Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Cork board how-to

I promised this a few weeks ago when I finished my Kitchen Message Center, and I'm only now getting around to posting a quick little how-to. Been busy these days - sorry!

Basically I found this old piece of art in the basement left from the previous owners. Ugly art, but nice frame!


A close-up of the frame: (the basement is not that dusty - that's sawdust from another project!)


So, if you have a great frame like this, by all means use it. Or I'm sure you can find something similar at a flea market or thrift store for a few dollars.

Pop off the artwork from the frame. Mine was a stretched canvas that was merely attached to the frame with brads - popped off in a cinch!

Clean up your frame and give it a light sanding.


Give it a coat of good quality primer. I used a brush, but you could also use spray primer.

No photos for the next steps (I got carried away with the project!). 

Pick up a roll of cork from a home improvement or craft store.


Cut the cork to the exact size of the canvas. Then use spray adhesive and cover the entire surface of the canvas. Lay the cork onto the canvas and rub all over to make sure there are no air bubbles. I let this dry face down so that the canvas and cork would lay flat.

While this dries, spray paint the frame with whatever color you like. I used a white semi-gloss. Make sure to get all the surfaces of the frame that you will see when it hangs on the wall. My frame needed 3 coats. 

Once the frame is dry, simply re-attach the canvas to the frame by popping it in the back, and securing it with brads. If you don't have a handy electric or pneumatic brad-nailer, I'm sure you could just hot glue the canvas inside the frame - being sure to wipe away any glue that squeezes out in the front.


Ta-da! A beautiful new cork board. I am considering taking mine apart again and covering the cork with burlap. Still deciding.


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1 comments:

Unknown said...

love it and plan to steal it immediately. thanks! this will look awesome in my office!