We have a game shelf, in a utility closet and it is a hot mess. There are parts everywhere, and random game boards out of their boxes. It hardly makes you want to sit down and play a game when you have to waste a bunch of time tracking down all the pieces to play! But, I am a firm believer in family game night. Everyone puts the electronics down, and we play. We learn who is patient, who is lucky, and who is a cheater! And we always end up having a great time, laughing together.
I am happy to say, I found a way to mount and organize our board games, and in a way that doubles as colorful wall decor for our family room.
I had a similar project pinned to my Pinterest board for a long time. The original project required power tools to cut and miter wood. This is why I never attempted it. It seemed like a lot of work, but I did like the concept! I did a little happy dance when I found these unfinished wooden painting panels.
They are a nice flat wooden surface and come in several sizes. When you flip the panel over…
they are hollow underneath! Perfect for game piece storage!
Supplies needed to make your own DIY board game storage organizer: 
- Unfinished Wooden Painting Panels (I used the 10×10″ size for this game board)
- Board Game of your choice (I used “Sorry” for this tutorial)
- Gorilla Glue
- Black Paint
- 1/2″ Screw Hooks
- Sawtooth Photo Hanger
- Plastic Zip-top Baggies
- Hole Punch
- Damp Cloth
The first thing you will want to do is measure your game board to see what size of panels you will need. “Sorry” measured 20″x20″, so it was an easy one to mount. I just needed 4 (four) 10″ x 10″ panels.
If your game board has odd measurements, choose the panels to fit the board, leaving a slight border. Here is an example. My “Scrabble” board measured 15 1/4″ by 14″. I choose 4 (four) 8″ x 8″ panels for this DIY board game. You can see there is a slight border on this one.
When you have your four panels chosen, lay them out on a flat surface, facing down.
Not every panel is going to be perfect on each side. Make sure they fit together well. This may mean turning the panels to find the straightest side. When you have them arranged well, you will glue the panels together. Gorilla Glue is a great choice for this project. It expands as it sets, and will fill in any uneven-ness between the panels. Follow the manufacturer directions for the glue- it requires water to “activate” the glue. I used a damp cloth on both surfaces that would be adhered together. It worked like a champ!
Apply the glue in a thin layer.
Fit all your panels together and use some clamps to hold them into place. It takes 1-2 hours for the Gorilla Glue to set. I used weights so the boards would level out, I had a couple that were a little uneven. You want the panels to lay flat.
After the glue has set, paint the edges and part of the front of the panels, if your game board is not a perfect match and the front edges will show.
When the paint is dry, you can adhere your DIY board game to the glued panels. I used Gorilla Glue for this as well. Take care not to get the Gorilla Glue right next to the edge of the game board- the glue will expand, and leak out of the edge of the board. If this happens, you can use your damp cloth to clean it before it dries.
Use some heavy objects to weigh the DIY board game down. This will help it to adhere nice and flat.
Once the glue has dried, and your game board is attached, flip the mounted DIY board game over.
I used some screw hooks to create places to hang the game pieces inside the hollows of the wooden panels.
Decide which way you want your DIY board game organizer to hang on the wall, and attach the screw hooks inside the top of the hollow panels.
Punch holes in the tops of zip-top baggies, and hang the baggies on the screw hooks for game piece storage.
Some games may require a couple baggies to keep the bulk down, so that the game board will hang flush against your wall.
Last step- adding a sawtooth hanger so you can attach your mounted DIY board game to the wall. It was easy to find the center of this project!
I love this project! I am excited to get all of my game boards mounted and organized.
I love the whimsical look of the DIY board game organizers hanging on the wall- and with easy accessibility, I know we will be spending more quality family time away from electronics, playing board games.
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About Shaunte
Shaunte is a 30-something, chocolate-loving, SAHM from Utah. She has been scrapbooking since 1997, the dreaded era of photos cropped with deco scissors. Since then, her work has evolved into a clean, linear, photo-focused style. Her favorite subjects to scrap are her husband and five kids (never a lack for subject material there).
Once the saw tooth photo Hanger is added the game board doesn’t sit flat.
You are correct. It does not lay perfectly flat- but I found the saw-tooth hangers to be the best option to easily remove and return the game boards to the wall. If the slight tilt bothers you (we are fine with it) , you could level the game boards out by attaching some felt pieces or even some small wooden pieces like these: https://www.consumercrafts.com/store/details/catalog/basics-wood-turnings/9118-40 to the remaining three sides. HTH!
This is a really good idea, I am going to present it to the nursing facility I work at to store some of the games we have and make them available so the residents can play them whenever they want. Thank you!
great idea- the only modification I would suggest would be to use pencil pouches with holes for the game pieces- that way the bags will hold up and your cup hook mounting idea does its magic also
Thanks for the idea Dawn!
I too saw the lovely tutorial with lots of power tools and knew I would probably never do it. Any thoughts on mounting the board onto a stretched canvas? Or would it not work? I can’t wait to do this!!!
Okay, this is awesome. We want to use our dining room as a place to play games. I wouldn’t necessarily hang them in the dining room, but maybe hang in our playroom and then just bring them down when we want them. I think we’d be much more likely to play if they were out in the open like that. Thanks for the great idea!
Genius!!
Brilliant!