How to Make Your Own Elegantly Framed Cork Board
1/12Ever feel like your space needs a little freshening up, but don’t really know where to begin? That’s where the pros at Homepolish come in. The service provides interior designers that you can hire by the hour to help you create your dream pad, no matter how big or small the project may be. And they really know what they’re doing. Check out their cute and super easy cork board DIY to see how little details can transform a space from dull and drab to undeniably chic. For even more design inspo, follow them @Homepolish.
2/12We love a gallery wall. Photos of friends, art you love, images that transport you... All excellent fodder for a wall in your home. Our NYC designer Tina Apostolou had a blank space to fill at a commercial client's recently and decided to slightly reinvent the gallery wall. Scouring flea markets for shabby art with cool frames ("Go gaudy or go home, that should be your motto when choosing your frames!"), she and Jillian Pavsner (the client's office manager!) popped out the old art and added rolled cork.
Click through the slideshow for step-by-step instructions on how to make your own cork board gallery wall!
3/12Materials Needed
• Vintage frame
• Rolled cork
• Spray adhesive
• Hammer
• Pliers
• Exacto knife
• Metal ruler
• Cutting board
• Foam board
• Small nails
4/12Step 1
After gathering your materials, grab an accomplice and find a spot on the floor to get your DIY on! We found this inexpensive vintage artwork that has a really great gold frame. We found it at Junk in Brooklyn but Etsy is another great source.
5/12Step 2
Remove the artwork... carefully. Our artwork was REALLY in there so we used a hammer to pry it out.
6/12Step 3
Determine the size of your cork backing by turning the frame over and measuring the inside dimensions of the opening (or measure the art that you just removed).
7/12Step 4
Cut the foam board to size using your cutting board, metal straight edge, and exacto knife. Watch those fingers, people!
8/12Step 5
Use your foam board as your guide to cut the rolled cork to the same size.
9/12Step 6
Using multi-purpose spray adhesive, attach your cork to the foam board. Make sure you put something down to protect your rug or floors because sticky floors are a bummer! We used gold tissue paper because we are real fancy.
10/12Step 7
Since most vintage frames have seen their day, they don’t usually have a great method for keeping your cork board in place. We added small finishing nails to the inside opening of the frame. Using pliers, you can easily bend these nails back to create tabs.
11/12Step 8
Once you put your cork board into place, use your pliers to turn the tabs down.
12/12And voila, you have a custom cork board that is way cooler than all your friends’ cork boards! If you’re making a gallery wall like we did for a client's office, choose several different shapes, sizes, and designs. More is more.
