Buying guide for best felt letter boards
Need to share a message? You might be able to swing it on poster board or a whiteboard, but those media aren’t exactly decorative or professional. Instead, invest in a felt letter board to share messages, announcements, and more in style.
Felt letter boards are framed felt mats to which you can affix specially designed numbers, letters, and icons. It takes seconds to set up a message, and when you’re finished, simply remove the letters and store them for later use. With a felt letter board, there’s no waste, so it’s one of the most eco-friendly options available. Whether you’re an educator, party host, or business owner, a felt letter board is the essential signage accessory.
The writing’s on the wall — literally — so it’s time to invest in a felt letter board. There are plenty of sizes and frame styles to choose from, so here’s our buying guide, and our favorites, to make your decision a little easier.
Key considerations
Applications
Dining establishments: Felt letter boards are ideal for displaying daily specials. Some restaurants with extraordinarily short menus forgo handing them out and simply hang them around the establishment instead.
Classrooms: For classrooms that require frequently changing signs, such as announcement boards or bulletin boards, felt letter boards are an ideal choice. Not only are they quick to change, they’re also much safer than stapling or pinning paper to other surfaces.
Homework practice: Instead of spelling practice on looseleaf paper, give kids letters for a tactile learning lesson. The felt letter board is an inviting blank slate, and it’s fun to play with letters once practice is over.
Announcements: If you’re into social media or photography, having a felt letter board is essential. It gives your image a modern twist, plus it cuts down on the amount of content you’ll need to write for the caption text.
Sets
Felt letter boards are sold on their own or with letter sets. If you’re getting just the board, you’ll need to spend more money to purchase letters, so it’s a better deal to buy a set. Not all sets are created equal, though. Some come with only a few letters, whereas deluxe sets come with a few hundred letters, numbers, and even icons.
Sizes
Most felt letter boards are rectangular and are around 16 x 12 inches. Square boards are typically 10 x 10 inches, and there are some mini sign boards that are 4 x 10 inches. There are also extra-large boards around 24 x 40 inches, which are mostly for business and commercial use.
Display
Felt letter boards are either hung, placed on easels, or leaned against something else. Boards that can be hung often come with a mounting kit. Boards that can be placed on easels occasionally come with one, though you can place a board on any easel that can support its size and weight. It’s easy to simply lean the board against a wall, books, or a shelf, but make sure it’s level and won’t fall.
Features
Details
Felt colors: Black is the most popular color for the felt, followed by gray. Other colors, especially pastels, have grown in popularity. Some boards are reversible, and these are especially popular in pink and blue. If you decide to go with colored felt, check whether black or white letters are more easily readable against it.
Frames: The frames are usually made of wood, including oak, pine, and sometimes walnut. It’s common to see them either unfinished or with a distressed paint finish. For the most part, the frames are relatively simple, to keep the focus on the letters, so there are few with ornate or carved frames.
Variations
Some multipurpose felt letter boards have chalk or cork sections. These are popular if you’re looking for a mixed-media look. There are also some felt letter boards that are built into easels and stand on their own. These tend to be smaller, for tabletop use, although there are select boards that are large enough to stand on the floor.
Accessories
Letter board letters: Garsum Letter Board Letters
Having a large assortment of letters means the sky’s the limit with your felt letter board. We like this unique set of 849 pre-cut letters from Garsum, which comes with an assortment of letters, words, and punctuation marks. The letters come in five pastels to add a fun pop of color to your felt letter board.
Easel: Red Co. Decorative Stand
If you don’t want to install your felt letter board as a permanent fixture, opt for a tabletop easel instead. We like this one from Red Co., which comes in an attractive distressed metal finish with ball finial. At 15 inches high with a sturdy base, this easel can hold a small to midsize felt letter board.
Felt letter board prices
Felt letter boards cost between $10 and $50, depending mostly on size and construction.
Inexpensive: For less than $20, you can find felt letter boards smaller than 10 x 10 inches with simple wood frames. The construction is mediocre, and sometimes the frames fall apart after some use.
Mid-range: For between $20 and $35, you can find a good variety of felt letter boards that are as big as 18 x 30 inches. There are some sets of mini letter boards in this category as well. The overall construction quality of these boards is high, especially the frames.
Expensive: For $35 to $50, you can find boards about the same size as the mid-range ones, but the frame materials are superior. Some boards use premium wood or have embellishments, and many come with their own stand.
Tips
- Be on board with trends. It’s trendy to have certain message pictures around your home, such as “Live, Laugh, Love,” but they can go out of style quickly. Opt for a felt letter board so you always have a fun new message to share.
- Mount boards on doors for kids. If your kids like name signs for their doors, use felt letter boards instead. They’ll have fun personalizing messages or creating designs.
- Mark meals for dinner parties. Instead of using paper menus for your party, use a felt letter board. It’s reusable and much quicker than typing up and printing out a menu.
FAQ
Q. Isn’t it easier just to use a whiteboard or print a sign?
A. It could be, but a felt letter board adds a personal, sentimental touch to your message. Since felt letter boards are set in attractive frames, your message itself is more attractive than an office whiteboard or a paper sign taped to the wall. Felt whiteboards also lend themselves to a number of interior design projects.
Q. Can I paint the frame of my felt letter board?
A. Absolutely. You just need to make sure to completely cover the felt with painter’s tape to avoid getting paint spots on it. Let the paint fully dry before removing the tape. It’s also a good idea to use a small paintbrush to go over the corners and inside edges. Another thing to consider is how porous the wood is, which affects how many layers of paint you’ll need to fully cover the frame.
Q. I love using my felt letter board, but it takes me forever to find the letters I need in the bag. How do I organize them?
A. If you have individual letters, invest in a simple tackle box or bead organizer to arrange them in alphabetical order. If you have larger emojis or entire words, invest in stackable plastic organizers, some of which have adjustable compartments. Some people also like to use resealable snack-size bags and label them with masking tape for easy reference.
Q. How do I clean a felt letter board?
A. If there are fibers and dust stuck to the surface, going over it with a little tape or a lint roller should do the trick. For a deeper cleaning, make a diluted mixture of water and dish soap, and go over it with a small, soft cleaning brush. It’s also important to clean out each groove to dislodge anything stuck inside.
