Choosing the best whiteboard for you

As a child you might have been used to seeing most classrooms having a chalkboard at the front of the room for the teacher to write on. However the discovery that the dust that chalk created was particularly bad for computers resulted in a change. As computers made their way into the classroom, chalkboards were slowly replaced by whiteboards or dry erase boards.

Whiteboards come with different surfaces that you can choose between. These include porcelain, high-pressure laminate and melamine. If you buy a whiteboard with a porcelain surface it is likely to come with some form of warranty as they are extremely durable and it is often the first choice for anyone looking for a board for a classroom or the office. You can even fasten magnets to it as the surface is enamelled sheet metal, which will allow you to use the board as a noticeboard at the same time. The surface is also non porous, which means it can stand exposure to stronger types of cleaning material.

A new addition to the range of whiteboard materials is the high-pressure laminate. It is created in the same way as the laminate that is used for kitchen counter tops. Although the boards are durable they are easy to scratch. This is not as convenient if you are looking to use the board in a classroom where children are likely to play with it, and the surface is not made of metal however and you can therefore not fasten magnets to it. However it is a lot cheaper than a board made out of porcelain.

Lastly there are the boards that are made out of melamine. This is normally used for smaller boards such as those used next to a desk or for the children to draw on in their rooms. These boards are not as sturdy as those above and will require thorough cleaning as ink or similar material is likely to seep into the pours of the board. This can leave a grey surface or in worse cases make the board impossible to clean completely.

There are many options available whether you want a large or smaller sized whiteboard, and you can find one with pretty much any colour frame that you would like, and that will suit your space. Just make sure that you ask how to best clean and maintain your whiteboards so that you can enjoy them in many years to come.

The best boards to show off your menu

Blackboards and noticeboards are common place in restaurants, pubs and cafes and have been for many years. Competition in the hospitality industry is fierce with every business owner wanting to retain and gain more customers than the next. One way to make your establishment stand out from the crowd is with a stunning menu, and what better way to show it off than with a restaurant menu board.

At Moores, we have been making blackboards for decades but it is only more recently that we have expanded into the printed blackboards business. You might like to go for a more generic menu board as pictured here to show off your ‘specials’, wine list or dessert menu. These style boards are great for pubs, rustic restaurants and funky bistros. Your menu can be changed as often as you like – just be sure to get a good sign writer in if you’re not the arty type as there is nothing worse than a badly drawn blackboard!

Many restaurants actually prefer to get their own custom made blackboard designed. You get something subtle with your logo printed stylishly at the top or in the bottom corners, or you could go the whole hog and get something really ‘out there’ made for you. For example if you run a sea food restaurant, you could get a blackboard in the shape of a crab made up! You could even experiment with different colour boards and maybe even clashing colours for a really funky design.

In addition to wall blackboards, table-top blackboards are fantastic for up-selling to customers. Your coffee list, starter menu or details of any special offers can just sit on their tables tempting them in to stay longer (and spend more money of course!). Tabletop blackboards come in a great range of sizes and colours to suit any style of restaurant, pub or café and again they can be printed with your logo or any writing that you require.

No establishment is complete without showing off their menu and for many the blackboard is a simple, cost effective and stylish way to do this. Why not take a look at our website www.boards4u.co.uk to see the restaurant menu boards we have on offer.

Happy Birthday Moores Message Boards!

At Moores Message Boards this month it’s not just our birthday, but our 35th birthday! Yes, 35 years ago this month Moores of Stalham as it was known then opened its doors and started manufacturing notice boards. It wasn’t until a few years down the line that we noticed that our range of blackboards were becoming ever popular and since then we have turned most of our attention that way, manufacturing  thousands of blackboards every year.

One of our most exciting moments in our history came in 2005 where we were the first to develop the Sudoku magnetic notice board. This product was so successful that demand soon exceeded supply and our team far exceeded expectations to get everything delivered at Christmas.

In 2007 we re-launched as Moores Message Boards and haven’t looked back since.

As a UK based company, we have seen the demise of many fantastic British manufacturers, factories and workshops as more and more work is outsourced to developing countries. But we are proud to support local workers and continue to process new business orders every day.

So from everyone at Moores, thank you for supporting us over the past 35 years, and here’s to the next 35!

Blackboards or whiteboards for schools?

Many teachers prefer to stick to their tradition and use a blackboard for leading their classes but is this a mind-set that is shared around the UK? This post will look at the advantages of both whiteboards and blackboards.

Blackboards have been used for teaching in classrooms since the early 1900s when a geography teacher in Scotland took his students’ slates and attached them to the classroom wall in order to display the lesson to the class. Since then, a blackboard has been a common association with the classroom as a brilliant way to display information and then simply rub it out at the end of the lesson.

Blackboards can come in a variety of shapes and sizes from small wall blackboards to those on a roll so the entire days’ lessons can be written out and those with pre-drawn lines on that are great for teaching children to read and write. Most classrooms opted for a large wall blackboard which meant that writing didn’t need to be squeezed in. However, many people find writing with chalks very difficult especially as the chalks are used and get smaller.

