3 ms·

White boards are so limited in where you can put them. I think if the purchase decision is "do I paint this 4' by 8' patch of the wall" or "do I install a 4' x

White boards are so limited in where you can put them. I think if the purchase decision is "do I paint this 4' by 8' patch of the wall" or "do I install a 4' x 8' white board" then the choice is easy. But having paint that can go on any surface and that will clean after every usage opens many possibilities. My home office, for example, doesn't have space for a 4' x 8' whiteboard but otherwise has good space. Also, have you used any of those $10 sheets of melamine? They ghost up after a couple of months of use...

jamesbritt 17y ago
"Also, have you used any of those $10 sheets of melamine? They ghost up after a couple of months of use..." I've used them. They require some labor-intensive prep work, and there are some markers that seem to take a more permanent liking to the surface, but otherwise not bad (unless you leave that To Do list up for two months).
- fnazeeri 17y ago
  Yes, you are exactly right. I'd argue that if you value your employee's time at anything north of, say $10 per hour, then having a super-quality whiteboard would be a hugely positive ROI investment. Think of it as a giant shared 3rd monitor. Would you buy monitors that ghosted if your programmers typed the "wrong" letter combinations?
  - eli 17y ago
    shrug All you need is a 3$ bottle of white board cleaning spray
    - gojomo 17y ago
      ...white board cleaning spray ...which works less each time around, and stinks, and uses paper towels, and takes a few minutes of wiping each time you want to get (close to) clean again. Top-quality surfaces wipe back to bright white with a single swipe or two of the dry-eraser, even if the text has been up for weeks. They're worth it for many offices.
      - eli 17y ago
        You're probably right that a nice board is worth the money. But this spray has been working perfectly for years now on my cheap board.
  - jamesbritt 17y ago
    "Would you buy monitors that ghosted if your programmers typed the "wrong" letter combinations?" No, but that's not analogous to my experience. Given that my company had more time than money, the DIY boards worked really well for the time, cost, and effort, and the value we got out of them. Sometimes good enough really is good enough.

jamesbritt 17y ago

"Also, have you used any of those $10 sheets of melamine? They ghost up after a couple of months of use..." I've used them. They require some labor-intensive prep work, and there are some markers that seem to take a more permanent liking to the surface, but otherwise not bad (unless you leave that To Do list up for two months).

fnazeeri 17y ago
Yes, you are exactly right. I'd argue that if you value your employee's time at anything north of, say $10 per hour, then having a super-quality whiteboard would be a hugely positive ROI investment. Think of it as a giant shared 3rd monitor. Would you buy monitors that ghosted if your programmers typed the "wrong" letter combinations?
- eli 17y ago
  shrug All you need is a 3$ bottle of white board cleaning spray
  - gojomo 17y ago
    ...white board cleaning spray ...which works less each time around, and stinks, and uses paper towels, and takes a few minutes of wiping each time you want to get (close to) clean again. Top-quality surfaces wipe back to bright white with a single swipe or two of the dry-eraser, even if the text has been up for weeks. They're worth it for many offices.
    - eli 17y ago
      You're probably right that a nice board is worth the money. But this spray has been working perfectly for years now on my cheap board.
- jamesbritt 17y ago
  "Would you buy monitors that ghosted if your programmers typed the "wrong" letter combinations?" No, but that's not analogous to my experience. Given that my company had more time than money, the DIY boards worked really well for the time, cost, and effort, and the value we got out of them. Sometimes good enough really is good enough.