T.E.A.M. Togetherness: White Board Fun!

Kate and I have been crazy busy updating our space! We are so excited for the great new furniture that we recieved...and the biggest piece is still on its way. We'll be sure to write a post all about it and our thinking behind it once the final piece arrives!

During our reshuffling, we were mulling over our existing tables...what to keep? What to pitch? What to put out in the hallway for the many "scavengers" that would snatch it up in the blink of an eye (we love all of you...and we totally get it! This time of year, furniture is a hot commodity!:)

We were looking over some old tables that we scavenged ourselves last year. How could we make them better? More useful? (Not to mention the fact that they were pretty ugly...) Voila! Enter the fantastic world of white board paint!! Here is what we used:

Click on pic to be directly taken to the Home Depot site...I'm sure you can find it at Menard's or a Lowe's as well! We couldn't believe the price! Such a deal, but we really didn't know what we were getting into.

STEP ONE: Use a very fine sand paper or sand block and scuff up the surface you want to paint. Then clean all of the dust thoroughly off. Make sure it is completely dry!

STEP TWO: Use an indoor primer and a foam or smooth roller to apply it. We used two coats:

STEP THREE: Once the primer is dry (we waited overnight due to the timing of our day), you are ready to apply the white board paint! It works similar to home hair dye...there is the paint can, and an "activator" can. You pour the activator into the paint can and stir thoroughly. Here is where it gets tricky...you need to apply all coats within ONE HOUR!!! So, be sure to plan accordingly!

Again, you will want use a foam brush or smooth roller to help prevent streaks. It goes on almost watery. I had to "reroll" the lines out a few times. You really get quite a bit from that one box! We painted two old tables...one half circle and one trapezoid table...both pretty beat up and out dated. We also painted a new 4 foot round table that we are planning on using during our math workshop "bull pen" time to help kids see the work easier (along with about a gazillion other uses!) When we got two coats on all three of those tables, we were actually kicking ourselves for not prepping an small rectangular table, too! We would have had plenty!

STEP FOUR: Wait...and wait some more! Because it is a form of epoxy, it will be dry to the touch in a few hours, but need 3 days to "cure." The results? Pure awesomeness!!