chalkboard or dry-erase? (dust or stench?)

[mhg]

I need a large (4 feet x 6 feet) chalk or dry erase board. My concern is that I don't know if I can take 12 years of that dry-erase-marker smell. And, at that SIZE, either gets $$$ pricey, so I need to decide on one or the other. And I've heard chalk is a mess. (For what it's worth, the chalkboard I'm considering is magnetic and has a 50 year warranty). So....dust or stench? Would you recommend dry-erase or chalkboard and why?

[mrs.m]

Dry erase with the low odor markers. I don't think they smell any different than regular markers.

[MelanieM]

Dry erase with the low odor markers. I don't think they smell any different than regular markers.

 

This. I am highly sensitive to smells, and our dry erase markers do not create a problem for me at all. (Chalk would kill me.)

[Satori]

Yep, low odor dry erase. I couldn't imagine homeschooling without a dry erase board.

[kbpaulie]

No dust in our house. OK, that's a lie. No chalk dust in our house. :) We have a dry erase and use Expo markers, don't notice much smell. But then I found supplies from when I used to work in the "real world". It included markers that I can hardly stand! Markers have changed over the centuries. :001_smile:

[JudoMom]

Dry erase, with the low odor Expo markers.

 

You can get a huge piece of tile board (or maybe it's called shower board) from Lowes/Home Depot for under $20. It works perfectly as a dry erase board.

 

No chalkboards here--I can stand the sound of chalk writing and I can't stand the feel of chalk in my hands. Or the smell of the dust. Or the feel of the board. ::shudder::

[Tardis Girl]

I just bought dry erase Crayola crayons today at Target for $2.99/box of 8 colors. No stench issues. Not sure if you'd love the crayons for older kids, but I must say I like them! (They were in the back of the store where the big back-to-school supplies section is located.)

 

Personally, the dust from chalkboards drive me crazy and I would have tactile issues having to hold chalk all the time, too. But that's just my preference. You could find a dry erase board that's magnetic, too, if that feature is important to you.

 

Good luck finding the right fit for your family! :)

[JudoMom]

I just bought dry erase Crayola crayons today at Target for $2.99/box of 8 colors. No stench issues. Not sure if you'd love the crayons for older kids, but I must say I like them! (They were in the back of the store where the big back-to-school supplies section is located.)

 

Personally, the dust from chalkboards drive me crazy and I would have tactile issues having to hold chalk all the time, too. But that's just my preference. You could find a dry erase board that's magnetic, too, if that feature is important to you.

 

Good luck finding the right fit for your family! :)

 

Have you used them yet? I've had some Trend Wipe-Off crayons for awhile, but they're very hard to wipe off. Are the Crayola Dry Erase Crayons easy to erase?

[homeschoolmommaof4]

I wholeheartedly agree with Judomom, get yourself a nice peice of tile board from Lowes, i think here they run about $16 (we have purchased 3 since we started homeschooling - moves) and they work great! If oyu want them to be more like a "real" dry erase board, you can also purchase a inexpensive piece of plywood and have them both cut the same (for free at Lowe's) then mount it onto the plywood and put trim around it. I plan on doing this once we are no longer living in an apartment, and have a house. (We are doing our first Army move in March.)

 

They come in 8x4 sheets and if you have enough wall space, can go floor to ceiling. I love it cause my little one can draw on the bottom while we are doing school :)

[Food4Thought]

Dry Erase! Just the mention of chalk dust makes it difficult to breathe. Of course, then your kids can't experience a true "fingernails on a chalk board" moment during a frustrating day. :tongue_smilie:

[Tardis Girl]

Are the Crayola Dry Erase Crayons easy to erase?

 

Well, since we just got the today I can't be sure. But I left them on for maybe 2-3 hours and they wiped off fine. (Better than one of the dry erase markers I had on at the same time.) I think I'll test them out tomorrow for a longer period, now that you say that.

[OleanderRain]

Another vote for dry erase. We have both and I hate the chalk dust, especially with my almost 4 year old purposefully creating it. I don't notice the smell so maybe I have the low odor ones. One thing I hate is when my youngest finds a regular marker and writes on the dry erase. Grrr!

[OleanderRain]

I just bought dry erase Crayola crayons today at Target for $2.99/box of 8 colors. No stench issues. Not sure if you'd love the crayons for older kids, but I must say I like them! (They were in the back of the store where the big back-to-school supplies section is located.)

 

 

 

I have to try these!:D

[BlessedMom]

Dry Erase for me too.

I just can't do the chalk dust.

[mhg]

Sounds like the vote is overwhelmingly DRY ERASE. Off to Lowe's this week!

[Lovedtodeath]

Go with the dry erase board and use wet erase markers. No dust, no stench.

[Lovedtodeath]

I have to try these!:D

:iagree:

[Susie in MS]

Dry erase crayons wipe off easily with a damp rag. And you don't have to worry about stained clothes, walls, or furniture.

:)

[MissKNG]

We are using the chalkboard that I used to play with when I was a kid! It's about 2 x 4 feet, double sided. The chalk dust isn't an issue here.

[silliness7]

I hate EVERYTHING about chalk boards!! The sound especially but also the feel of chalk on my fingers. I LOVE my dry erase board which is just a laminated piece of white posterboard taped to the back side of a door that slides in and out of a wall. I don't notice the smell of the markers.

