Frequently Asked Questions

Our Standard Think Boards (Think Board Medium and Large) are excellent for moderate use, like jotting down ideas here and there. They come in Clear and White.

Our Premium products, which include Premium Think Boards, Premium XL Think Boards, Resurfacing Think Boards, Magnetic Think Boards, Premium XL Calendars, and Whiteboard Table Covers, are all made with our Premium material (most come in Clear and White). Premium products erase better, stay clean longer, stick better, remove better, and are easier to install. They work with every dry-erase marker, have a Sharpie-proof coating and a scratch-resistant finish, and are built to last 10+ years in high-use settings like classrooms, hospitals, and coworking spaces, backed by our 10-Year Warranty. They only need the included microfiber cloth for everyday cleaning, with an optional deep clean using 70% rubbing alcohol (you'll likely need alcohol to remove Sharpie or anything permanent).

If you'll use your board every day, multiple times a day, or in a public-facing spot, we recommend Premium. Resurfacing Think Boards are the Premium material applied right over existing chalkboards or whiteboards in schools and offices.

We've put them through their paces:

• We left dry-erase marker on a Premium Think Board for 6 months and it erased with nothing but a microfiber cloth.
• We successfully erased a small Sharpie marking 3 years after it was made.
• After every demo board we install for a school, we draw on it with Sharpie to prove it actually erases.

Honestly, we need another 5-10 years to finish our long-term testing! If that's not enough to convince you, grab a free sample and test it yourself.

The Think Board film itself is not magnetic. However, if you install it over a magnetic surface (like an old magnetic chalkboard), the board will still be magnetic. We also make dedicated Magnetic Think Boards if you want magnetism on a non-magnetic wall.

Pro tip: we often see layers of board stacked on top of original chalkboards. If you have Showerboard or Melamine mounted over an old chalkboard, the original chalkboard may be magnetic. We recommend removing those layers and resurfacing the chalkboard for the best performance and look. Note: some competing films are thicker than Think Board, which reduces magnetic receptivity, our thin film keeps magnets working well.

Yes and yes! We price per square foot, so even unusual sizes (like 15-foot boards) are no problem. We can also print almost anything you want, a logo, grid, or music staff. There's a small minimum order, and custom-printed boards typically carry a $50-100 custom fee per board.

Just fill out our Custom Form, reach out on live chat, or email orders@think-board.com with your dimensions and details, and we'll send a quote.

Yes, and it looks great! Use neon dry-erase markers or liquid chalk markers. We haven't found a true "white" dry-erase marker yet, but liquid chalk works well, you just need water to erase it.

The Think Board X is our scannable board. Watch the Think Board X installation video to get set up, then download the Rocketbook app and scan away. Important: don't trim a Think Board X, you need all four corners intact for scanning to work.

It's a whiteboard film that covers your old board, not a cleaning solution or spray. It adheres over your existing surface to give you a fresh, high-performance writing surface.

Glad you asked! A few key tips:

• Watch our install video first, you'll be happy you did.
• If your board is larger than 2' x 3', grab a friend (a crew of 2-3 is ideal for big boards).
• Don't use Expo Bold or red markers on our non-Premium products.
• Sharpie comes off our Premium products easily with rubbing alcohol.
• On a wet install, use more water than you'd think. Most people wet install on a fridge, glass, or when resurfacing chalkboards and whiteboards.
• Free US shipping and free returns, you have 100 days to return it under our 100 Day Happiness Guarantee - and unlike a no-questions-asked policy, we WILL ask how we can make it right.

Use a wet install on super-smooth surfaces like glass, windows, plexiglass, whiteboards, chalkboards, and stainless steel. Watch the "Smooth Surfaces" video on our install page for a clean application.

Pro tip: add more water than you think! It's fine to get the surface pretty wet, it only helps you squeegee out all the bubbles.

The smoother the surface, the better. Think Boards work best on smooth surfaces, and Premium boards can handle more texture. Check our recommended-surfaces guide; we don't recommend installing on anything rougher than the example shown there (it will work, but writing may feel a little bumpy).

For painted cinder block, brick, or anything rough, reach out, we have a custom Foam product we can layer in to smooth everything out nicely (we've installed this on painted cinder block in public schools). Email a photo of your wall to hello@think-board.com and we'll tell you what will work.

