DIY: whiteboard made from ACP
Would you like to save money by making your own whiteboard but have no idea where to start? In this blog, we explain how to make a DIY whiteboard easily and affordably using Alupanel. Whiteboards are very handy in the office or for school, but can also be helpful to have in the kitchen for shopping and to-do lists or to note down your daily schedule.
You'll need:
- 3 mm aluminium composite panel gloss white RAL 9003
- 4 x panel holders or spacers
- Drilling machine with a twist drill
- Wooden board
- Whiteboard markers
The basis of your plastic whiteboard: aluminium composite panel
We’re going to use an aluminium composite panel to make our whiteboard. Alupanel is a sandwich panel with an aluminium outer layer that is often used for advertising materials and signs. Alupanel, often referred to as Dibond®, is a lightweight material suitable for many applications and is very easy to process. Aluminium composite panels come in a wide range of colours and finishes – the white gloss version is the ideal material to use for making a whiteboard.
Step 1: Drill holes in the Alupanel sheet
You can skip this step if you’re going to use panel holders but if you’re using spacers, you’ll need to drill holes in the Alupanel sheet. First, drill a 10 mm diameter hole in each corner of the sheet. Place a wooden board under the Alupanel into which the drill can run. Next, mark the position of the four drill holes about 2.5 cm from the edge and drill the holes. While drilling, make sure that the speed isn’t too high as there’s a risk of the heat created by high-speed drilling could melt the sheet. For more information on this topic, view our blog about drilling aluminium composite sheets.
Tip: Keeping the drill speed low will prevent your Alupanel sheet from melting.
Step 2: Drill holes in the wall
In order to hang the whiteboard, holes must first be drilled in the wall where you are going to hang it. Before drilling, mark out the position of the drill holes on the wall to make sure that they’re in the correct place. Use a spirit level to make sure that they’re completely straight. If you’re using the spacers from our webshop for this task, drill a 5 mm hole so that the plug fits perfectly.
Step 3: Hang the whiteboard
The last step: hanging your Alupanel whiteboard. First, position the plugs in the drill holes and screw in the spacer feet. Now position the Alupanel sheet on the spacers and proceeding with care, turn the heads against it. Don’t overtighten them as this can cause damage to the panel. If the whiteboard is now securely fixed and hanging straight, it’s ready for use. Use whiteboard markers to write or draw on it as marks from other types of pen might be difficult to remove.
Tip: clean your whiteboard at intervals with Burnus antistatic cleaner on a microfibre cloth. This will keep your board white and glossy.
Contact us at Plasticsheetsshop.co.uk
If you have any questions about this project or about the range of products we supply in our webshop. Please call us on tel: 0122-3976701 or email us at info@plasticsheetsshop.co.uk. Find the correct thickness of the sheet material you intend to use with our free thickness calculator.
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