Whether whiteboards are being placed in patient rooms, at nursing stations, or anywhere else in your healthcare facility, it's important to choose the right whiteboard surface. The type of surface you choose can affect not only the aesthetics, but the whiteboard's functionality as well. Why does the surface of a whiteboard matter? It all depends on what you are looking to accomplish with your custom whiteboard solution.

There are a few different types of whiteboard surfaces you can choose from.

The Classic Whiteboard Surface

Classic whiteboard surfaces offer that familiar white, glossy look that everyone has come to know over the years. It's a traditional look that has stood the test of time all while having some significant improvements made to it.

If you choose to go with a classic whiteboard for your facility, make sure it is made from quality materials that are easy to clean, easy to write on, will last a long time and will not ghost or leave faded marks. VividBoard's line of Custom Whiteboards features a patented VividShield^TM coating that comes with a limited lifetime warranty. It can be cleaned with water and disinfected with most hospital grade cleaners.

Classic whiteboard surfaces can also be combined with corkboards and magnetic surfaces to make the boards versatile enough to use in any area of your facility.

Glass Whiteboards

Glass whiteboards have become one of the fastest-growing hospital whiteboard surfaces for two reasons:

1. They are resistant to germs and easy to clean
2. They have a modern design aesthetic that hospital designers love

Glass is a great material to use on hospital whiteboards because it is a non-porous material, meaning that germs and other bacteria cannot easily make their way into the small pores of the material. Any bacteria that lands on glass whiteboards can be easily wiped away, and the boards disinfected, by simply wiping the surface.

Glass boards also fit in well with the modern design aesthetic that many facilities are adopting. They are also made from recycled materials, meeting the high sustainability standards that many organizations have been striving to meet for years.

Interchangeable Surfaces

VividBoard's Changeable Glassboards take a different approach to the standard glass board design. While the primary surface of the whiteboard is still made of glass, the interior of the board is made of interchangeable inserts that can be swapped to meet the specific needs of different patients, making these boards perfect for patient rooms across the entire facility. Many facilities choose to swap out inserts while treating patients who speak different languages, or when they need to change over a room to a patient who has different needs.

Whiteboards with interchangeable inserts also make rebranding and mergers easier when facilities need to incorporate new imagery, logos and colors. Rather than replacing hundreds of whiteboards throughout an entire facility, new inserts can be ordered because the information is printed on the cards, rather than the whiteboard surfaces.

Choosing the Right Surface for Your Facility

Not sure which surface is right for your whiteboards? You have plenty of options. Our Board Builder tool can give you an idea of what your images and text will look like on our different surfaces. If you want to see and touch the surface of our whiteboards firsthand, you can request a sample of our whiteboard surfaces. If you are completely lost and need some design advice and guidance, contact our team for a free consultation today!