Hopkinton Middle School Testimonial

Case Study: Hopkinton Middle School

Resurfacing Whiteboard Paint with Think Board

Hopkinton Middle School in Hopkinton, Massachusetts turned to Think Board to solve a whiteboard paint problem that had been costing the district money every six months. Between June 2018 and May 2021, Think Board resurfaced every board in the school.

The Problem

In 2012, Hopkinton decided to paint their chalkboards with whiteboard paint; specifically, IdeaPaint. Unfortunately, the erasability of the paint did not meet expectations. After only a few months, the boards were no longer erasing well, and Hopkinton Middle School needed to repaint their boards once again. When we first were introduced to Hopkinton, we were told they had been painting a fresh coat every 6 months to keep the boards functioning properly.

The Action

In 2018, Principal Keller asked us to resurface a few of these boards to test the quality. Since then, we have come back every summer to do a handful of additional classrooms. As of 2021, we have officially covered every board in the school with Think Board.

The Response

After positive results from our first test, Hopkinton Middle School continued replacing boards until the project was complete. To date, we have installed 56 Think Boards in 40 different classrooms. The total square footage adds up to 3,033 sq ft. Total cost including install - $27,000. For IdeaPaint, the raw material on this job would cost $16,000 and labor nearly doubles that cost. Right up front, Think Board was a money-saving decision for Hopkinton. In addition to that, if you factor in the cost of paint needed to repaint every 6 months, to date (May 2022) we have saved Hopkinton over $68,000 in paint costs alone, with an additional $32,000 in savings every year. By 2028 when our product is out of warranty, the total cost of Think Board will have been $27,000, vs $258,000 for whiteboard paint (not including paint installation cost at prevailing wages). With whiteboard paint installation fees included, it would be closer to $27,000 vs $500,000. We also continue to save Hopkinton’s custodial staff money and time with reduced labor needed in cleaning the Think Boards.

Project at a Glance

  • 56 Think Boards installed across 40 classrooms
  • 3,033 sq ft of board surface resurfaced
  • $27,000 total cost including installation
  • Over $68,000 saved in paint costs to date, plus roughly $32,000 in savings every year
  • Projected through 2028: $27,000 with Think Board vs. $258,000 in whiteboard paint (closer to $500,000 with paint installation at prevailing wages)
  • Reduced custodial cleaning labor

Think Board whiteboard surface installed in a Hopkinton Middle School classroom

What began as a small test in a few classrooms became a school-wide standard, and Hopkinton Middle School now has a writing surface in every room that works without an annual repaint.

Learn more

Read the full case study (PDF). You can also learn about whiteboard & chalkboard resurfacing or request a school quote.