A simple DIY pinboard

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An empty wall and some leftover fabric led to the fun idea of a pinboard for my office!

I made some linen cushion covers for my sofa this summer and ended up with a little bit of fabric left on the bolt. It wasn’t a huge piece, only about 20 x 50in, but the fabric was so neutral and pretty that I knew I needed to use it somewhere else in my home.

For years, I’ve been staring at a blank wall in my office thinking that I may never decorate it, but after leaving the bolt of fabric leaning against it for weeks, it finally clicked that a pinboard would be perfect for that very spot.

This pinboard is really simple to make, so get your supplies and start DIY-ing!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

WOOD | WOOD GLUE | WOOD SCREWS | DRILL + BIT | CORK BOARD | FABRIC | PUSH PINS | HOT GLUE | STAPLE GUN

HOW TO

There are so many ways to make a fabric covered pinboard, whether you build one from scratch or recover a new or used bulletin board.

Since I was working with a specific size of fabric and wall space, I had to make mine from scratch. Don’t worry, though. It’s easy!

1. Go to the hardware store and pick out the wood for the frame. I bought (3) 1in x 2in x 4ft select pine boards. Actual measurements were closer to 0.75in x 1.5in x 4ft.
   
   If you are wanting to use a pre-made board, skip to step 5.
   
   
2. Next, cut your wood boards and sand if needed. I cut one of my 4ft boards down into (2) 14in pieces.
   
   
3. Start assembling your frame. I made a basic rectangular frame using wood glue and screws. Don’t forget to make pilot holes before adding the screws so you don’t split the wood. The size of my finished frame was 15.5in x 4ft.
   
   
4. Now it’s time to add the cork board.
   
   My local hardware stores didn’t have any of the thick cork board in stock that I wanted to use for this project, so I ordered some off of Amazon. The roll that came was the perfect size, but it was really lightweight. I realized after assembling the rest of the pinboard that the cork was way too thin and didn’t hold the push pins in very well. I have since added extra foam board to the back for support and, while this fixed my issue, I would highly recommend using a thick cork board with batting or a heavy duty foam board from the start!
   
   Whatever you decided to use, attach it securely to the top of the wood frame. I was able to use hot glue and a few staples for mine.
   
   
5. Lastly, wrap the fabric around the frame and secure. I stapled the fabric to the inside of the back of the frame, leaving the side against the wall smooth. Trim any excess fabric.
   
   To cover a pre-made board, you can likely just wrap the fabric around and staple it to the back. If you need some extra cushion on the front of the board though, you can add a layer or two of batting before covering with your fabric!
   
   
6. To hang my pinboard, I just rested it on top of two nails. You could also add hanging hardware if you choose.

This DIY was so simple, and now you can have fun decorating your new pinboard with tons of inspiration!

I actually loved making this one so much that I used some other leftover fabric I had to make a second one. Have fun with this project and get creative!