[SonshineLearner]

Dickblick.com is suppose to have lovely chalk. Check out some Waldorf sites if you choose a chalk board. You can get a lovely picture up. The Crayons for Whiteboards seem to wipe off well. The dry erase low odor markers by Quartet are the best. You can see the ink levels and they write well and with "dark" ink.

 

:)

[merry gardens]

Use both! We painted part of the wall with chalk board paint. Plus, we use a small-ish white board too. I never really noticed either the smell from the markers or excessive dust from the chalkboard--and I have a strong sense of smells and have homeschooled while pregnant. I like having both.

[MommaOfThree]

Dry erase, with the low odor Expo markers.

 

You can get a huge piece of tile board (or maybe it's called shower board) from Lowes/Home Depot for under $20. It works perfectly as a dry erase board.

 

No chalkboards here--I can stand the sound of chalk writing and I can't stand the feel of chalk in my hands. Or the smell of the dust. Or the feel of the board. ::shudder::

 

 

This is what we did & I love my new dry erase boards .. :)

I had my husband cut my huge tile board into two boards for the school room (approx. 4'x5'), one in the kitchen for grocery lists (approx. 2'x3'), and three small ones for the kids to use (approx. 1'x1').

[thepoteetteam]

we prefer stench! :D

[Mom in High Heels]

What is a tile board?

[mhg]

This is what we did & I love my new dry erase boards .. :)

I had my husband cut my huge tile board into two boards for the school room (approx. 4'x5'), one in the kitchen for grocery lists (approx. 2'x3'), and three small ones for the kids to use (approx. 1'x1').

 

 

 

What tool did he use to cut it ?

[kathkath]

Went to home depot today. Was a little over 12 dollars for one and they cut it for me. I had a piece cut to the size of the nasty table in the hs room. We'll see how it holds up.

[Create Your Ritual]

I also just came back from Home Depot today and the 4' x 8' white tileboard cost around $12.00. I had them cut it down to 4' x 6' and thought I might use the leftovers for handheld ones. I also bought the plastic trim pieces and cut them at an angle at the corners and fit them around the tileboard so it looks nice. Then I hung it all up with two sets of mirror hangers, the kind that snug around to the front of the board. So it stays up there nice. I think the total cost was around $28 for everything. It's hanging up and ready to go and WAY WAY less than the $200 + I would have paid. So we will see how it goes. I read somewhere that the Mr. Clean Magic Erase bars work well on them.. I am going to give it a try.

[LibraryLover]

I personally do not write much on the dry erase or chalk boards...maybe a poem or quote here and there. Sometimes I attempt something more. (see below although I am not an artist lol)

 

My kids constantly use both.

 

We have a couple of wall areas w/chalk board paint, and a couple of dry erase boards. We have gorgeous German chalk, which i love. We have crazy -artsy -waldorf-y tendancies. http://www.waldorfteachers.com/gallery/Chalkboard+Drawing/

[missmoe]

Dry erase. I can't stand the texture of chalk. It makes my skin crawl to just think about it.

[Devotional Soul]

The advantage of chalk is that you can blend colors. It's great for an artistic experience, IMO. Dustless/anti-dust chalk helps keep the air cleaner. I prefer it because it washes off of hands better than markers. We have both, and my kids also prefer the chalkboard over the dry-erase board.

[2squared]

We use the regular Crayola washable markers on our dry erase board. I love not having to worry if my littles are drawing on paper, white board, or walls. :D

[Tardis Girl]

Follow-up report on Crayola dry erase crayons:

 

I tested the new dry-erase crayons again and this time left them on for 24hrs+. ALL of the "crayon" colors erased beautifully from my white board with no hint of color left behind. I used a paper towel to erase. The areas that were colored in more obviously took a little more pressure to remove, but still no trace of color left on the board. :hurray:

[JudoMom]

Follow-up report on Crayola dry erase crayons:

 

I tested the new dry-erase crayons again and this time left them on for 24hrs+. ALL of the "crayon" colors erased beautifully from my white board with no hint of color left behind. I used a paper towel to erase. The areas that were colored in more obviously took a little more pressure to remove, but still no trace of color left on the board. :hurray:

 

Thank you! I need these.

[Lovedtodeath]

I bought my dry erase crayons today. I have to admit: I have been giggling at the mom's complaining about school supply lists and wondering around looking for "gel glue" and such... but I had a hard time finding my dry erase crayons, so I guess we homeschoolers have our own school supply issues.:tongue_smilie:

[ClassicalTwins]

I need a large (4 feet x 6 feet) chalk or dry erase board. My concern is that I don't know if I can take 12 years of that dry-erase-marker smell. And, at that SIZE, either gets $$$ pricey, so I need to decide on one or the other. And I've heard chalk is a mess. (For what it's worth, the chalkboard I'm considering is magnetic and has a 50 year warranty). So....dust or stench? Would you recommend dry-erase or chalkboard and why?

 

I haven't looked to see if anyone told you this on here, but we just purchased "panel" from Lowe's that is used for shower walls to use as a dry erase board, it is made of masonite...can't remember how much it cost, but way cheaper than an actual dry erase board and they come in 4x8 sheets and they will cut it. In our store they are back with paneling and lumber.

[MeganW]

Here's a tip for you: don't store your Sharpies ANYWHERE NEAR your dry-erase board. Don't ask me how I know...