INCORPORATING DRY ERASE WALLS INTO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROJECTS

 

Dry erase walls have become indispensable tools in the arsenal of modern architects. Architects design and develop ideas for structures and turn these concepts into graphic images and plans, ultimately becoming homes, schools, office buildings, and other facilities. The jobs of architects involve more than just a building’s appearance, and almost all parts of their work are visual by nature. Architects consult with clients to ascertain their needs and prepare drawings and specifications of the concepts that the clients want to see realized. Periodic meetings are held with clients and other professionals, such as engineers, to discuss and develop design proposals and move them toward completion.

For this reason, architects need a surface to work on in developing designs and presenting their design ideas without worrying about running short on drawing space. Standard writing and drawing surfaces like framed whiteboards and flip charts need to be bigger to meet the needs of most architects for creating building designs and displaying them at meetings. With access to a dry erase painted wall, however, an architect can draw large sketches of one or more buildings without being concerned about lack of room.

This article discusses how architects can make efficient use of dry erase walls in the building design process and in displaying their ideas at meetings with clients and other professionals working alongside them on projects.

Designing Buildings with Event Planning in Mind

In the past 20 years, architectural design has attained new levels of sophistication and has left a mark on the event planning industry. Architectural projects can transform community sections into social and meeting hubs, making event planning easier. In designing an environmentally and pedestrian-friendly multi-building complex, architects can create vibrant centers for holding large events such as banquets, dinners, conferences, and concerts.

Dry erase painted walls are invaluable tools in creating designs for such projects. With their huge surfaces, dry erase walls offer the chance to generate rough ideas for many buildings and other structures in a complex all at once. In this way, event planning can be more easily included as a key factor to be considered in an overall project design. The “big picture” of a complex of buildings can be seen in a larger format than would be possible on the limited surface of a computer screen or traditional whiteboard. This way, visualizing a wide range of options for designing buildings conducive to planning and holding events becomes a trouble-free task.

Doing Collaborative Project Management Activities

Besides architects, many types of professionals, such as civil and mechanical engineers and quantity surveyors, play vital roles in executing construction projects on schedule. Architects are often chosen to be project managers (PMs) among these individuals. The role of a PM is to ensure that a project is implemented within a specific budget and time frame. An architectural project manager, known as an ArPM, manages all of the steps involved in the design and construction of a building.

These steps range from developing and assessing building design plans to ensuring that a project adheres to local and national environmental and safety guidelines. A large, easy-to-use dry erase wall can be a vital tool in this process, as it allows for quick and easy writing of text such as lists of government guidelines and drawing of graphics such as architectural design plans.

Facilitation and Improvement of the Planning Process

A recent study showed that among the many hurdles an ArPM faces in executing a construction project are inadequate planning and improper scheduling.

Dealing with these difficulties can be made much simpler by using a large user-friendly dry erase painted wall. For instance, adequate planning of projects is facilitated when the vast canvas of a dry erase wall is available for posting planning ideas and giving them a quick swipe of a microfiber cloth to make changes. In this way, project planning can become a free-flowing process with endless possibilities for the creative assignment of duties and flexibility in adjusting priorities when needed.

Improved Collaboration with Other Professionals and Clients

What’s more, during the process of project development, a quantity surveyor, who makes sure that the construction work is completed within budget, is also needed. For this reason, ArPMs need to meet regularly with quantity surveyors to discuss the progress of a building project and its costs. For clients, a clear understanding of the development process is essential, so architects and quantity surveyors need to work together to guide clients through the intricacies and issues related to their project. This is another place where dry erase walls can come in handy, as they allow for easy-to-understand presentations to clients of design progress by architects, along with details on budget and time factors by a quantity surveyor.

Easy Production and Modification of Building Layouts or Floor Plans

Typically drawn to scale, a building layout or floor plan can be a simple two-dimensional diagram or a graph drawing showing the basic arrangement of the rooms in a building from an aerial perspective, including the dimension lines, room measurements, and spatial relationships among objects and fixtures. A floor plan provides a builder or designer with a physical scenario to look at and evaluate and acts as the preliminary representation for an architectural design project.

