving the items.

For a calendar, I've been using the Monster Grid (I think it's by Zebra Publishing) and they also have even bigger Mega Grid. Even without the kids home now, I like the large squares. It hangs on a biiiig bulletin board, and I also have binder clips on the calendar holding reminders, forms, tickets, etc.

You could have knocked me over with a feather the day my then-teen asked me about doing something, and he noted how it could fit in with something else on the calendar. And DH is actually pretty good about noticing things there, and reminding me!

My specialty is post-its in bright colors, at eye-level, on bathroom mirrors, doors, refrigerator, whatever it takes.

I nearly forgot about this post! I spent a few days thinking about this a lot and looking stuff up, and then I guess I got wrapped up in kitchen reno/Christmas stuff. I did pick up a cheap picture frame to experiment with. I will *probably* go that route, at least to start, because it is pretty easy. Then as I use it for a bit, I can see what I want to change. For the time being, I need to get something up and running and can then perfect it over time. I will return to this post for all these good ideas. And thanks talley for the tip on artist's tape. I didn't know it existed!

Also should have said earlier - this won't be the official family calendar. My husband and I use google calendar, and my teen sometimes uses it. We're trying to get him to check it. My 11yo doesn't use google calendar yet, but he will within a couple years. The calendar for the kitchen wall will be for the must-not-forget items and the help-to-keep-us-organized items. Not everything will go on it (my own Dr appt's, for example). I do want it to be wet erase, so it won't be paper. But that's ok, as google calendar has all the convenience of paper, and then some.

Thanks again!

Wipe off calendars take time to fill in every month. I found it frustrating.

so, found it to be a real time saver to use Google calendars instead. I make items that repeat monthly, quarterly, yearly repeat with reminders. I then print each month separately. I have 3 printed months out & have hung on 3 separate clipboards in my office. I have a box under each month for things to take care of those 3 months in advance.

It's been very helpful. My calendar is visible on phone as well. Can also use Google tasks & print it out.