Tuesday 30 October 2012

Our Newest Range of Blackboards


At Moores, we are very excited to announce our latest range of blackboards now available to buy online.

The Scribble Range is perfect for kids and adults alike – great for brightening up your home and making the place a little more fun!

The alphabet scribble board is perfect for younger children – perhaps you could use it to distract them while waiting for their dinner or as a fun educational tool. The board can either be hung on the wall or used around the house depending on how you prefer.

The fairy or football boards are great for kids’ bedrooms where they can either plan out their football team’s strategy or create stories.

If you’re looking for a blackboard for your bakery or café, then the gingerbread blackboard could be ideal – great for displaying your daily menu, special offers or announcements.

All the Scribble blackboards can be easily cleaned to be used over and over again and are all priced at £9.99 including VAT.

Visit our website for more information: www.boards4u.co.uk

Friday 12 October 2012

How to use whiteboards in the home


More and more people are beginning to use blackboards and pin boards in their homes, but what about the whiteboard? Whiteboards are more commonly associated with schools and colleges but they are equally as useful and twice as stylish when used at home. Here are some of our favourite home decorating ideas with whiteboards.


Whiteboards come in handy in the kitchen. Blackboards are probably the most popular types of notice board when it comes to the kitchen especially since the rise of country-chic and retro styles, but whiteboards are more effective in a modern kitchen. A magnetic whiteboard acts in a similar way to your fridge and gives you a place to pin-up receipts, notes and things you need to keep track of, but you can also draw on them. For example you might like to write a handy note to say ‘pay this on Tuesday’ for a bill that needs paying, or a reminder to your kids to take reply slips back in to school.

With your kitchen whiteboard you can also write out recipes and shopping lists so that you don’t forget them – I always find it’s best to write them down while you’re still in the kitchen!


Younger children will really benefit from having a whiteboard in the house or in their bedroom. Whiteboards are a safe and cost effective way for your kids to be creative. Drawing on paper means buying printed colouring books or reams of paper and while there is a place for this, sometimes it’s nice for your kids to be able to draw something, wipe it away and start again on something new. They can also use the whiteboard to make-believe at being teacher!

Older kids can also enjoy a whiteboard in their bedroom whether it be to help with their homework or simply pin-up pictures of their friends and the latest crazes. Whiteboards don’t have to be white either! There are a great range of coloured dry-wipe boards that will suit any teenager’s room.


Finally, whiteboards are of course ideal for your home office or study. If you work from home or if you have a study area for older children to work in then a whiteboard is incredibly handy. Running a business from home can be tricky but a whiteboard will help to make the space feel more professional and give you an area to write out or pin up important notices and targets. You can also buy  notice boards that are half dry-wipe and half cork board – these are particularly popular in offices.

As you can see, whiteboards definitely have a place in the home. Why not see how a whiteboard could benefit your household?

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Choosing the best whiteboard for you


As a child you might have been used to seeing most classrooms having a chalkboard at the front of the room for the teacher to write on. However the discovery that the dust that chalk created was particularly bad for computers resulted in a change. As computers made their way into the classroom, chalkboards were slowly replaced by whiteboards or dry erase boards.

Whiteboards come with different surfaces that you can choose between. These include porcelain, high-pressure laminate and melamine. If you buy a whiteboard with a porcelain surface it is likely to come with some form of warranty as they are extremely durable and it is often the first choice for anyone looking for a board for a classroom or the office. You can even fasten magnets to it as the surface is enamelled sheet metal, which will allow you to use the board as a noticeboard at the same time. The surface is also non porous, which means it can stand exposure to stronger types of cleaning material.

A new addition to the range of whiteboard materials is the high-pressure laminate. It is created in the same way as the laminate that is used for kitchen counter tops. Although the boards are durable they are easy to scratch. This is not as convenient if you are looking to use the board in a classroom where children are likely to play with it, and the surface is not made of metal however and you can therefore not fasten magnets to it. However it is a lot cheaper than a board made out of porcelain.

