Whiteboards, Chalkboards and Felt Boards for the Office: 10 Questions Answered
Rosa BarnardShare
After nearly three decades of manufacturing and supplying whiteboards, chalkboards, glass boards, and felt boards to South African offices and classrooms, we've heard every question in the book. Whether you're kitting out a boardroom in Sandton, a staffroom in Pretoria, or a home office in Cape Town, the right board can transform the way your team thinks, communicates, and gets things done.
Here are the 10 questions we get asked most often — answered properly.
1. What's the difference between a whiteboard and a chalkboard?
The short answer: the writing medium and the surface. A whiteboard uses dry-erase markers on a hard, non-porous surface — typically melamine, porcelain-on-steel, or glass. Erase cleanly with a felt eraser or dry cloth, and you're ready to write again in seconds. No dust, no residue, no mess on dark clothing.
A chalkboard uses traditional chalk or chalk markers on a painted or slate surface. The texture of chalk on board produces that satisfying scratch that many people — particularly teachers — genuinely love. Chalk dust is the trade-off, though modern chalk is far less powdery than the sticks you remember from school.
For most modern offices, whiteboards win on convenience. For cafés, restaurants, school classrooms, and spaces where aesthetics matter as much as function, chalkboards add character that a whiteboard simply can't match.
2. How do I clean and maintain a whiteboard properly?
This is where most people go wrong, and it leads to the number one complaint we hear: ghosting (more on that in question 7).
Daily maintenance: Wipe with a quality dry-erase eraser or microfibre cloth immediately after use. The longer marker ink sits on the surface, the harder it is to remove completely.
Weekly deep clean: Use a dedicated whiteboard cleaning spray or a solution of isopropyl alcohol (70% concentration works well) on a lint-free cloth. Wipe in long, overlapping strokes — don't scrub in circles, as this pushes residue into the surface.
What to avoid: Household glass cleaners containing ammonia (like many window sprays) will degrade the surface coating over time. Abrasive cloths or scouring pads will scratch melamine boards permanently.
For chalkboards, wipe with a slightly damp cloth to remove chalk dust, then allow to dry completely before writing again. Every few months, "season" the board by rubbing a piece of chalk flat across the entire surface and then erasing — this fills micro-scratches and prevents permanent ghosting.
3. Can I use regular chalk on a chalkboard, or do I need chalk markers?
Both work, but they behave very differently — and the right choice depends on how you're using the board.
Regular chalk is ideal for everyday classroom use, quick notes, and any application where the board needs to be wiped and reused frequently throughout the day. It erases fully and leaves minimal residue on a well-maintained surface.
Chalk markers (liquid chalk pens) produce bolder, more vibrant lines and are popular for decorative writing, menu boards, and event signage. The colours are vivid and the finish looks sharp. The downside: they're harder to erase, especially on porous surfaces, and some cheaper markers can stain if left for extended periods. On non-porous surfaces like glass chalkboards, they wipe off easily with a damp cloth.
Our recommendation: use regular chalk for daily office or classroom use; chalk markers for boards that are used as semi-permanent display pieces that change weekly or monthly.
4. What are the benefits of a felt board or pinboard in the office?
A felt board or pinboard does something whiteboards and chalkboards can't: it lets you pin physical items. Documents, printed reports, photographs, fabric swatches, physical samples — anything that needs to be displayed without being written on belongs on a felt board.
In practice, felt boards are invaluable for:
- Project management walls — print your sprint cards, task sheets, or Kanban columns and pin them up for the whole team to see
- Design and creative studios — mood boards, colour palettes, and reference imagery displayed at scale
- Reception areas — company announcements, certificates, and event notices displayed neatly without tape marks on walls
- Classrooms — interactive displays, alphabet and number boards, and student work showcases
Felt boards are also gentler on printed materials than corkboards, as the fabric surface doesn't require you to push pins through documents — you can use T-pins around the edges to preserve important prints.
5. What should I consider when installing a whiteboard or chalkboard?
Getting the installation right matters more than most people think. A poorly positioned board is one people stop using within a week.
Height: The bottom of the writing surface should sit at roughly elbow height for a standing adult — typically 90–100 cm from the floor. For classrooms with a mix of ages, consider a lower mounting height so shorter students can reach the full surface.
Lighting: Avoid mounting whiteboards directly opposite windows. The glare from natural light makes the surface almost unreadable during certain times of day. Chalkboards are less prone to glare but benefit from consistent overhead lighting.
Wall structure: Larger boards (1800 mm wide and above) are heavy. Make sure you're mounting into wall studs or using appropriate anchor bolts for masonry walls — common in South African commercial construction. We always recommend a professional installation for boards over 1.5 m in any dimension.
Clearance: Allow at least 600 mm of clear floor space in front of the board so presenters can stand beside it without blocking the view for the room.
