The Life and Times of a Freelance Writer
Jennifer Escalona tells it like it is
Every Freelance Writer Needs a DIY Whiteboard
4 Aug 2009I’m welcoming a new addition into my office today. It’s about 4×4, white, and I’m planning to use it mercilessly. It only set me back about $12.00 and I highly recommended that every freelance writer purchase one. It’s my new whiteboard!
Some ideas are just too big for a yellow pad or Microsoft OneNote, so I’m currently typing within arm’s reach of my fancy new slab of industrial melamine. Right now its emblazoned with “Welcome to Jenn’s Office” but later today when I have to brainstorm how to tackle a thorny layout question for a pamphlet I’m working on, it’s going to be covered up in my chicken scratch, complete with circles, arrows, strike outs and frowny faces. I’m so excited! (Excited enough to abuse exclamation points, clearly.)
If you’ve ever priced a whiteboard you’ll remember that the little ones are upwards of $50. But I managed to beat that price because I headed over to Home Depot to buy my own little piece of whiteboard magic. If you were ever in the market for a whiteboard but were balking at the cost, read on.
The actual writing surface on a whiteboard is called “melamine” or “white tileboard” and you can find an 8×8 slab of it in the Lumber Department at Home Depot for $11.97. Once you find your slab of tileboard (and it’s so light that you can tote it all around the store without any trouble), a friendly Home Depot associate will invariably approach you and see if you need it cut. I ended up cutting my slab into four pieces. According to the Home Depot guy, the first cut is free and additional cuts are around .25, but he didn’t charge me. Even if he had, spending $13.00 for a huge surface on which to dream and brainstorm is hardly breaking the bank.
It’s the next step where your mileage may vary. I wanted my whiteboard to replace the wall surface beside my desk, so I stopped there. But, if you are looking for a more aesthetically pleasing whiteboard you can buy wooden or aluminum framing to go along with it. If you do so, you should probably back your melamine up with a piece of plywood. Costs start to add up there, of course, which is why I didn’t choose that route. I simply took my piece of melamine home and nailed it straight to my white wall. I snuggled it between my wall and window so that it blends in with the natural wall surface, and viola, I have a place to contemplate big ideas. I also have a white board for my grocery list in the kitchen, and two more pieces of melamine that I’m still eyeing.
Do you have a white board in your office? Has it helped your creative process? I’d also be interested to hear from anyone who made a DIY whiteboard with a frame and the whole shebang. Have you made any other DIY office supplies?
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10 Responses to Every Freelance Writer Needs a DIY Whiteboard
Jenn Mattern
August 4th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I have five.
I worship the things. Two 2×3 boards and 3 1×2 boards next to my desk in a column (those ones are calendar and to-do list boards, so I always know what I have to worry about on any given day, and at a glance). One of the bigger ones keeps my weekly blogging chart (just a chart where I map out the posts needed that week and check them off as I get them done), and the other bigger one is blank – use it for notes when index cards (my other obsession) aren’t going to cut it. I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than $10 or so on a white board though. If I had a bare space of wall in the office area without equipment or furniture in the way, I’d love to have a floor to ceiling board for my scribbles. Is it wrong to dream about the perfect white board? lol 
Jenn Mattern´s last blog ..Freelance Writer Challenge – Reset Your Alarm
Jenn Escalona
August 4th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Not at all! I did a little daydreaming myself while at Home Depot. My ideal setup would be a room with wall to wall bookshelves and whiteboards. One of those bookshelves would have a secret passage, but that’s a story for another day.
Nice setup! And, thanks for the ideas. I haven’t gotten that creative with my whiteboard yet. So far I’ve simply written my schedule for the day on the corner and started crossing things off. I’m finding it simpler than a yellow pad already. I always move the yellow pad or carry it with me around the house and then end up searching frantically for it later.
Natalia Maldonado
August 4th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I’m such a huge fan of DIY projects, and this is a really great one! I never would’ve thought to go to Home Depot for a whiteboard despite spending days and days there every time I’ve moved (3 times in 3 years, I’m so over it!).
I have a 12×12 green “whiteboard” hanging over my desk that I got on clearance at Staples for like $5. It started out as a place to jot down ideas but now it’s where I keep pictures of my dog, my wedding, and an encouraging post-it note my husband wrote to me a few months back. For notes and lists I’m really big on spiral notebooks, to keep from having loose sheets flying around. Oddly enough, for a DIYer, I haven’t actually DIYed anything for my office…
Natalia Maldonado´s last blog ..If you work for yourself, you’re probably the toughest boss you’ve ever had.
Jenn Escalona
August 4th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Look at you guys finding all these cheap whiteboards. I think I look in the wrong places!
As for DIY, this is the only DIY thing I have in my office, unless you count a milk crate where I keep my current client files and a lot of the paperwork my newspaper job generates.
Let’s do a project! What could we make? A bookshelf? (I’d probably cut my hand off, but that could be doable…) Any ideas, Natalia?
Natalia Maldonado
August 6th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Oh that’s a tough one! I’ll try to think of something and get back to you!
I made a bookshelf with my husband for the closet in my office, does that count? We got a board of wood at Home Depot and a couple of brackets. It would’ve been very simple had we not miscalculated the size of our closet by just one inch (the wood wouldn’t fit!). So we had to go back to Home Depot and saw that extra inch off. They won’t run it through that power saw if it’s less than a certain length.
Natalia Maldonado´s last blog ..The tools of our trade
Jenn Escalona
August 7th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Oh no, that’s terrible! I’m so glad Home Depot helped you out. That reminds me of the old adage “measure twice, cut once.”
I haven’t thought of a new DIY project yet either. It would be nice to have access to some clay. Maybe I could make a business card holder or index card holder. Of course, knowing how often I knock things off my desk, it could also just be an accident waiting to happen.
Okay, I’m still pondering a good DIY office project…
All Freelance Writing » Blog Archive » All Freelance Writing is Growing Again
October 16th, 2009 at 9:51 am
[...] her to come on in this capacity after her excellent idea on her own blog a while back regarding making your own white boards (because those babies can get expensive if you like a lot of writing space!). Find out more about [...]
BuffaloJenn
October 16th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I love this idea. As a writer, I might use it for myself. As a mom, I think it would be a fun thing to do in my daughter’s room as an alternative to chalkboard paint. I have a question, though: do you use whiteboard markers for it? Do you think crayon and/or regular markers would work well and come off easily?
(Thanks to Jenn Mattern for the link to this on her blog.)
Jenn Escalona
October 18th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Hi BuffaloJenn! Thanks for stopping by.
As for the board, I do use whiteboard markers for it. They erase like normal, and when the board gets too dirty, I just swipe it a few times with a paper towel and some whiteboard cleaner I picked up at Staples.
As for crayons, I did a test and uh oh – it looks like crayon is there to stay, at least when it comes to the eraser and the whiteboard cleaner. A highlighter and a marker came off, but I recommend using the cleaner rather than the eraser. The eraser just smudged them around a bit while the cleaner erased them completely.
I hope this helps! Also, let me know if I need to do anymore testing for you. I like nothing more than a science experiment!
BuffaloJenn
October 18th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to doing our own version of this project.