This leaves a pretty good looking surface, and it can be done in a minute or two. After waxing it this evening, I set it up next to the door in my living room. To make a long story short, my dog's curiousity got the best of him, and he ended up knocking the board over into a table. Been there, done that. In my case it was my first board and one of my little brothers.
Boards are relatively fragile out of the water.
Think of a good place to keep it where this won't happen again. You are not alone, though. Taking them off the car or out of the house is kinda haardous. Buy a good, padded board bag. Trust me on this one.