How to Make a Fabric Covered Pinboard
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My daughter has a passion for collecting pictures and magazine clippings. Realizing she might enjoy a dedicated space to display her favorites, I decided to create a pinboard for her.
This DIY pinboard not only organizes my daughter’s things but would also be a fantastic addition to an office or a homeschool room above the desk.
That said, I will show you how to make a fabric-covered bulletin board without cork.
What do you use to make a pin board?
Most bulletin boards that you buy in stores are primarily made of cork. However, you can easily DIY a fabric pin board using foam board (yes, the type used for school projects!).
The lightweight material is easy to work with, inexpensive to buy in large sheets, and is simple to hang without the need for screws, wall anchors, and studs.
I used a thrifted wall rack as a base for my small version, but a widely accessible option would be to mount your wrapped foam board to a hardboard backer inside a decorative frame or even to mount the foam directly to the wall!
How to make a fabric push pin board
For this type of pinboard, you’ll wrap two layers of foam board in the fabric of your choice. I opted to potato stamp a drop cloth to create my fabric, but any sturdy fabric with texture will work. Then, mount it to a backer board or a frame.
Step 1: Determine what size your board needs to be
If you plan to use a ready-made frame or backer like I did, measure the space where you plan to add the pinboard part. If you’re making a more custom size, decide how large you’d like your display board to be.
You can make your board the exact size of your foam board sheets, which is super easy, or you could measure the space on the wall where you’d like the notice board to go and build the board to that dimension.
Step 2: Cut the foam board to size
Once you’ve determined the size of your board, cut the foam board to size. This is incredibly easy!
Measure your board and mark where you need to cut with a pencil. Use a sharp craft knife and a straight edge to cut along the lines you marked.
Cut two boards to size because we’ll stack them in the next step.
Why? It’s better to have a deep pinning surface than one that’s too shallow. Otherwise, your pushpins will fall out, and that’s annoying.
To make a large pinboard, simply cut multiple pieces of foam and join them together to make the full board size.
Step 3: Glue foam together
You’ll want an extra-thick layer of foam to stick your pushpins into, so stack your boards and glue them together using a glue gun.
Step 4: Wrap the foam in fabric
Cut a piece of fabric 3″ wider than your pinboard all around and lay it on your work surface, right side down. Place your foam board in the center of the fabric, taking care to ensure that if you have a pattern, it’s aligned with the board.
If your fabric bulletin board has a crooked pattern, it’s going to drive you bananas.
Pull the fabric tightly around the board and glue the edge to the back side all the way around.
Step 5: Attach to your backing (optional)
You could easily attach this fabric-covered pinboard directly to your wall using Command strips (which is what I would do). However, you might choose to attach this to a backing of some kind.
In this project, I used the wall rack because it was a thrift flip, but I think this would look far more chic on its own, at a much larger size.
To attach the board’s pin portion to my rack, I simply used a generous amount of hot glue and called it a day!
If you want something frameless but more rigid, you could use a hardboard as a backer. If you’re looking for something more glamorous, you could fit the board into a vintage frame.
A DIY bulletin board adds much-needed organization to an office or a homeschool room above the desk.
How can I use a pin board?
This DIY pinboard idea can be used for:
- a vision board
- a display board
- a family command center
- a notice board
- a mood board
- office organization
- oversized wall decor
