We offer a range of surface materials that are designed to suit a variety of environments and uses. Whether you’re regularly updating notices in a busy school, displaying parish information outside a church, or providing public information in a community setting, choosing the right surface can make managing your notice board much easier.
The most popular options we provide are natural felt, brushed loop nylon, tricord and magnetic. The different options are designed for different requirements, such as when updates are only made occasionally or when notices are regularly removed and replaced.
Below, we explore each material to help you understand its strengths and where it’s best suited.
Natural Felt Notice Boards
Natural felt is one of the most widely recognised surfaces on outdoor notice boards. It’s a soft fabric that works well with pins, making it a straightforward and familiar option for displaying printed notices, posters, and handwritten information.
It’s often chosen for its simplicity as it doesn’t require any other fixings. The surface makes it easy to attach and remove or move pinned notices, but can be time consuming so it’s usually chosen for notice boards that aren’t often updated. When used outdoors, the felt needs to be protected to shield it from moisture.
A big consideration is wear over time. With repeated pinning in the same areas, the surface can gradually show signs of use, but this is often an acceptable trade off for its ease of use.
Brushed Loop Nylon Notice Boards
Brushed loop nylon is designed specifically for use with Velcro style hook and loop fasteners. Notices can be attached using adhesive backed Velcro strips.
Because there are no pin holes or visible puncture marks, the surface tends to maintain a consistent appearance even when notices are changed frequently. It is commonly used in settings such as schools, healthcare facilities, offices, and other organisations where information is updated regularly.
With no pins, there is less risk of injury or dropped sharp items, which can be particularly important in public or school environments.
Magnetic Notice Boards
Magnetic notice boards use a metal backed surface that allows notices to be attached with magnets rather than pins or adhesives.
Notices can be positioned, removed, or rearranged in seconds, making them ideal when information changes regularly. Because there are no pin holes or fabric wear, magnetic notice boards tend to maintain their appearance very well over time.
Magnetic boards can support a wide range of notice types, from printed sheets to laminated posters, as long as they are used with appropriate magnets. If space allows , stronger magnets can also be used to secure heavier notices.
Tricord Notice Boards
Tricord is a high performance woven fabric surface designed specifically for heavy use notice boards. It’s one of the most durable pinboard options available for outdoor purposes. Unlike softer fabrics, it is engineered to withstand repeated pinning without quickly showing signs of wear.
Tricord is commonly chosen for schools, churches, parish councils, and community notice boards where information changes regularly and reliability is important. It performs particularly well in environments where multiple users pin and remove notices throughout the week.
The woven texture gives it a neat, consistent appearance that works well in both modern and traditional settings.
Which material is right for me?
The table below compares the four main outdoor notice board surface options available on Noticeboards Online. It highlights how each material performs in terms of durability and fixing method, along with the types of environments they are typically best suited to.
| Surface | Durability | Pins | Velcro | Magnets | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Felt | Good | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | Churches, community centres, village halls, light-use environments |
| Brushed Loop Nylon | Very Good | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | Schools, healthcare, offices with frequent updates |
| Magnetic | Excellent | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | Visitor centres, corporate spaces, high-traffic public displays |
| Tricord | Excellent | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | Schools, parish councils, churches, community boards |