The main advantage of a whiteboard for teaching over a blackboard is that there is far less mess involved. Chalk gets everywhere and even if you use liquid chalks instead there is still the risk of it getting on your clothes which can be tricky to remove. Blackboard dusters can also create a lot of mess in themselves and the dust can cause some people to cough especially those who are asthmatic. Whiteboard markers are very clean and most can be easily washed out of clothes.

Many people also argue that using a black whiteboard pen on a whiteboard is easier to read than white chalk on a blackboard. You can buy a range of coloured pens for whiteboards that can come in very handy for highlighting important points and drawing diagrams too. Chalkboards are slightly more limited in the things that you can display on them. Magnetic whiteboards are particularly useful in lessons for sticking up pictures and graphs.

Overall, the whiteboard is a much more useful and easy to use tool for teaching in schools, universities and colleges. As time progresses, we predict that fewer and fewer blackboards will be seen in classrooms, especially with the development of interactive whiteboards.

Is there still a place for the blackboard?

In schools around the world, blackboards have been slowly replaced for some time now with whiteboards. Whiteboards are considered to be less messy, more robust and easier for students to read. Many universities and modern schools have invested in interactive whiteboards. These enable the teacher to display images, lessons and games on the board from a computer that can be controlled from the whiteboard.

So is there still a place in the world for the blackboard? While blackboards may not be as popular nowadays in schools, they have become increasingly popular in the home. With the rise of brands such as Shabby Chic and country-style and vintage becoming popular style trends, blackboards have actually made a come-back! It might be a small wall hanging blackboard in the kitchen, or even an entire chalkboard wall – either way the style is coming back. Magnetic blackboards are one of the most popular products at present, finding a good balance between chalkboard and notice board. You can buy or make fun magnetic to go with them that can brighten up your home and make leaving messages or reminders a little bit fun!

Kids will love having a blackboard at home. You can buy novelty blackboards in a variety of different shapes such as cats, dogs, bears or trains. These are great for helping them to express their creativity without wasting reams and reams of paper.

Even if blackboards are being used less in schools, pubs are still using the blackboard. See our article on pub blackboards for the range of options that are available. Studies have shown that people are more likely to pay attention to something on a blackboard or notice board because subconsciously we recognise that the information on it is likely to change on a regular basis. So to answer the question, yes there is still a place for the blackboard.

While schools and colleges might be moving on to more modern solutions to aid their teachers, homes and pubs across Britain are embracing the blackboard in new and more fun ways than ever before.

Could Your Business Benefit From A Blackboard?

Blackboards might not seem like the most obvious marketing tools and it’s true that it won’t work for everyone, but blackboards can actually be incredibly useful for a range of industries.

Pubs, Cafes & Restaurants

You don’t often see a traditional British pub without a blackboard, but cafes and restaurants can look great with a blackboard. There are so many types of blackboards that are perfect for the hospitality industry – from simple wall blackboards to table top boards and boards on easels.

Retail

Some shops could use a blackboard to market themselves to great effect. Having an A-frame or wall blackboard on the outside of your premises means that you can written daily messages to passers-by to encourage them to come in off the streets. In these times where more and more people are buying online rather than going into stores, something as simple as this to get customer into your store must be worth a try. Remember to employ a good sign writer though as a poorly drawn blackboard won’t represent your business well.

Offices

Businesses with offices could benefit from having a blackboard. When brainstorming, reams and reams of paper can be wasted with spider diagrams and ideas. A blackboard can be used over and over again and simply subbed away should you want to scrap the ideas. Some businesses like to install an entire wall blackboard that can be a central feature in a meeting room.

Food & Drink

If you run a food or drink manufacturing business and not using promotional blackboards, then you’re missing a trick! This is especially true for independent or local manufacturers. If your products are being sold in pubs, restaurants, delis and cafes nearby, then make sure to get some branded blackboards in there! You want people to be eating your products and know where they’ve come from.

Notice Boards For Kids

Blackboards and notice boards are great for kids. There are so many colours, shapes and materials available that there will be sure to be something to a child of any age – even fussy teenagers!

We all know that kids love to put things up on the wall. Whether it’s a drawing they’re particularly proud of or an award they’ve won, there is always something that needs to be pride of place. A notice board saves your walls from endless sticky-tac and tape and means that your children can change what’s on their walls as often as they like.

Sundeala make a great range of fun notice boards for kids. All of their boards are made from recycled materials making them ideal for the eco-conscious among us. From hexagonal, pastel-coloured boards that can be tessellated together to fill spaces of any size, to boards in the shapes of teddy bears, trains and rabbits these boards are great for younger children.

For older children, there are slightly more sophisticated boards available but with a fun twist. Cork and felt notice boards are available in a range of colours from reds, greens and blues to shocking pink! You could also buy a plainer cork board but get some funky pins instead.

Finally, getting a notice board for your kids can help to keep them a little bit more organised! You can leave helpful reminders on a whiteboard or dry wipe board, and attached school reports, forms and receipts that they should be keeping a hold of.