Pretty, Vintage & “Green” Framed Fabric-Covered Corkboard

A couple of weekends ago, I was trapped inside by the snow (and dreaming of warmer weather) so I decided to get around to a couple of crafty home projects.  This fabric-covered corkboard project has been in my mind for at least a year and I still had not gotten around to it–plus I have been struggling to organize all of the little notes, pictures, and other small things that tend to take over my kitchen.

It was actually a lot easier than I imagined it would be and I love the finished look!

Supplies:

• 6 x 6 inch Darice Cork Squares with Mounting Squares – I used 3 packs
• Foam Core Board
• Frame
• Paint
• Compass Cutter Tool
• X-Acto Knife
• Fabric
• Straight/Push Pins
• Hot Glue Gun
• Scissors
• Staple Gun

To begin, you will want to remove the glass from the frame.  This step was done for me since I had trashed picked mine from a neighbor–I love that the rescued frame makes this project a little “green,” too!

Depending on the frame that you chose, this is where you should paint if you desire.  I used three coats of Sherwin Williams latex wall paint to cover my frame, allowing about 20-30 minutes between coats for drying time.  I let it sit for another 3 or so hours to make sure all of the nooks and crannies were dry.

Next, I measured my foam core board and used a t-frame ruler to cut it with an X-Acto knife to perfectly fit it into the back of the frame.  I left about a millimeter of space around the perimeter so that it would not be too tight to fit into the frame once I wrapped it with fabric.

Next, I laid the cork squares down on the foam board using the included mounting tape that came with the cork.  It is important that you use either mounting tape or some kind of double stick adhesive.  Cork is obviously very porous and therefore not ideal to use with glue or a glue gun (this equals a mess). Once you have the foam board covered entirely with the cork squares, once again use your X-Acto knife to cut off the excess cork that is overhanging the side and bottom.

Now, you are ready to add the fabric.  I used a technique that I found to be very easy and almost foul-proof.  I laid the foam board cork-side down on the backside of the fabric, being careful to lay evenly on the pattern so it wasn’t traveling diagonal down the board or skewed to the side.  Once I was comfortable with the placement, I used straight pins to hold it in place on the foam board.  I moved around the board, making sure it was pulled nice and tight.  (These colored top straight pins also looked cute as push pins when I was finished).

Once it was completely pinned, I did one last check to make sure that: (1) It fit into the frame and (2) the fabric was lined up evenly with no bumps or gaps.

Once I was good to go, it was time to get permanent.  I removed the pins one at a time and hot glue gunned the fabric onto the back of the foam board, going around the edges only.

Finally I placed the fabric-covered board into the frame and secured it by going around the back perimeter with a staple gun.

I simply hung the frame on the wall, and my new fabric-covered corkboard was ready for organizing notes, photos, and all of those other little pieces of paper.  No more clutter in my kitchen!

Anne

Anne is the Director of ConsumerCrafts and considers herself extremely fortunate to have a job that she loves so much. She has been doing crafts her whole life in some form or another, whether it be slip covering a chair, building a toy box, making handcrafted invitations or laminating homemade placemats with her kids. She loves to try new crafts, as well, and finds nothing so satisfying as answering a compliment of her work with “Thanks, I made that.”