DIY Pin Board/Bulletin – Office Update
One room that has had me stumped since we renovated our home is the office. It doubles as our guest room and stores a lot of misc things for us. I needed a project that could jump-start my vision for this space and when I saw DIY Pin Boards on Pinterest I had to take them on. This is a great project because it’s EASY, CHEAP (less than $25), and versatile.
These boards are great for gathering inspiration when you’re brainstorming for a space. It’s like Pinterest in “real life.” If you’re not a designer, you can still use this as a bulletin board to pin up family photos, art from the kids, event reminders and inspirational messages.
I was inspired by two different projects I found online and modified them slightly when I took on my own. The first project was from Athena Calderon of Eye Swoon. I love that her boards were tall and made a huge statement in her room. Athena suggests wrapping the board with burlap and then painting them the color of your wall to get a textured moment. I tried this, but the burlap soaked up so much paint and looked a little globby in my opinion. Also, when I tried this I realized the board dimensions I chose were a little wide for the look I was going for. I had tons of extra supplies so I was off to try again but without the paint this time, but still applying this beautiful inspiration.
The next project that inspired me was from Jen Woodhouse. Her DIY Pin Boards were the exact look I was going for, but she made hers with a wood backing. This probably would have been easy, but like I’ve said in the past I’m a level one DIYer and that just felt like one level up 😂So I basically did exactly as she suggested just a little informally.
INSPIRATION PROJECTS
SUPPLIES AND TOOLS
TOOLS:
SUPPLIES:
- 8’ x 4’ x 1/2″ foam insulation board ($9)
- 3 yards of medium- to heavy-weight utility fabric, I used gray burlap ($5/yard from Hobby Lobby where I used a 40% off coupon)
- Nails ($5)
- Finishing Washers ($5)
APPROX. COST OF MATERIALS: $24
NOTE: The finishing washers with the nails really give a finished look and a level of sophistication that you don’t get without them. I used #10 nails and finishing washers that were stainless steal and painted them gold. They were a lot cheaper this way. You can buy them gold or use silver if thats the finish you prefer.
STEP 1: Cut your insulation board. I simply used a box cutter. I liked the height 48” which the board already was, so all I needed to do was cut 20”. You can decide the width that works for your space, but like I said before 24” just looks a little too wide for my space. You can use anything as a guide to help you create a straight like. I simply pulled out a piece of wood flooring we had leftover in the closet. The board is really easy to cut.
STEP 2: Lay the fabric down and smooth it out on top of a single board. From here you’ll wrap the fabric around the sides and secure with a staple gun. Pull the fabric tight and start stapling in the middle on the long sides. Continued stapling the fabric to the board, moving outward. Repeat on the other side, then move to the ends.
Before stapling the fabric all the way to the edges of the board, I folded the ends up. You’ll do this just like you’d wrap a Christmas present – just tuck the fabric in and secure it with staples. Try to keep the fabric flat so that when you go to hang it on the wall, you don’t have a lot of bulkiness behind the pin board.
STEP 3: This is the secret sauce to the project. Hang with finishing washers and screws. The finishing washers are such a clean accent to complete the look. I spray painted mine gold, but you can also purchase them in that finish.
I pulled out all my magazines to get to dreaming. It’s been so fun saving tangible things that inspire me in a day of all things digital. Mom and I are currently flipping a house and so saving ideas for that project has been really fun. You’ll even see a tile sample pinned up!
I hope this inspired you to DIY today and make a place to get creative. If you create your own pin boards make sure to tag us on Instagram or send us a DM so we can see what you’ve created. I’d love to start sharing completed projects from readers on the blog posts! Have a great day!
Hello, thank you for pinning this! I love the look and am going to try and make this. Does the insulation board hold up over time and hold things well? Curious if you feel the boards have held up over time. thanks!
Hello! I am trying this DIY, and the staples are not going into the pin board. I am using 1/2 staples on a 1inch board. How did you get yours to enter the board? Mine only go in halfway.
Hi! Have these held up, two years later? They look gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the tutorial.