Think Board may not stick well if your walls have mold/germ-resistant, washable, or stain-release paint, or were painted less than 30 days ago (fresh paint off-gases and can create bubbles, so wait if you can). A quick "tape test" helps: if a taped-up poster won't hold for a day, Think Board likely won't either. If yours ever falls, email us, we have different adhesive strengths and can send a stronger replacement. Some customers add a little tape or thumbtacks at the corners for extra peace of mind. And if it just won't work, we'll refund you.

The adhesive is specifically designed not to peel paint, for every 1,000 boards we ship, we get only 2-3 reports of paint peeling. So it's possible, but rare. Run the "tape test" if you're concerned: if a piece of tape peels your paint on removal, Think Board might too.

Paint is more at risk if the wall wasn't primed properly (or at all), was painted with latex paint, or is already old, brittle, and flaky.

Wrinkles from shipping: Don't panic. Boards can get tossed around in transit, but once installed the wrinkles generally smooth right out. If problems remain after install, email hello@think-board.com.

A bubble after a perfect install usually has one of two causes: too much tension during install, or drastic shifts in temperature/humidity. Either way, peel the board back to the bubble and re-smooth it onto the wall using the methods in our installation video (we also have a short bubble-removal video). Be careful not to let the adhesive sides touch while adjusting. Still stuck? Shoot us an email.

Yes! You can cut your Think Board to any size or shape. Scissors are fine, but for a clean straight line we recommend a utility knife and a straightedge. One exception: don't cut a Think Board X, you need all four corners for scanning.

We can also custom cut boards to your exact dimensions, just fill out our Custom Form or reach out on live chat.

Removing: The adhesive stays exactly where you want it for as long as you need, then removes cleanly with no residue. Fold the board back on itself at a 180-degree angle (writing sides touching) and pull very slowly, there will be no evidence it was ever there. We have a short video if you'd like a visual. During install you can reposition as much as you like, as long as there's enough water on the surface, even a fully botched install can be removed and redone.

Moving: We recommend keeping the board in one spot. Moving it is difficult, you're essentially relocating a giant sticker, which tends to stick to everything. If you try it and succeed, send us your tips! If it doesn't work out, we may be able to help you with another one.

You can use almost any of your favorite dry-erase markers! On our non-Premium products, just stay away from Expo Bold and red markers. Premium products work with every dry-erase marker.

For dark-surface boards, use neon dry-erase markers or liquid chalk markers (erase liquid chalk with water).

Every Think Board comes with a microfiber cloth, and for everyday cleaning that's all you'll ever need, no whiteboard cleaner or chemicals required. If markings have sat for more than 2 weeks, a mist of water brings the board back to 100%. If something isn't erasing, it's usually goop or glue stuck to the surface, and rubbing alcohol takes that right off (it handles stubborn colors too).

To deep clean (monthly or annually), use 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to bring the board back to looking brand new.

Stress no more! On Premium and Resurfacing products, permanent marker and Sharpie come off with just a few drops of 70% isopropyl alcohol. This is one of the top reasons schools upgrade to Think Board, no more panic when a student swaps the teacher's marker to be "funny."

Our testing backs it up: we erased a small Sharpie marking 3 years after it was made, and after every school demo install we draw on the board with Sharpie to prove it erases.

Our products are designed to match the longevity of the highest-quality whiteboards on the market. After a few years they may get a little dirty, but a mist of rubbing alcohol cleans it right up. They'll never look like worn-out whiteboard paint, in fact, we've installed Think Board over whiteboard paint that had failed after just a few years, and the Think Board still looked great months later.

You really don't need anything beyond the microfiber cloth (and 70% rubbing alcohol for deep cleans or permanent marker). Skip the spray-cleaner-plus-black-foam-eraser combo that many big brands push, it causes micro-scratches that shorten a board's life. Spray plus microfiber is OK in a pinch, but it's not needed on our products.

Important: our film is specifically designed to be cleaned with rubbing alcohol, but most other whiteboards are not. Harsh cleaners like alcohol, ethanol, or glass cleaner break down standard whiteboard coatings, so don't use them on non-Think Board surfaces. We often end up resurfacing school boards that were ruined this way.

For a quote, it depends on who's installing:

• If you want us to install: send a PDF or Excel sheet with the room numbers, sizes, and locations of each board, plus a photo or two of the classrooms. Round sizes up to the nearest foot (most 4'x8' boards actually measure 47"x95", just call it 4'x8'). We normally cut on-site to handle any measurement changes.
• If you'll install yourself: send the quantities of each size, rounded up to the nearest foot (we'll ship a 4'x8.25' board for a 4'x8' order to give you wiggle room).

