trifold dry erase display board used as tutor board

DIY Trifold Dry Erase Board

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It is super easy to make your own trifold dry erase board! I love to use these boards for homeschooling and tutoring the abecedarians (4 and 5 year olds) during our community day. You can use these for anything you want though! Project display, games, a great spot for kids to draw, and it would even be a great hiding spot for hide and go seek. You get the picture, it won’t go to waste.

You’ve probably seen trifold boards that you can purchase at a craft store. This board, however, has one MAIN difference. It’s DRY ERASE! That’s a non-negotiable if you’re using it for homeschool purposes in my opinion. And it’s just great to have another place to use those dry-erase markers.

trifold dry erase display board used as a tutor board for classical conversations

DIY Trifold Dry-Erase Board

You only need a few items to make this DIY trifold dry erase board. It’s budget-friendly and with these supplies, you will also be able to make TWO boards!! You can make one for a friend and make their day. Or you can keep both and use one for school and one for the kids to draw on.

Supplies You Need to Make Your Dry-Erase Board

First, you need to get shower board from Lowes. They sell it in 4 x 8 ft sheets. Definitely have them cut the board for you into six pieces (remember you will make two boards out of this). The employees there are very willing to cut this for you at no additional cost. Please please don’t try to cut it on your own!! Here are the dimensions you will tell them:

  • 2 pieces each 2 ft x 3 ft (these will be the center of the two boards)
  • 4 pieces each 1 ft x 3 ft (these will be the wings of the two boards)
measurements to have shower board cut at Lowes

You will also need:

  • Duct tape (I used black but use any color you want!)
  • Scissors (make sure they are sharp!)
  • Pencil
  • Sharpie
three pieces of cut shower board laying face down on table

Step 1: Clean the board pieces

When you bring your shower board pieces home from Lowes, they might be pretty dirty from the cutting process. Wipe them down with a damp cloth and dry them well before starting the project. Find a large table (or you can use the floor) and make sure the surface is as clean and dry as possible.

Step 2: Tape the wing piece

Lay the first wing piece of board on the clean table-top face down. Get your sharpie and duct tape ready. Start unrolling duct tape carefully so it doesn’t stick to itself. Make sure you have enough for the length of the wing piece of board. Cut the tape from the roll and lay the tape (sticky side up) on the table next to the wing piece of board. This takes some patience because the tape will want to stick to itself and your hand. Just do it slowly.

duct tape ready for wing piece of shower board to stick onto it
marking center of duct tape with sharpie
Screenshot

Get your sharpie and make a mark half-way on the sticky side of the tape near each end (see picture above). If you’re type-A like me and want the amount of tape showing on each edge of the board to look consistent, then this step is important.

pressing down on wing piece of shower board to make sure it's stuck to duct tape
bending duct tape over edge of wing piece of shower board

Make sure the tape is laying flat on the table. Pick up the wing piece of board, and carefully line it up with both marks you just made with your sharpie. Lower it very slowly until it is sticking to the tape. Press it down on the table. Take the tape and slowly wrap around the board and press down, smoothing any bubbles out. I start at one end and press down as I move towards the other end. This seems to prevent as many bubbles popping up. Cut any extra tape off the ends, and hooray, you have one edge done!

pressing duct tape on front side of wing piece of shower board
duct tape on three sides of wing piece of shower board

Now that you see what you’re doing, repeat the same thing on the shorter sides of the wing piece of board. Don’t tape the other longer side yet.

Place the other wing piece of board face down on the table and repeat. Again, don’t tape the other longer side yet. It should look identical to the first wing piece of board you just taped when you’re done.

two wing pieces of shower board with tape on three sides

Step 3: Tape the center piece

Repeat how you taped the wing pieces of board on the short sides of the center piece of board. Don’t tape the two the longer sides yet.

center piece of shower board with duct tape on two sides

Step 4: Put the boards together

Lay all three pieces of board on the table, with the center piece in the middle. Line them up with the edge of the table to ensure that their ends will line up. Take your pencil and place it between the wing board and the center board. This creates the gap between the segments of the board. There needs to be enough gap in the tape so that the board will bend.

Carefully unroll enough duct tape to fit the length of one of the bends. Place the tape over the bend as evenly as possible and slowly press down starting at the top and moving towards the bottom, smoothing any bubbles that pop up. Repeat for the other bend. Trim the edges.

three pieces of shower board put together, ready to be taped along bends.
three pieces of shower board taped together on back

Turn the boards over and repeat on both bends. Trim the edges. You’re done! Set it up on the table and test it out.

three pieces of shower board ready to be taped along bends on the front

Step 5: Make second board

Repeat this process for one more dry-erase board. Gift this too a friend or keep yourself if you want two boards!

prepped classical conversations tutor board for cycle 1 week 1

So Easy and Inexpensive

This project took me about 20 minutes to make one board. I’m a perfectionist though and worked pretty slowly. You could probably do it faster. And I was able to make TWO boards so I gave other tutor in our homeschool group one.

Enjoy your new trifold dry erase board!

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