Floor plans may also reveal possible flaws in a design, eventually serving as the starting point for drafting definitive final blueprints for the building.

The process of drawing floor plans may be smoothed along by using a dry erase painted wall. The wall’s colossal surface area can provide more than enough space to generate large-sized preliminary layouts easily altered by erasing and redrawing. The large drawings will be easy for clients to view and comment on during meetings. Then, once a plan is reached that meets the clients’ needs, pictures can be taken of the images to serve as the basis for more detailed designs to be drawn up later.

Schedules for the Completion of Construction Projects

Besides providing dates for construction activities, project scheduling is designed to match equipment, labor, and material resources with work tasks that occur over time. Careful scheduling can avoid issues related to production holdups, assist in the prompt acquisition of materials, and otherwise guarantee that a project is completed on time and within budget.

The Critical Path Method Helps to Facilitate Project Completion

Using a dry erase painted wall, an ARPM can easily carry out project scheduling and make changes as often as needed. The most commonly used construction project scheduling technique is the critical path method (CPM). In this approach, the shortest completion time for a project is calculated beforehand, along with likely starting and finishing times for various project-related activities.

Computer representations of a project schedule typically comprise a list of activities along with their durations, requisite resources, and antecedent activities. However, rather than lists, graphic representations are more beneficial for visualizing a construction plan and ensuring its mathematical constraints are met. This is another area where dry erase painted walls come into play.

In the critical path approach, data from the project’s list of activities along with identifiers for the various types of activities to be performed may be entered onto a large schematic diagram or flow chart on the wall. The diagram should consist of nodes (circles, squares, or ovals) tied together by lines or arrows representing the sequence between the activities. This technique is referred to as the activity-on-node (AON) or precedence method and is widely used worldwide. Architects working as ArPMs can more easily complete their construction projects on time and within their budgets using the AON critical path approach on a dry erase wall.

 

YELLOWING EPOXY-BASED DRY ERASE PAINT VS. WATER-BASED DRY ERASE PAINTS

 

Due to the chemical structure of their ingredients, epoxy-based dry erase paints are susceptible to a type of discoloration known as yellowing or “ambering” when they’re exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light for some time. Even when chemicals called UV light stabilizers are added to their ingredients, epoxy-based coatings still turn yellow with time and require removal and recoating, especially when more severe problems arise, such as delamination (fracturing into layers), peeling, loss of surface sheen, and chalking, or the formation of a powdery layer on a coating’s surface. In contrast, our quality dry erase paint is composed of a highly durable, flexible, and waterproof two-part water-based aliphatic polyurethane formulation, which, unlike epoxy-based dry erase paints, is highly resistant to UV radiation, and so is not subject to yellowing or the other problems common to epoxies.

Epoxy-Based Dry Erase Coatings and Yellowing

Like most other materials on Earth, epoxy resins such as those used in many of today’s dry erase paints change when subjected to ultraviolet light from the Sun or other sources. Even the UV light from seemingly harmless fluorescent lights can produce changes in epoxies, the most obvious being a form of discoloration known as ambering. When rays of ultraviolet light from the Sun or artificial lights shine on an epoxy-based dry erase coating, they gradually damage the complex chemical compounds known as polymers in the coating’s resin, producing a yellow or amber hue on the formerly pristine dry erase surface. Even epoxy-based dry erase coated surfaces that are initially crystal clear and transparent or pure white (if zinc oxide is part of the ingredients) will inevitably and sometimes quickly take on an unsightly-looking shade of yellow.

Initially, yellowing appears as a light hue over the entire dry erase surface and then gradually deepens till it attains a darker brownish-yellow color. Indoor epoxy-based dry erase coated surfaces typically start to yellow in six to twelve months after they’re applied, even if they’re composed of paints containing a UV-stabilizing chemical additive because such additives only slow down the pace of yellowing but cannot prevent it. This color change is unavoidable because epoxies, which belong to a group of organic compounds known as aromatics, are unable to resist the effects of ultraviolet light.

