Turn ugly old corkboard into gorgeous shiny new corkboard with craft foam and glue.

Thrift shops hide ugly old corkboards behind frames and artwork, so dig deep! Most of the time I find really ugly corkboards for about $1.50 and craft foam in the discount stores or hobby shops for a few dollars a bundle. The craft foam in my project measured 6" x 9" and I used 15 sheets each to do two corkboards, each board about 22" x 33", give or take.

On one board I used wood glue and the other I used Elmers and they both worked just fine.

It's really a fast project, can be done with kids and you just can't mess this up - plus, it keeps a corkboard out of the landfill and makes it pretty again!

Step 1: Clean Up the Corkboard

But not too much! Hey, we're gluing foam over it. So, just pull out the tacks and staples and call it good. You can sand out any volcanoes in the cork, stuff like that, if you want, and if you are really inspired, you can paint the wood trim. I'd suggest a light sanding, wipe with a tack cloth, prime and two coats of high gloss, but that's just because I love to paint.

Step 2: Plan the Foam Placement

This is the toughest step. To cut the foam or not to cut the foam? Your choice. Don't fit in every little tiny piece yet, you're just going to have to pry it back up again to put the glue on. And if you jumped ahead and already smeared the corkboard with glue, you'd better work fast at placing the pieces.

Step 3: Glue the Foam

Put some glue on each foam piece and slap it down. Don't worry about tiny gaps. This isn't rocket science and you're going to be tacking all kinds of stuff to it, remember? This is just to get rid of that crappy cork look in the background.