Corkboard Upcycle

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.

Comments

[hovawart]

So, now that you've had time to test drive it, how does it work, and how does it look over time?

[sunshiine]

Love this! Thanks for sharing.

[siamonsez]

That looks really neat, but it seems to me that the foam would show all the holes from the pins and stuff, and maybe felt would be better. Just a thought.
Or maybe there's something in between silicone and paint that you could smear over it that would make it smooth like the foam but the elasticity of the silicone should make the holes close back up.

[ChrysN]

Cool, it is so bright and colourful! You should put a picture of the finished corkboard as the intro picture.

[MargueritaM]

Thanks Chrys, you are right and I changed it!! :)