How to Make a Pretty Cork Board

While cork boards are useful pieces to have in offices, kitchens and even a child's room, they often lack any sense of style, which may keep you from hanging them in your home. Dress up those plain cork boards from the office supply store with some inexpensive supplies and little effort so they better fit in your home. Use them to organize phone messages in your kitchen, to-do lists in your office and photos and homework assignments in your child's room.

Things You'll Need

• Low-grit sand paper
• Dust rag
• Masking tape
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• Tape measure
• 1 yard of fabric
• Rotary cutter
• Ruler
• Cutting mat
• Spray adhesive
• Old credit or gift card
• Low-temperature hot glue gun
• 4 yards of fabric trim such as ribbon or pom poms
• Scissors
• Thumb tacks
• Buttons (not shank buttons)

Instructions

1. Lightly sand the frame of the cork board with low-grit sand paper. Wipe resulting dust with a dust rag.

2. Tape off the cork board where it butts up against the frame. Paint the frame with acrylic paint. Let the first coat of paint dry completely before applying another. The paint should dry in a couple hours, but read the instructions on your container of paint for exact drying time -- times differ between brands.

3. Peel the masking tape from the cork board. Now, cover the frame of the cork board in masking tape.

4. Measure the height and width of the cork board, not including the frame, with a measuring tape. Lay your piece of fabric out on your cutting mat. Cut a piece of fabric to the same dimensions as the cork board using a rotary cutter with a ruler to guide it. Make your cuts long and smooth, not short and choppy, so the edges of your fabric are smooth.

5. Spray the cork board with spray adhesive. Lay the fabric onto the board, lining up the edges of the fabric with the edges of the board. Smooth out any air bubbles with an old credit or gift card. Let the spray adhesive dry for an hour or longer, again, check your can for exact drying times.

6. Peel the masking tape from the frame of the cork board. Use a low-temperature glue gun to apply fabric trim to the edges of the cork board just inside the frame. Start in one corner of the board. Use thin lines of glue to adhere the trim to the fabric-covered board. Work your way around the board and cut the excess trim once you reach where you started.

7. Attach decorative buttons, but not shank buttons, to the heads of thumb tacks using small dots of hot glue. Use buttons in colors that coordinate with the fabric and paint already on the board.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a fabric in a damask print with a ribbon trim around the edges for a sophisticated cork board. Use more colorful playful prints like polka dots or stripes for a cork board intended for a child's room.

• A yard of fabric and 4 yards of fabric trim should be enough for your cork board, but the amount depends on the size of the board you are decorating. Measure your board before heading off to the fabric store to ensure you have enough and won't end up with a lot leftover.

• Avoid allowing the hot glue or the tip of the hot glue gun to come into contact with your skin. Both can cause burns.

• Always cut away from your body with the rotary cutting, never toward. Keep your fingers clear of the cutter's path as well to avoid cutting yourself.

• Use spray adhesive in a well-ventilated area.