Send this to orders@think-board.com or fill out our quote form, and we'll get back to you ASAP.

For a sample: grab a free sample online. It includes an 8.5"x11" Think Board, our Pricing Guide, 10-Year Warranty info, and 4 case studies. For a bigger sample, call us at 617-657-9616 ext. 1.

About 50% of our customers self-install. If anyone on your team has installed wallpaper, wall graphics, or window tinting film with a squeegee, they can handle this. Use a crew of 2-3 people, watch our install videos (we have a quick one online and a longer, detailed version we can email your crew), and use more water than you'd think to avoid bubbles. The process is like applying a screen protector or window tint, just much larger, and we actually find it easier to get a bubble-free result.

If you'd rather we install, we have crews in nearly every major city in the US and Canada (if you're within a few hours' drive of a big city, we'll be there), plus a UK team that services most of Europe. Outside these regions? Let us know, and we'll look into expanding to your area. To book, request a Formal Estimate with installation included via our form or purchasing@think-board.com.

Magnetic boards: Our standard Resurfacing Think Boards aren't magnetic, but if you install over a magnetic surface (like an old magnetic chalkboard), the board stays magnetic. If your current boards aren't magnetic but you'd like them to be, check out our Magnetic Think Boards.

Whiteboard paint and wallpaper: Yes! We've resurfaced an entire school that had painted its chalkboards with whiteboard paint, and we've installed Think Board over a 26-foot Walltalkers whiteboard that no longer erased well. It's a great fix for failing whiteboard-paint and wallpaper surfaces.

Short answer: yes. Many schools built before the 1980s contain asbestos materials that must be carefully managed. Resurfacing upgrades your boards without disturbing the materials behind them, keeping everything safely contained while avoiding the time, cost, and disruption of an abatement project.

We've saved schools hundreds of thousands of dollars this way.

Yes, the adhesive stays exactly where you want it for as long as you need, then removes cleanly with no residue left behind. People ask this for three reasons:

• Adjusting during install: you can position and reposition the board over and over, just keep enough water on the surface. Even a fully botched install can be removed and redone.
• Years down the road: the board removes cleanly so you can apply a fresh one without scraping off adhesive, or simply add a new layer on top to keep it going well beyond the 10-Year Warranty. (Competing films tend to bubble, peel at the corners, and leave residue.)
• Vandalism: because boards are trimmed on-site, they're nearly perfect edge to edge, so most people don't even notice there's anything to peel, and it would take real effort. Across all the boards we've resurfaced, we've never seen this happen.

Yes! We accept Purchase Orders with terms from schools and hospitals. If you're not a school or hospital, we can still process a PO, but we'll need payment via ACH or credit card before we ship. To order via PO, email purchasing@think-board.com for a formal estimate and our W9.

Yes! Just send your Tax Exemption Certificate to hello@think-board.com. If you're ordering via PO, the process is simple. To order tax exempt online, create an account on our site, email us your certificate, and ask us to update your account to tax exempt.

Purchasing contracts: We've partnered with Amazon Business and, through it, are part of OMNIA Partners, a respected public-sector purchasing cooperative. Our products, including Whiteboard Resurfacing and Installation Services, are pre-approved and listed on OMNIA's vetted companies list, so you can shop on Amazon Business, stay procurement-compliant, and possibly save money.

Important: order through Amazon Business, not Retail Amazon, to stay compliant. Your district should be registered with Amazon Business, your school included in that account, and your district should participate in an OMNIA contract, such as the one bid by Prince William County Public Schools and marketed by OMNIA, or another Amazon Business cooperative like PEPPM.

Sole Source: We manufacture this product and are the only company in the world with access to this specific material. We have a Sole Source letter that spells out everything needed to approve your purchase, just email hello@think-board.com and we'll send it over.

Yes and yes. We ship worldwide to every country via the United States Postal Service. USPS delivers the package to the Customs Office in your country, where it's your responsibility to pay any import fees. Customs will contact you using the email or phone number from your purchase, then hand the package off to your local postal service for delivery.

We offer free US shipping and free returns, try it and love it. If it's not right for you, you have 100 days to return it under our 100 Day Happiness Guarantee - and unlike a no-questions-asked policy, we WILL ask how we can make it right. And if a board ever fails to stick or you hit any issue, reach out, we'll send a stronger replacement or refund you.