DIY Colorful Bulletin Board

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Learn how to make this DIY Colorful Bulletin Board!

It’s fun to be able to just buy things, but there is a certain satisfaction that comes with making something yourself. If you can’t find the right size, style, or color, you can create exactly what you need. Plus, DIY is a wonderful way to try different products and tools.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board:

This month those of us on Lowe’s Creative Blogger’s Team were challenged to spruce up a guest room for the holidays. Since I currently don’t have a guest room, I figured I’d tackle a little project in my office as that’s where most of my guests will be spending time. Remember, my office is also doubling as party central.

You may remember from previous posts that the walls in this space are looking pretty empty. After spending days and days painting, I’m always hesitant about putting that first nail in the wall. However, I’m thrilled to report the walls are officially getting dressed.

In the office section of this space, I wanted to have a cork board. This would function as a designated spot for me to post inspiration. As much as I love Pinterest, I’m dying to make time to tackle the magazines that have gone unread around here for months. Once I go through the magazines, I’m going to need space to display little tidbits I’ve pulled from the pages.

I searched online for cork boards, but couldn’t find one that was just right. So, I decided to build my own.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

With clean lines and lots of bold color, it’s the perfect addition to the space. What do you think? Today, I’m going to walk you through the steps of creating your own. Let’s get going.

Colorful Bulletin Board Tutorial:

Here’s what you will need:
2 1x6x8* pine boards
sheet* of plywood
sheet* of cork board
mending braces
nail gun and nails (you can use a hammer and nails instead)
table saw
circular saw
miter saw
staple gun and staples
screwdriver
sandpaper
paint – two colors
painters tape
tape measure
pencil
*size may vary depending on the dimensions of your finished piece

First, you will need to create a channel in your boards so that when assembled, your cork and plywood will sit flush with the back of your frame. I don’t currently own a table saw, so I popped over to my dad’s house to use his.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

I don’t have pictures for this, but you want to set your circular saw so that it will cut 1-inch into the board. Standing the board on it’s side, continue running it through your saw until you are 1/2- inch into the board. The resulting pieces will look like this.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

Next, we are ready to cut the frame. You’ll need a miter saw for this. I knew that I wanted the exterior of my frame to be 40×54. I began by cutting my longer pieces. Using a tape measure, I measured out 54 inches on the side of the board without the channel. I then made a cut at a 45 degree angle. Once that cut was made, I made another 45 degree cut on the opposite end of the board. These two cuts essentially made the board look like a long trapezoid. (If you’ve never made cuts like this, I recommend practicing it a few times on some scrap pieces of wood until you feel comfortable).

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm
Repeat these steps for all four pieces of your frame.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

Once everything is cut, set your pieces front side down on a flat surface. You’ll want to match up all of your corners as closely as possible. Using the miter saw, if needed, trim a bit off until you get a good fit. Go slowly and take off only a very little each time until things start to line up. (Since this is going to get painted, however, it doesn’t need to be 100% perfect. We will fill in some of the smaller gaps with wood filler in a later step.)

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

Next, join the corners together. To do this, I used a battery powered nail gun I got at Lowe’s. I’ve been wanting one of these for a while and I finally had an excuse to buy one. If you don’t have a powered nail gun, no worries. Just pre-drill a hole and use a trusty hammer and nails to get the job down. I suggest at least one nail into both sides of the corner.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

To make sure the corners are tight, add two mending braces to each corner.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

Once those are attached, flip the frame over and fill any gaps and the nail holes with wood filler. Allow the filler to dry and sand until smooth.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

While it dries, cut your cork and plywood. Begin by cutting the plywood. Measure your opening and cut the board to fit using a circular saw. (I’m using this awesome handheld one form Rockwell.)

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

I’m a huge fan of Rockwell products by the way. You can find them here or check them out on Facebook or Twitter.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

Once your board fits snugly, set it on your cork, trace it, and then cut out the cork. I was lucky enough to find a piece that was sticky on one side. If yours isn’t, just apply a little glue to adhere the cork to the plywood.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

Next, we’re ready to paint the frame. I chose a combination of white and lime green. Initially I tried to spray painting, but that didn’t work as well as I hoped so I just opted for standard wall paint. I used a gloss finish.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

You can paint your frame however you’d like. I wanted a really graphic looking frame. I started with the white and did three coats. Once that was dry, I taped off a strong diagonal line and then applied the green.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm
DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

After the paint is completely dry, it’s time to attach the cork board. Flip the frame over and set in the cork. Using more mending braces, attach one side to the frame and one side to the back of the cork board. Be sure to check that your wood is thick enough so that the screws do not come through the other side. The mending braces come with screws, but I purchased additional shorter screws to insure I wouldn’t have any issues. I used 10 mending braces to hold my cork board in place.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

After that, your colorful bulletin board is complete!

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

All you need to do now is hang it up on the wall and start filling it with inspiration.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

As you can tell, this project is a little on the advanced side. However, if you have the tools and some experience, it comes together pretty quickly.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

I couldn’t be more pleased with the results! I really love how thick the frame is and the graphic color combination is perfect in my space.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

I’ve been looking for a way to incorporate that green color into my office since the stools I’d wanted didn’t work out. This was just the thing.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

Now that the board is finished, I’m off to tackle those stacks of magazines and catalogs I have sitting all over my house.

DIY Colorful Bulletin Board | Inspired by Charm

What do you think of my new colorful bulletin board?

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19 Comments

  1. Your bulletin board is beautiful. This is random, but those deer on the dresser did you get them from a local antique store? Because, I looked at those exact deer at an antique store near town and ended up not getting them…gosh they are so cute!

    1. Thanks Rachael!! At an antique store near me? Yep! I got them in town a couple months ago. They were too cute to pass up on and the price was right!

      xo Michael

      1. I knew it. We have the same hometown. Actually, I stayed at your B & B for my wedding, it was wonderful by the way. Anyway last time I was home I almost bought those deer now I’m kicking myself haha. Your house looks fabulous!

      2. Oh fabulous!! Thanks so much. Yes, the deer were too amazing to pass up on. Hopefully you’ll stumble upon another set somewhere.

        xo Michael