This quality of powerlessness against the impact of ultraviolet light is known as being “UV active.” The molecules of UV-active chemicals need strong atomic linkages, which is common in aromatic compounds like those contained in epoxy-based dry erase coatings. While epoxy resins have excellent chemical and physical qualities, their toughness and functioning are severely lessened by the action of UV light on their chemical structures, so yellowing, cracking, and loss of durability are bound to happen. Oxygen radicals are formed as oxygen molecules in the atmosphere are subjected to ultraviolet light. These unstable molecules contain oxygen and react easily with other molecules, so they readily attack and react with the surfaces of epoxy-based dry erase coatings, causing yellowing and the other problems mentioned above.

Thus, while they have good chemical resistance and electrical properties, good adhesion to metals, and good resistance to water and physical shock, epoxy resins are highly susceptible to UV light damage, so their durability is greatly lessened when they’re exposed to sunlight or even artificial radiation from fluorescent lamps and other sources. In other words, epoxy resins can’t resist the impact of ultraviolet light on their original color and appearance. In fact, epoxy-coated surfaces have even been known to undergo yellowing when they’re kept in total darkness.

UV Light Stabilizers Delay the Inevitable

Many epoxy resins currently on the market contain UV light stabilizers to guard against the problem of ambering or yellowing, along with the other issues that epoxies are susceptible to, such as delamination (fracturing into layers), peeling, loss of surface sheen, and chalking, which is the formation of a powdery, easily crumbled layer on the surface of a coating, usually caused by exposure to ultraviolet light or other forms of energy. Epoxy resins that are continually subjected to ultraviolet light are also prone to cracking, which, in the end, leads to failure and the need to remove the degraded coating and recoat completely.

For these reasons, UV light stabilizers are necessary additives for epoxy-based dry erase coatings. They are generally effective, except for yellowing, which the additives can delay for a time but can never be eliminated. Silicone-based epoxy resins have better UV-light resistance than other types of epoxies, but they come at an extremely high price and are thus cost-prohibitive for most customers. So, when choosing a dry erase coating, buyers need to be aware of and avoid products like epoxy-based dry erase paints containing aromatic compounds that yellow, and eventually experience other problems leading to failure, including delamination, chalking, peeling, and cracking.

Superiority of Top Dry Erase Coating’s Chemical Structure

As discussed above, epoxy resins contain aromatic molecular groups that strongly absorb light in the ultraviolet range of the light spectrum, putting their chemical structures at high risk of being degraded by such light. The light stability of epoxy resins may be improved by including additives known as UV stabilizers or UV inhibitors. Still, epoxies will never reach the same level of ultraviolet light resistance as that possessed by aliphatic acrylic urethane formulations, such as those of our premium clear and white ReMARKable dry erase coatings, which retain their bright, sparkling appearance for ten-plus years of continuous writing and drawing, if properly cleaned and maintained with microfiber materials and a water-based dry erase cleaner.

Aliphatic acrylic polyurethanes like those in our premium dry erase coatings are composed of multiple straight chains of urethane, a synthetic crystalline chemical compound with tremendous strength and elasticity. The molecular forces in polyurethanes are spring-like and feature strong attractions, causing polyurethane compounds to be highly flexible, tough, and long-lasting. Coatings like our high-end dry erase paints made from polyurethanes like aliphatic acrylic urethane typically have high tensile strengths and molecular bonds, so they continue to hold up even under extremes of temperature and physical stress. These qualities make our top-quality dry erase paints appropriate for application in all environments and withstand long-term use with the proper care and maintenance.

Top-quality Dry Erase Coatings Resist Yellowing

All paints yellow to varying degrees when exposed to ultraviolet light; however, since our premium dry erase coatings are not epoxy-based but instead are aliphatic acrylic urethane formulations, they’re among the most light-stable of all dry erase paints on the market today. Therefore, while some yellowing may occur with our coatings, it is so subtle that it’s not visible to the naked eye and requires special laboratory equipment to detect, so it doesn’t affect the appearance of a finished dry erase-coated surface. The aliphatic nature and excellent light stability of our premium dry erase paints, and the UV-inhibiting chemicals they contain make our products about as light stable as possible at the current research and development stage in dry erase paint manufacturing.