Lastly there are the boards that are made out of melamine. This is normally used for smaller boards such as those used next to a desk or for the children to draw on in their rooms. These boards are not as sturdy as those above and will require thorough cleaning as ink or similar material is likely to seep into the pours of the board. This can leave a grey surface or in worse cases make the board impossible to clean completely.

There are many options available whether you want a large or smaller sized whiteboard, and you can find one with pretty much any colour frame that you would like, and that will suit your space. Just make sure that you ask how to best clean and maintain your whiteboards so that you can enjoy them in many years to come.

Friday 3 August 2012

The best boards to show off your menu


Blackboards and noticeboards are common place in restaurants, pubs and cafes and have been for many years. Competition in the hospitality industry is fierce with every business owner wanting to retain and gain more customers than the next. One way to make your establishment stand out from the crowd is with a stunning menu, and what better way to show it off than with a restaurant menu board.

At Moores, we have been making blackboards for decades but it is only more recently that we have expanded into the printed blackboards business. You might like to go for a more generic menu board as pictured here to show off your ‘specials’, wine list or dessert menu. These style boards are great for pubs, rustic restaurants and funky bistros. Your menu can be changed as often as you like – just be sure to get a good sign writer in if you’re not the arty type as there is nothing worse than a badly drawn blackboard!

Many restaurants actually prefer to get their own custom made blackboard designed. You get something subtle with your logo printed stylishly at the top or in the bottom corners, or you could go the whole hog and get something really ‘out there’ made for you. For example if you run a sea food restaurant, you could get a blackboard in the shape of a crab made up! You could even experiment with different colour boards and maybe even clashing colours for a really funky design.

In addition to wall blackboards, table-top blackboards are fantastic for up-selling to customers. Your coffee list, starter menu or details of any special offers can just sit on their tables tempting them in to stay longer (and spend more money of course!). Tabletop blackboards come in a great range of sizes and colours to suit any style of restaurant, pub or café and again they can be printed with your logo or any writing that you require.

No establishment is complete without showing off their menu and for many the blackboard is a simple, cost effective and stylish way to do this. Why not take a look at our website www.boards4u.co.uk to see the restaurant menu boards we have on offer.


Thursday 28 June 2012

Happy Birthday Moores Message Boards!

At Moores Message Boards this month it’s not just our birthday, but our 35th birthday! Yes, 35 years ago this month Moores of Stalham as it was known then opened its doors and started manufacturing notice boards. It wasn’t until a few years down the line that we noticed that our range of blackboards were becoming ever popular and since then we have turned most of our attention that way, manufacturing  thousands of blackboards every year.

One of our most exciting moments in our history came in 2005 where we were the first to develop the Sudoku magnetic notice board. This product was so successful that demand soon exceeded supply and our team far exceeded expectations to get everything delivered at Christmas.

In 2007 we re-launched as Moores Message Boards and haven’t looked back since.

As a UK based company, we have seen the demise of many fantastic British manufacturers, factories and workshops as more and more work is outsourced to developing countries. But we are proud to support local workers and continue to process new business orders every day.

So from everyone at Moores, thank you for supporting us over the past 35 years, and here’s to the next 35!

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Blackboards or whiteboards for schools?


Many teachers prefer to stick to their tradition and use a blackboard for leading their classes but is this a mind-set that is shared around the UK? This post will look at the advantages of both whiteboards and blackboards.

Blackboards have been used for teaching in classrooms since the early 1900s when a geography teacher in Scotland took his students’ slates and attached them to the classroom wall in order to display the lesson to the class. Since then, a blackboard has been a common association with the classroom as a brilliant way to display information and then simply rub it out at the end of the lesson.

Blackboards can come in a variety of shapes and sizes from small wall blackboards to those on a roll so the entire days’ lessons can be written out and those with pre-drawn lines on that are great for teaching children to read and write. Most classrooms opted for a large wall blackboard which meant that writing didn’t need to be squeezed in. However, many people find writing with chalks very difficult especially as the chalks are used and get smaller.

