What is the best notice board for a home office?

Whether you're a self-confessed scatterbrain training yourself to get organised—or perhaps you just want a stylish place to store all your great ideas and flashes of inspiration—notice boards make a useful addition to any home office. 

In the current climate, as the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on and self-isolation measures remain in place, never before has a well-thought-out home office become so important to so many people. With an unprecedented number of the planet’s workforce spending their day strapped to a laptop in their spare bedrooms or converted studies, getting the right notice board is an essential step in creating an effective environment in which to be productive.

How do I hang a notice board?

 Creative Solutions provide fittings for all their notice boards, so you’re already half-way there. On occasion, our production team has been asked to install the boards personally, to ensure a flawless final aesthetic.

 If you’re tackling the job yourself, however, here’re a few pointers. Firstly—and this might sound obvious—donot drill directly above or below light switches or plug sockets. In the vast majority of rooms, cables run vertically up from light switches and down from sockets. To avoid this unnecessary safety risk, any decent DIY store will stock sensors to locate electric cables behind walls. So, if you’re not sure what you’re drilling into, it’s certainly a smart purchase. As a handy extra, they also detect water pipes.

 Clearly, the type of fitting you require depends on what you’re fixing the notice board to. Think about the surface you’re working with. Is it a solid wall or a hollow stud wall? Also, use appropriate fixings for the weight of the notice board.

 For heavier notice boards—such as the Keylock Internal Pin Board Notice Board—you’re going to need a screw fixing with an adequately-sized wall plug, to make sure the weight of the notice board can be supported. A decent power drill will be required to create the pilot holes.

 With stud/ hollow walls, plasterboard is fixed to vertical timbers called studs and horizontal timbers called noggings. Find a timber to screw into and you’ll be left with a solid fixing for the nail or screw. In order to hang heavy notice boards or whiteboards on a stud wall, you must locate the fixing positions directly into the studs.

 Ideally, you’ll need two people to hang a notice board. One person’s job is to hold it in position; while the other can give guidance on height and positioning from a good vantage point. Final tip: use a spirit level!

Are notice boards fire rated?

The importance of a good fire rating for a notice board cannot be underestimated, particularly if it’s installed in a public environment. Hospitals, schools, business premises—any location where a large number of people congregate at any one time.  Indeed, all public buildings require notice boards to be Class 1 fire-rated in offices and rooms and Class B fire-rated in corridors and stairwells. If in doubt, we’d recommend checking with your fire officer for further information.

 With that in mind, fire retardant felt woven notice boards are the ideal product for ensuring total compliance with fire regulations. Creative Solutions use the highest standard fire rated fabric and each notice board has lockable doors for added security. A fire resistant notice board enables you to display content while adhering fully to current legislation.

 For that extra piece of mind, we’d also recommend the Shield Resistaflame Fabric Lockable Notice Board which fully complies with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. This act puts responsibility—and liability—of health and safety issues onto employers.

What other types of notice boards are there?

Quite simply—there’re lots! Here’re a couple of alternatives in the Creative Solutions range.

Internal Lockable Notice Boards. A considerably larger notice board; ideal for mounting in corridors—less suitable for your home office! As effective security features, they are both lockable and tamperproof. The notice boards are also available with different fire ratings—it’s always worth enquiring with us if you require specific fire safety information for a particular notice board.

Unframed/wrapped Notice Boards. These single-sided notice boards are created using recycled materials and are exceptionally functional—as well as cost-effective. The absence of a frame provides a contemporary, elegant aesthetic, which proves popular with our clients. There’s a range of colors to choose from. And, such is their design, it’s possible to mount a series of different coloured boards, seamlessly,  in order to create a stylish notice display area on your wall. A great way to modernize your home office!