Dry-erase repositionable message boards
Published 4:00 am, Sunday, December 26, 2010
Dry-erase whiteboards have become fixtures in offices, classrooms and even homes. Now there's a repositionable alternative to the porcelain-on-steel boards that offers an alternative wherever permanent or heavy wall fixtures are not an option.
Brewster Home Fashions of Massachusetts makes reusable wallpaper (introduced in this column) and dry-erase repositionable dots, both precursors to its latest innovations: dry-erase bulletin boards and calendars.
Dry-erase marker ink, formulated since the 1960s with pigment, resin and ethyl and isopropyl alcohol, evaporates on a slick surface and can be wiped away as easily as a film of pigment dust. Brewster's challenge was to make its repositionable paper smooth enough to prevent the nonpermanent ink from saturating it and making an indelible mark.
Colorful patterns and nature-inspired motifs frame Brewster's WallPops message boards or form lively backgrounds for monthly calendars. Names like Twister, Habitat or Carnivale telegraph the design inspiration.
There are various formulas for the resist used on dry-erasable paper (WallPops' formula is secret), but Brewster was "the first to make peel-and-stick erasable paper calendars," Brewster creative services manager Paula Berberian says.
When they were presented at trade shows in New York this past year, "we demonstrated on the same boards 450 to 1,000 times," Berberian adds. "We've been around since 1954. We know what works."
At a glance
Expert opinion: "A regular marker will not work on WallPops," Paula Berberian says. WallPops dry-erase boards, calendars and large dots are packaged with a water-based, dry-erase marker.
Peel-and-stick dry-erase calendars are removable, but they are also safe for walls because they won't leave a residue or stain on wall paint, according to Berberian.
Pros: Nonpermanent markers and repositionable message boards offer a chalk-free alternative to traditional blackboards. They're as good as heavy porcelain-on-steel whiteboards in homes or offices, and paper boards and calendars can be peeled off and repositioned easily.
Cons: Calendars with complicated patterns and colors are less legible at a distance. Many dry-erase markers contain flammable and toxic solvents essential for spreading pigmented resin over low-porosity writing paper.
Price: WallPops Dry-Erase calendars, message boards and dots cost $16 to $24.