All BestBoard products come with full mounting hardware and installation instructions. For large custom orders, our team can advise on specific mounting requirements.
6. Can I get a custom-size whiteboard or chalkboard?
Yes — and this is one of the things that sets BestBoard apart. We manufacture our boards locally in Johannesburg, which means we're not limited to standard catalogue sizes.
We can produce boards to virtually any dimension you need: floor-to-ceiling whiteboards for boardrooms, narrow strips for corridor communication walls, curved or angled panels for architectural installations, and multi-section boards with integrated felt or cork zones.
Custom boards are popular for:
- Boardrooms and conference centres where a standard 1800 × 900 mm board isn't enough
- School classrooms requiring full-width chalkboard walls
- Retail and hospitality spaces using chalkboards as décor and signage
- Home offices where the board needs to fit a specific alcove or recess
Get in touch with us to discuss your dimensions and requirements — we'll provide a quote quickly.
7. How do I prevent ghosting on my whiteboard?
Ghosting — the faint shadow of previous writing that remains even after erasing — is the most common whiteboard problem, and it's almost always preventable.
The main causes of ghosting:
- Using low-quality or dried-out markers that deposit excess ink
- Leaving writing on the board for days or weeks without erasing
- Cleaning with products that smear rather than lift ink
- Using abrasive materials that scratch the surface, creating micro-grooves where ink settles permanently
How to prevent it: Use quality dry-erase markers (we recommend Pilot or Artline), erase within 24–48 hours of writing, and do a weekly alcohol-based clean. If your board is already showing ghosting, a deep clean with isopropyl alcohol on a microfibre cloth — using firm, even pressure — will lift most of it. Severe ghosting on melamine surfaces is unfortunately permanent; porcelain and glass boards are far more resistant to this problem long-term.
If you're buying a board for heavy daily use, invest in a porcelain-on-steel or glass surface from the outset. The extra cost pays for itself in longevity.
8. What are some creative ways to use boards in the office?
Beyond the standard meeting room whiteboard, here's how South African businesses are using boards creatively:
Weekly goals wall: A large whiteboard in a common area where team leads update their weekly targets. Visibility creates accountability without the formality of a digital dashboard.
Idea parking lot: A dedicated board — often a smaller 900 × 600 mm panel — where team members pin or write ideas that don't fit the current agenda but shouldn't be lost.
Employee recognition board: A felt board in a break room with a "well done this week" section. Low-tech, high-impact on team morale.
Client-facing chalkboard: Reception areas and waiting rooms use chalkboards to display the day's agenda, welcome visiting clients by name, or share the week's company values in a way that feels human and handcrafted.
Training rooms: A combination board — whiteboard surface with a felt strip along the top — lets trainers write and simultaneously display printed reference materials, diagrams, or photos at eye level.
9. Are there eco-friendly options for whiteboards and chalkboards?
Sustainability is a growing consideration for South African businesses, and there are genuinely better and worse choices when it comes to environmental impact.
Glass whiteboards are arguably the most sustainable option. Glass is inert, lasts decades without degradation, and doesn't require the melamine coating that standard whiteboards rely on. A quality glass board bought once is far less wasteful than replacing a cheaper melamine board every few years.
Chalkboards have a lower ongoing environmental cost than whiteboards — chalk is a natural mineral, produces no chemical ink waste, and the boards themselves have long lifespans.
Melamine whiteboards are the least durable of the three surface types and have the highest replacement rate, which offsets their lower upfront cost environmentally.
When disposing of old boards, steel-backed boards (porcelain-on-steel) can be recycled through metal recyclers. Check with your local municipality or a metal scrap dealer in your area.
10. How do I make my felt board or pinboard more visually appealing?
A felt board doesn't have to look like a forgotten notice board from 1987. With a little thought, it becomes one of the most visually dynamic features in an office.
Zone it: Use coloured washi tape or thin ribbon to divide the board into clearly labelled sections — "This Week", "Upcoming", "Reference", "Ideas". Structured zones make the board look intentional rather than chaotic.
Use consistent stationery: Print your notices and cards on the same paper size and use matching pin colours per category. Visual consistency is the difference between a board that looks professional and one that looks like a jumble sale.
Rotate content regularly: A felt board with three-month-old content becomes invisible to the team. Assign one person to update it weekly — even small changes keep it feeling active and relevant.
Mix media: Combine printed cards with hand-written notes, fabric swatches, or small physical objects pinned in place. Texture creates interest that a purely paper board never achieves.
Frame it: A board with a clean aluminium or timber frame looks considerably more polished than one with exposed edges. All BestBoard felt boards come framed as standard.
Ready to upgrade your workspace?
BestBoard has been manufacturing and supplying boards to South African businesses and schools since 1996. Every board is made locally in Johannesburg, which means we can customise to your exact requirements, turn orders around quickly, and back everything with real after-sales support.
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