The main advantage of a whiteboard for teaching over a blackboard is that there is far less mess involved. Chalk gets everywhere and even if you use liquid chalks instead there is still the risk of it getting on your clothes which can be tricky to remove. Blackboard dusters can also create a lot of mess in themselves and the dust can cause some people to cough especially those who are asthmatic. Whiteboard markers are very clean and most can be easily washed out of clothes.

Many people also argue that using a black whiteboard pen on a whiteboard is easier to read than white chalk on a blackboard. You can buy a range of coloured pens for whiteboards that can come in very handy for highlighting important points and drawing diagrams too. Chalkboards are slightly more limited in the things that you can display on them. Magnetic whiteboards are particularly useful in lessons for sticking up pictures and graphs.

Overall, the whiteboard is a much more useful and easy to use tool for teaching in schools, universities and colleges. As time progresses, we predict that fewer and fewer blackboards will be seen in classrooms, especially with the development of interactive whiteboards.

Friday 11 May 2012

Is there still a place for the blackboard?

In schools around the world, blackboards have been slowly replaced for some time now with whiteboards. Whiteboards are considered to be less messy, more robust and easier for students to read. Many universities and modern schools have invested in interactive whiteboards. These enable the teacher to display images, lessons and games on the board from a computer that can be controlled from the whiteboard.

So is there still a place in the world for the blackboard? While blackboards may not be as popular nowadays in schools, they have become increasingly popular in the home. With the rise of brands such as Shabby Chic and country-style and vintage becoming popular style trends, blackboards have actually made a come-back! It might be a small wall hanging blackboard in the kitchen, or even an entire chalkboard wall – either way the style is coming back. Magnetic blackboards are one of the most popular products at present, finding a good balance between chalkboard and notice board. You can buy or make fun magnetic to go with them that can brighten up your home and make leaving messages or reminders a little bit fun!

Kids will love having a blackboard at home. You can buy novelty blackboards in a variety of different shapes such as cats, dogs, bears or trains. These are great for helping them to express their creativity without wasting reams and reams of paper.

Even if blackboards are being used less in schools, pubs are still using the blackboard. See our article on pub blackboards for the range of options that are available. Studies have shown that people are more likely to pay attention to something on a blackboard or notice board because subconsciously we recognise that the information on it is likely to change on a regular basis. So to answer the question, yes there is still a place for the blackboard.

While schools and colleges might be moving on to more modern solutions to aid their teachers, homes and pubs across Britain are embracing the blackboard in new and more fun ways than ever before.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Could Your Business Benefit From A Blackboard?

Blackboards might not seem like the most obvious marketing tools and it’s true that it won’t work for everyone, but blackboards can actually be incredibly useful for a range of industries.

Pubs, Cafes & Restaurants
You don’t often see a traditional British pub without a blackboard, but cafes and restaurants can look great with a blackboard. There are so many types of blackboards that are perfect for the hospitality industry – from simple wall blackboards to table top boards and boards on easels.

Retail
Some shops could use a blackboard to market themselves to great effect. Having an A-frame or wall blackboard on the outside of your premises means that you can written daily messages to passers-by to encourage them to come in off the streets. In these times where more and more people are buying online rather than going into stores, something as simple as this to get customer into your store must be worth a try. Remember to employ a good sign writer though as a poorly drawn blackboard won’t represent your business well.

Offices
Businesses with offices could benefit from having a blackboard. When brainstorming, reams and reams of paper can be wasted with spider diagrams and ideas. A blackboard can be used over and over again and simply subbed away should you want to scrap the ideas. Some businesses like to install an entire wall blackboard that can be a central feature in a meeting room.

Food & Drink
If you run a food or drink manufacturing business and not using promotional blackboards, then you’re missing a trick! This is especially true for independent or local manufacturers. If your products are being sold in pubs, restaurants, delis and cafes nearby, then make sure to get some branded blackboards in there! You want people to be eating your products and know where they’ve come from.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Notice Boards For Kids



Blackboards and notice boards are great for kids. There are so many colours, shapes and materials available that there will be sure to be something to a child of any age – even fussy teenagers!

