Thrifty Idea: Free DIY Faux Woodgrain Patterned "Dry Erase Board"

I scribble notes and plans frantically all day long, and my notes tend to end up scattered everywhere. I've needed a dry erase white board for my marketing notes and brainstorming forever but I wanted an attractive alternative. I fell in love with the faux bamboo veneer on this design (Three by Three Small Bare Panel, Bamboo):

I nearly bit the $33.00 bullet to purchase it (hey, it's tax deductible at least) but stuck to my "Buy Nothing New" guns instead and searched the house for something to craft into a board. My first idea involved using the same faux wood laminate I used on my desk, but then I remembered the faux wood floor panels I'd hoarded saved when a friend was going to toss them. They finally came in handy, I was about to pass them on the next victim!

I simply nailed the faux wood laminate floor panels to the wall, sticking the nail through the particle board parts that stick out of the bottoms. They're the type that "snap together" on the floor to create a faux wood floor for your home. I have to use a spray bottle of water and a rag to erase it thoroughly without leaving ghosting, but hell, it's free! Can't beat free! If you choose to use faux wood stick-on laminate like I have on my desk to make a dry erase board you'd need to erase it the same way.

It didn't take me long to fill up my new board, transferring ideas from scraps of paper that were littering my desk. I love the cozy vibe the wood provides and working on a nice, clean surface. It clears the mind of clutter, too! Now I need to figure out how to make some display shelves for free, find a rug, make a merchandise packing section...

Got any clever ways to reuse disgarded items to share? What are some office essentials you're on the prowl for at the thrifts- or on the curbsides?

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