In this post: I’m sharing how I made a large DIY linen pin board for a fraction of the price you’d pay for one bought in the store
For the longest time, I’ve been dreaming of a large linen pin board hanging in my kitchen – it would be perfect for pinning up all of the little things (coupons, invitations, magazine page cut-outs, etc.) that end up in a messy, unorganized pile on my desk. I fell in love with a large linen pin board from Restoration Hardware but it was several hundred dollars plus the wall that I wanted to put it on has a light switch in a horrible location, making it impossible to put a long, large bulletin board on that wall:
My solution? A DIY linen pin board (actually, pin boards!) Here’s exactly what I did (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here}):
Step 1: Gather Supplies: Barnwood frames, Cork Panels, Picture Hangers, Fabric, Glue Gun & Staple Gun
I headed off to Hobby Lobby to shop for most of my supplies – my first stop was the ready-made frame section where they have rustic wood frames in about 10-12 different sizes. They frequently go on sale at 50% off so you can get them at a very reasonable price.
Here’s a close-up (with a sneak peek preview of one of my bulletin boards) to show you the reclaimed wood look of the frames complete with old nail holes:
Step 2: Attach Ring Hangers
The Hobby Lobby frames don’t have any hangers attached so my first step was to add some ring hangers onto the frame’s back. Then I measured the recessed area on the back of the frame where my cork board would be placed.
Step 3: Cut Cork Board to Size & Staple Fabric Around It
Next, I cut the cork board to my measured size using a utility knife – the key to this step is to make your cuts on the FRONT side of the cork board. This way, the edges around the front side of the cork board stay relatively straight (the back side will look like a mess but there’s no worries – you won’t see it). The next step was to wrap my fabric around the cork board and staple gun it to the back.
Step 4: Secure the Fabric-Covered Cork Board to the Frame with a Glue Gun
Finally, I used my glue gun to make a line of glue along the recessed edge of the frame where my fabric-covered cork board will be placed (you have to work fast gluing so that the first glue hasn’t dried by the time you’ve made it all the way around the frame), and then laid my cork board in the frame and applied pressure for a minute or two until the glue had dried. To make sure that the cork board was secure in the frame, I then glued between the cork board and the frame all the way around the back of the frame.
Step 5: Hang ’em Up!
After repeating this process two more times and then putting screws into the wall at the correct locations for the ring hooks on the frames, I got my framed cork boards up on the wall and pinned on most of the pile of coupons, invites, etc. that were on my desk. I added a metal letter “J” to fill the space to the right of my light switch (my exact metal letter is no longer available but you can find similar letters {here}), replaced the switch cover with a decorative one, and voilá – my new linen pin boards were complete:
By using three bulletin boards, I was able to maximize the usable space on my wall and it looks much more balanced than if I just had one tall, skinny board to the left of my light switch. And you might notice that somewhere in the middle of this project, I painted my kitchen – the new color is Benjamin Moore’s Annapolis Gray, which is a nice taupey gray.
Several months later I changed up my bulletin boards by replacing the natural linen fabric with a black and cream ticking stripe fabric found {here}. and I also painted the switch cover black. I’m loving the new look!
FAB idea Kris!!
Thx for sharing..
WOW, it looks fantastic, I love it! We don’t have those shops here in Australia where you can buy such things like the frames, well not where I know of. Today I am moving my desk and making a new space, Im excited, you have inspired me to make something. Thanks
How fun – hope you love how it turns out!
I’ve got my supplies waiting to be used, so excited! i even used a 40% off 1 item coupon for the cork board, the frame was 50% off, woot woot. Funny, I don’t even have a place to put it!!!! Keep the fabulous ideas coming.
Gotta love the deals at Hobby Lobby! Buying things that I love but don’t have a place for is totally my M.O. – glad to be dragging you down into the gutter with me – ha! Send me a pic when you get it done!
That turned out so well! I love it! Great job!
Thank you Kristin! Of course, I can’t leave well enough alone and am thinking about changing up the fabric for something different….
I was searching for a linen bulletin board when I found this post. I read this and ran to Hobby Lobby – and made it in about 30 minutes! Mine is a bit different because I chose a frame to match my office furniture…but the frame was 50% off, the linen material was 30% off and the cork was like $15.99! It’s gorgeous at a huge savings…and exactly what I wanted. Thanks so much for the idea!
Glad that it worked out so well for you – totally easy, right?! I also love that it would be no big deal to change out the fabric in the future if you want to switch it up!
Gorgeous! I love how the fabric looks against the frames! great idea! 🙂
stopping by from DITTO DIT link party!
Ingrid
Thanks for stopping by from the link party Ingrid!
Wow, this looks at least as good as the RH version! I love the mini-gallery wall to hide the lightswitch. WHY do builders do this to us?! Don’t they care about decorating?? 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up to Ditto DIY!
Thanks Kelly. You’re so right about the builders – you rarely get ones that think through the small details that the decorating obsessed like you and I would!
I love this idea! So many times I like the looks of something but it is sooooo expensive. The black and cream ticking is perfect!
These look great! Might just be the solution for the clutter around my desk…
Thank you for the idea! I was able to get a 4×8 bulletin board through a garage sale and made this board to display my children’s art work. It is painted on the wood trim and covered in muslin fabric. It rests against my wall near the kitchen but I don’t know how to attach a picture to show you. Thanks again! What great tips!
Sara, that sounds so cute and I love that you’re using it to display your kids’ beautiful art!!
Love your rustic wood bulletin boards . Would love to have one made . Is that possible?
Let me know,
Thank you!
Kathy Piombo
415-336-4569
Thanks so much for asking Kathy – honestly, I’ve thought about making and selling these but right now it’s not something that I’m doing. It really is a pretty easy DIY though – you should give it a try!
Thanks for the great idea and inspiration Kris. It was an easy project. Modified it a bit for our needs. Created a magnetic board covered in fabric using sheet metal instead of a cork board. Same rustic frame, wrapped fabric around sheet metal, glue gunned it taught. Used a black laminated board for added thickness, rigidity and a finished look to cover the back side of the sheet metal and exposed fabric edges. Used metal frame offsets (screwed down) to hold it in place. Changing fabrics will be as easy as swapping a picture in a frame. For creative magnets, I purchased strong earth magnets and glued them to draw pulls of different types. Now my wife can display our son’s artwork and not poke holes in them or tape them down. The sheet metal, black laminate board are easily purchased at you local Home Depot or Lowes. Again, thanks!
Love this idea David – thanks so much for sharing it!
Thanks for the tutorial on a cheap and easy project. It’s just what I was looking for! I love that you can also easily change out the fabric for a fresh look. Did you use the same cork board and put new fabric on top or did you have to use a new cork board? Just wondering how you removed the cork since you glue-gunned it to the frame.
Hi Michelle – yes I was able to reuse the cork board! It was really just the fabric that was glued to the wood frame and I was able to gently pull the two apart and peel off the strips of dried glue.