Aliphatic refers to organic compounds in which carbon atoms form straight open chains, as in polyurethane, not aromatic rings, as in epoxy resins. This quality of having open-chained atoms makes aliphatic urethane products like our premium dry erase coatings resistant to ultraviolet radiation and, in turn, to yellowing and the other problems epoxies are prone to. In aromatic compounds such as those in epoxy-based dry erase paints, the carbon atoms are joined in a ring structure, making almost all such compounds susceptible to changes caused by ultraviolet rays from the Sun and artificial lighting. So, when choosing a dry erase coating for your office, school, private home, or other venue, it’s wise to go with ReMARKable, an industry leader with a tough, long-lasting urethane formula that will never yellow, crack, or peel for its entire lifespan.

 

 

HOW DO YOU MAKE A DRY ERASE WALL?

 

A top-quality dry erase wall is versatile and can be installed in various venues, including business offices, classrooms, homes, restaurants, libraries, retail shops, clinics, and hospitals. Once installed, a dry erase wall offers a vast surface for writing and drawing that can be used for doing business meeting presentations, conducting classroom lessons, posting household schedules, and countless other tasks. Dry erase walls are also perfect places to reveal your creativity through impromptu sketching, doodling, poetry writing, brainstorming, and other forms of expression.

If you’ve been thinking about applying dry erase paint to one or more of your walls, here are several essential steps to assure you a highly satisfactory dry erase wall outcome and many years of reliable service.

Thoroughly Prepare Your Surface Before Application

Preparing a smooth, unblemished surface before covering a wall with premium dry erase paint is critical. If you’re working with drywall, it’s essential to skim-coat the surface at least once, if not twice, in preparation for your dry erase paint application. And if the surface has been finished with the so-called “orange peel” texture, you’ll need to skim coat it with joint compound, also known as drywall mud, before applying the dry erase paint. This is so because when dry erase markers are used to write or draw on an orange peel-type surface, the marker ink settles in the tiny pits or low areas, resulting in an unsightly spotted appearance. In such a case, the markings also look irregular and less dark and distinct than they would appear on a perfectly smooth wall.

Orange Peel Surfaces Need to be Skim Coated with Drywall Mud

To prevent this issue, smooth your wall by putting on an ample layer of joint compound that will fill in all of the tiny peaks and valleys in the orange peel surface. Then, once the joint compound has dried, sand the wall with 180-grit sandpaper and follow up by sanding once again with 240-grit sandpaper until you arrive at a completely smooth and even surface all over the wall.

Next, after the orange peel texture and rough sections of joint compound have been eliminated, carefully wipe down the entire surface with a moistened microfiber cloth or mitt. Follow this up with another thorough wipe down with a dry microfiber cloth so your wall will be arid and suitable for applying a primer paint or our proprietary ReMARKable Tintable Base Paint. This product consists of a base coat and primer all in one so it does away with the need to apply separate a primer and base coat.

If you choose to use a primer and base coat of another manufacturer, first prime the surface with a good quality white primer and follow this up with an appropriate environmentally friendly base coat, preferably a high-quality satin or eggshell water-based enamel. If you plan to apply the paint over a dark-colored painted wall, you will have to prime the surface first with white primer.

Carefully Mask off the Area of the Wall to be Painted with Painter’s Tape

Using painter’s tape, mask off the area you want to turn into a dry erase surface. Look for a good quality brand of painter’s tape that provides superior seep-through protection. Regular masking tape, which is generally of poorer quality, tends to allow paint to bleed through its sides, leaving behind uneven edges when it’s removed. Lower-quality masking tape is also prone to breaking up and splitting apart during removal. In contrast, painter’s tape stays intact and leaves a clean, even edge on your painted surface after it’s removed.

To ensure you have a successful tape application before installing your dry erase paint, you can practice applying the tape to a section of molding or other surface until you can do it smoothly, evenly, and with the right degree of tension. Stretching the tape as you apply it before painting can cause air bubbles or puckering, which will cause the dry erase paint to seep under the edges of the tape and produce an irregular and unsightly appearance upon removal.