We all know that kids love to put things up on the wall. Whether it’s a drawing they’re particularly proud of or an award they’ve won, there is always something that needs to be pride of place. A notice board saves your walls from endless sticky-tac and tape and means that your children can change what’s on their walls as often as they like.

Sundeala make a great range of fun notice boards for kids. All of their boards are made from recycled materials making them ideal for the eco-conscious among us. From hexagonal, pastel-coloured boards that can be tessellated together to fill spaces of any size, to boards in the shapes of teddy bears, trains and rabbits these boards are great for younger children.

For older children, there are slightly more sophisticated boards available but with a fun twist. Cork and felt notice boards are available in a range of colours from reds, greens and blues to shocking pink! You could also buy a plainer cork board but get some funky pins instead.

Finally, getting a notice board for your kids can help to keep them a little bit more organised! You can leave helpful reminders on a whiteboard or dry wipe board, and attached school reports, forms and receipts that they should be keeping a hold of.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Top Blackboards For Restaurants, Bars and Pubs

Pubs are renowned for having blackboards in them, so here are Moores Message Boards top 4 blackboards for the catering and hospitality industry:

1. A Frame
A Frame blackboards are great for pubs. They stand outside and are a fantastic opportunity to encourage punters to come in and spend some time in your pub. For cafes and restaurants, use the boards to advertise your specials for the day, or even perhaps employ a chalkboard writer to draw some nice illustrations of cakes, tea or juices depending on what you offer.

2. Wall
Wall blackboards are of course the most obvious choice. Whether you want to use a wall blackboard to keep track of the darts score, advertise events that are coming up or just to write a friendly, welcoming message, there is still a range you can choose from. Antique-style framed boards are particularly popular in old-style pubs as they add to the warm and country-feel. But you can also buy chrome-framed blackboards that are great for trendier establishments, or even brightly framed boards.

3. Tabletop
Tabletop chalkboards are perfect for your cross-sell or up-sell. Advertise your soup of the day, coffee list, or your dessert menu so that while your guests have made their main order, they can’t help but be tempted by something else!

Tabletop chalkboards often come in a range of colours other than black, including blue, green and red.

4. Easel
Easel blackboards are great for having inside your establishment. Many restaurants use them to ask people to wait until seated when they can’t always have a member of staff at the door. You might also like to leave  a snippet of your menu so that while guests wait, they can whet their appetite.
The blackboard is such a useful tool in the catering world – which boards do you prefer to use?

Thursday 23 February 2012

Organising your home with blackboards and notice boards

Blackboards and notice boards are not only fun to use, but they are great for organising a hectic family life. Many designs are also very stylish to have around the home, especially with the rise in popularity of country-chic and retro interior design. This post will take a look at some of the different blackboards and notice boards you can use in your home to get organised and do your own home improvement.

Kitchen blackboards are perfect for writing out shopping lists, recipes or even helpful reminders for the more forgetful members of your family! From small wall hanging kitchen blackboards to entire chalkboard walls, they are a fun and easy way of making sure you don’t forget important information.

Having a centralised family notice board maybe in your hallway or other communal areas can help to ensure that any important pieces of paper such as receipts, school reports, forms or prescriptions don’t go amiss. Everyone will know to check the notice board first before they declare something lost or misplaced – reducing the amount of times you have to hear, “I can’t find it!”. Cork, felt or magnetic notice boards are best for this.

Finally, why not give your kids a notice board of their own in their bedrooms? There are a range of shapes and designs around that are perfect for encouraging them to take responsibility for their own organisation while still being fun. For younger children, message boards are available in shapes including trains, cats and teddy bears but also in bright colours. By allowing them to decorate their own notice board, you will also reduce the amount of sticky tape and blu-tac that appears on your walls!

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Promotional Blackboards

Whatever type of business you run, you need to market it correctly or no one will know you exist. From newspaper advertisements, to emails and online advertising, there are a range of marketing options that can be used depending on your company aims and industry.

