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Comment by pitdesi | Hacker News Reader

Cheaper than Ideapaint... Anyone have first hand experience using both?

$/Sqft comparison

Whiteyboard - $75 for 30sqft - $2.5/sqft -http://www.whiteyboard.com/

Ideapaint - $175 for a 50 sqft area - $3.5/sqft... http://www.amazon.com/IdeaPaint-Sq-Ft-Kit-Whiteboard/dp/B002...

Tileboard (often makes sense for a bootstrappers whiteboard) - $10 for 10 sqft - $1/sqft - http://www.lowes.com/pd_61082-46498-31023248_0__?productId=3...

While these are all cool, we decided to hell with all of these things and that it was worth it to spend $400 on a kickass whiteboard that flips and does tricks and ended up with this http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Ship-Deluxe-Reversible-Markerboa... (paid ~$400 for it). It is awesome - rolls around and flips and we can take it with us to our new office, which is important.

Does anyone know why whiteboards are so damn expensive?

Congrats to whiteyboard, I think it's an awesome problem to tackle!

View on HN

Thanks so much. Although I am a co-founder of WhiteyBoard, I do have this up all over my place and it works fantastically.

For people that don't want to pay $2.5/sw ft. We also have our original WhiteyBoard products which we created to combat the origial expensive dry erase boards. We thought Paint was an awesome way ato approach whiteboards, so we made a cheaper and better version of that as well. Enjoy!

Note that Rust-Oleum also has dry erase paint, available from Home Depot, Amazon, and other such places, that is also much cheaper than Ideapaint. (Also available, bafflingly, from Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/rust-oleum-dry-erase-paint-g...). Prices vary a lot, but it looks comparable or even a little cheaper than the Whiteyboard paint (but note that it is white, not clear)).

My guess is that Ideapaint is so expensive because most people have no idea dry erase paint exists. They stumble across Ideapaint while searching for whiteboards. It is such an obviously good idea, there is a tendency to assume it is very rare or else you would have heard of it before. Since it is a good deal compared to whiteboards from the regular office supply stores (even the "low use" whiteboards from those stores), it puts the customer in the mindset of thinking they have found a great bargain, and they don't go looking for an even better bargain.

Rust-Oleum used to be sold in-stores at HomeDepot. They pulled it from the shelves because it was defective (fact). They now sell it online but at a discount to get rid of the rest of the product. Beware of that solution.

As for IdeaPaint, I agree. They priced themselves high because they were the first mover. Little do peoplele know that they have been around for 9 years and have changed their name multiple times after different iterations.

WhiteyPaint studied everything and our solution is the result of that. We actually have a nice comparisson chart of this page of ourselves vs IdeaPaint here: http://www.whiteyboard.com/order-now-whiteboard/paint.html

Thanks HN for checking us out.

Do you have info on how well dry markers wipe off after a week or a month?

Where do these guys (JML Products and Design) fit in? http://www.jmlproductsanddesign.com/DryErasePaint.htm

They claim their clear dry erase paint is patented, but I don't see them list the patent number anywhere.

I think ideapaint is priced higher due to the crazy good gaurantee (10 years and lifetime), greengaurd certification and the one coat application. that being said, I would get away with a cheaper costed whiteboard if it would be a temporary surface that I wouldnt use for years...

also, I took a look at the comparison chart on the site and did some research. while whiteyboard is cheaper, how can you prove that it has better technology? I called and asked about ideapaints outdoor applications and they have applied it outdoors and said it performed well.also, any dry erase marker is recommended for ideapaint. they also showed me a test with a sharpie that was removed quite easily. as for free cleaner, ideapaint recommends a damp microfibre cloth for cleaning, no cleaner needed. just a few things i uncovered after making a few calls.

in one of the videos on the site the girl said that whiteypaint was the first clear whiteboard paint on the market...there is actually a company in canada that is called solutionsmb that made the first clear dry erase paint...as for ideapaint being around for 9 years, it has only been available to market since 2008 with a "perfected" product. i havent been able to find any info on any other names they are under.please post any info that you find on this.

sorry for the long post, i overdue my research when looking into new products...

I put up some of the Rust-Oleum paint last year but I wasn't a huge fan. If you didn't erase within a few hours, your marks didn't just wipe off, which made it pretty useless. I didn't try any special cleaners though, so I don't know if that would be a solution.

Yes, Rust-Oleum is a faulty product. It was pulled from the shelves at Home Depot for this reason.

Home improvement stores also sell tileboard in 4x8 sheets (128 sqft) for little more than the DIYers 10sqft sheet you linked. I got mine for $14, that's $0.10/sqft.

4 x 8 = 32 so, $0.44 / sqft. Still a good deal at four times the price!

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