When you feel ready to apply the painter’s tape, carefully position the tape against an edge you want to cover and pull about ten inches of tape from the roll. Then, hold the tape roll tightly next to the wall with one hand and move the roll along as you apply the tape in a completely straight line. During this time, you should be pressing down on the tape with the index finger of your other hand. Finally, tear off the piece of tape that you’ve installed and use the same procedure to apply another length of tape to the next section, and so on, until you’ve masked off the entire area where you plan to apply the dry erase paint.

Thoroughly Mix the Dry Erase Paint Formula

Once everything is ready, carefully mix parts A and B of the dry erase paint formula for at least three minutes according to the kit’s instructions while using a slow, steady motion. This will ensure that the paint’s two components are thoroughly blended and that no issues will arise during application or after the dry erase paint cures. Avoid over-mixing the paint or mixing it too vigorously with a strong swirling motion, as this will cause the paint’s bubbling, which will lead to small pits on the finished surface after the paint cures. Such an irregular surface causes dry erase marker ink to easily collect in the low areas or valleys, thus creating an unsightly look and less distinct ink lines when writing and drawing.

Apply the Dry Erase Paint to Your Wall

Using a microfiber paint roller with a nap of 1/4″ or 3/8, apply a single thick coat of the dry erase paint mixture to your wall based on the procedure described in your paint kit’s instructions. During the application process, it’s important not to try “stretching” your dry erase paint by spreading it out and causing it to be applied too thinly. Doing so will result in an undesirable appearance for your dry erase and a surface that will only be possible to write on smoothly and erase cleanly.

Remove the Tape within 30 Minutes and Let the Paint Cure

Take off your painter’s tape within thirty minutes after you apply the dry erase paint. This procedure will remove the tape before the paint can harden completely, thus maintaining a clean, straight edge on your finished dry erase painted surface.

The freshly painted dry erase wall should be dry to the touch in six to eight hours, depending on your room’s ambient temperature and humidity levels. However, it is essential to wait a minimum of 48 hours before using the surface to allow the paint to cure completely and avoid creating any future issues with writing and erasing.

Write and Draw On Your New Dry Erase Wall

Try your new dry erase wall to experience the joy of writing and drawing on its vast open canvas! Use only high-quality low-odor dry erase markers, and unleash your innate creativity by expressing yourself in large, easy-to-see text and drawings that can be readily erased when new thoughts and images arise. Once you’ve completed installing your dry erase wall, the possibilities for using the surface are endless and are only limited by the size of your imagination.

For example, suppose you’ve applied the dry erase paint to a wall in your business office. In that case, it will provide a handy communications center for you and your team to hold brainstorming sessions, posting reminders about upcoming staff meetings, writing messages about new office policies, and various other tasks.

 

CAPTIVATING SEPTEMBER QUOTES FOR YOUR DRY ERASE PAINTED WALL

 

As September embraces us with its warm embrace, it brings a perfect balance of tranquility and transformation. It’s a month of reflection and anticipation, where the echoes of summer’s joys resonate as we prepare for the arrival of autumn. What better way to immerse yourself in the essence of September than adorning your dry erase painted wall with an array of inspiring quotes that encapsulate its unique qualities?

Read more:
https://www.remarkablecoating.com/captivating-september-quotes-for-your-dry-erase-painted-wall/

#dryerasewall #dryerasepaintedwall #Septemberquotes #dryerasewallquotes

 

THINGS TO DO WITH DRY ERASE PAINT

 

Every room in the house, school, business office, or other venue is a potential spot for applying top-quality dry erase paint. The information in this video will give you some practical pointers where whiteboard paint can be installed and ideas for how dry erase surfaces may make your life and those of your family members, students, and coworkers more convenient and enjoyable.

Read more:
https://www.remarkablecoating.com/things-to-do-with-dry-erase-paint/

#dryerasepaint #dryerasewallpaint #whiteboardpaint

DOES YOUR DRY ERASE PAINT DRY WITH A MATTE FINISH?

 

Wondering if dry erase paint dries with a matte finish? Get all the answers you need to properly create an easily projectable dry erase wall.

Read more:
https://www.remarkablecoating.com/does-your-dry-erase-paint-dry-with-a-matte-finish-so-i-can-easily-project-onto-my-new-dry-erase-wall/