For the food and drink industry, blackboards can be a surprisingly good way of marketing your product or brand to a relevant audience.

Think of your average local pub and you will almost definitely see a blackboard in there somewhere! Whether it’s to advertise their desert menu, show off their latest offers or sitting outside drawing punters in off the street, there is an opportunity to get your brand on there. There are two ways of doing this, offer a discounted rate to the pubs on your product in exchange for providing them with branded, promotional blackboards that can be used throughout their establishment, or pay them a monthly fee to have them in. Even if you’re not an alcohol retailer or supplier, you should still consider whether a pub might be the right place to promote your product.

Studies have shown that blackboards are actually better advertisements than posters. This is because people see posters every day and sub-consciously expect that they might be out of date, and that they are selling to them so sometimes just ignore them. The information on a blackboard is far more likely to change in a regular basis so people are more likely to check back time and time again – and they will see your branding each time they do. Studies have shown that on average someone has to see a piece of information 21 times before they actually remember it in their conscious brain!

Blackboard art has been on the rise in recent years with a graffiti-like style spreading around the world, especially in the USA. Think about how you can get your promotional blackboard to stand out and become memorable.

Promotional blackboards could also be used at football matches and other sporting venues where your products are served, corner shops, mobile food vendors, restaurants and even on the high street.

While promotional blackboards may not bring a direct return on investment as some forms of advertising do, it is fantastic for brand awareness, getting people to remember you.

Friday 10 February 2012

Using Notice Boards In Your Home

Decorating your home is brilliant fun. It gives you the opportunity to put your stamp on a house, making it comfortable for you to live in. No two homes are the same. Some are modern and minimalistic, others are cosy and cluttered – each one is personal to the individual.

A notice board can not only be a useful accessory to have in the home, but also a decorative one. Gone are the days of a simple royal-blue felt notice board or a plain pine-framed whiteboard – there are some brilliant designs out there that will suit any person or home.

There has been a rise in popularity of kitchen notice boards recently, especially with the rise of Country-Chic décor. From small wall-hanging blackboards in the shape of hearts, to large whiteboards with images on – there is something for everyone. You can even buy blackboard paint that can be used to transform an entire wall into a blackboard – some upmarket and modern restaurants have used this to their advantage to display their menus and latest offers. You could even let customers leave comments about their meal on there – as long as they’ve enjoyed it!

Many families find it helpful to have a notice board somewhere central in the house – perhaps where school timetables, calendars, important notes or receipts can be kept out of the way. When your life is hectic, a notice board can be very useful for keeping a little bit of calm – if in doubt, check the notice board.

Notice boards are fantastic for kids’ bedrooms. There are so many materials that they can be made from in a range of different colours and shapes. They are perfect for young and older children alike and great for trying to organise them a little bit! There are pin boards in the shape of trains, teddies or cats and in bright colours too.  A notice board is a great way to help your children express themselves and have a creative area that is their own.

Thursday 2 February 2012

The History Of The Blackboard

Blackboards are common place in schools, colleges, pubs and homes throughout the UK and have been for many years now. But have you ever wondered about the history of the blackboard?

Originally blackboards were made from a smooth sheet of black slate which were then frame with wood to stop them from breaking when used. Nowadays there are made from board or more upmarket versions are made from porcelain-enamelled black steel which lasts far longer. They are also know slightly green which is accepted to be better for the eyes.

The earliest recorded use of a blackboard was in 1801 in the USA where they were often used by instructors in military academies for lessons, tactics and drills.

The biggest leap forward in the blackboard world was in 1820 in scotland where a Geography teacher is said to have taken his student's work slates from them and attached them to the wall to make one large slate. This meant that teachers could save a huge amount of time as they no longer needed to write out individual problems for each pupil - all the problems could be displayed at the front of the class and taught to all the pupils at once. This is when the term 'blackboard' was first coined.

Since then blackboards have evolved to become more user-friendly and in many schools and colleges, they have been replaced with whiteboards. However, in recent years with the rise of country-chic styles being implemented into home decor, blackboards often appear in many homes and kitchens.