Ways to Use Your Corkboard: DIY Tips and Tricks

Cork is Light and Buoyant

Cork is buoyant, and even large corkboards aren’t overly heavy to carry. This is helpful when you are moving houses, offices, or classrooms. No matter how big your board is, it won’t weigh you down. It can easily be moved from one room to the next.

Cork is an Insulator

Cork is a natural, acoustical insulator, which makes cork a desirable building material. This insulating quality is also helpful in large, echoey office spaces. Putting up a large corkboard or corkboard wall will help minimize traveling sounds in an office.

Cork is Flexible

Cork is flexible, which is why it makes such a great bottle stopper. 🍾 It’s a very malleable material that becomes more flexible the thinner the cork is. Corkboards are often backed by a stiff material to keep it straight, but cork also comes in rolls capable of covering a wall like wallpaper.

Framing a Corkboard

A framed corkboard is a simple and classy option. A simple or more decorative frame makes a huge difference to the look of a corkboard on a wall at home or in the office. You can buy pre-framed corkboards, but it’s also quite simple and satisfying to do it yourself. Plus, when you do it yourself, you can tailor the framed board to meet your home decor or office branding.

You can reuse old frames from pictures or mirrors, make your own frame out of scrap wood, or use rolled paper to create your own frame.

Second hand stores, garage sales, or online buy and sell websites are great and affordable options for finding frames you can repurpose with a cork interior.

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1. Starch and iron your fabric before beginning.

2. Measure the height and width of the surface of the corkboard inside the corkboard and trim the fabric down to this size.

3. Place the fabric on top of your corkboard to test the fit. Trim away any excess to ensure the fabric lays flat on the corkboard and does not overlap the wooden frame.

1. Spray the back side of the fabric with spray adhesive, then lay the fabric down onto the corkboard and smooth into place. Tip: it may be useful to grab a friend for an extra set of hands on this step. Tip: Spray adhesive is generally repositionable 2-3 times before it adheres permanently, so if you didn’t place the fabric just right, you can probably try again!

2. Apply a thin line of hot glue around the inside edges of the corkboard frame, then press the corded trim into place. To do this, start at one corner and work in sections of 4-6 inches at a time. Bend the trim as tightly into the corners as possible and trim the end to size so that it lays down neatly where it meets your starting point.

3. To finish, stick a thumbtack over the corded trim at each corner.

 

1. Lay the fabric down onto your corkboard with the right side facing up and smooth into place. Open your stapler flat and staple the edges of the fabric down onto the corkboard all the way around the inside frame. Make sure your staples run parallel to the edges of the corkboard.

2. Start with your ribbon trim hanging just slightly off the edge of the frame. Run it along one inner edge of the frame; this will neatly cover the staples as you go. At each corner, fold the ribbon over on itself to form a right angle and tack it into place with a thumbtack.

3. Continue tacking the ribbon trim down all the way around the edge of the corkboard. When you reach the corner where you started, carefully trim the ribbon from both sides so they overlap neatly in the corner and tack them into place. If covering a larger corkboard, you may wish to tack down the ribbon in more locations around the edge at evenly spaced intervals.

DIY Family Calendar Board

Transform your corkboard into versatile family calendars. A cork calendar can be adjusted month to month, saving you from buying a calendar every year. With a cork calendar, you can pin any notes, reminders, or events as needed, and you can move them around as dates change. 

• Measure out five rows and seven columns for your calendar, leaving space at the top for the month and days of the week.
• You can paint the calendar lines, draw them, or tape them.
• Label your boxes Sunday - Saturday at the top of your corkboard.
• You can purchase numbered tacks or make your own numbered tacks to place in the corners of each calendar box.

Keep a stack of Post-it notes or small note cards nearby to write out different calendar events or reminders. Specialty push pins can be used to signify important dates, such as holidays, birthdays, or appointments.

 

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Corkboard Painting

Corkboard Cutouts

Corkboard Stamps

Make Your Own Corkboard

If you’re feeling extra crafty, you can make your own corkboard out of old wine bottle corks. Start saving them soon, because you will need quite a few. You can glue wine corks together in various patterns to form a board that functions the same as an actual corkboard. This look is busier than a regular corkboard, but it acts as a piece of personal wall art if you use all of your own wine bottle corks.

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Push Pin World Map

Travel map corkboards are a trendy addition to any home or office. They look great on their own, or you can use them to record your travels. The simplest way to create your own corkboard map is to pin a printed world map to a corkboard. You can use flag tacks or country tacks to denote all of the places you’ve been.

If you’re feeling creative, you can make your own world travel map by cutting it out yourself. Purchase a roll of cork and trace a world, country, or city map onto it. Cut the cork into the shape you want. You can also stencil the map parameters directly on the corkboard itself.

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Photo Boards: How to Stick Photos to Corkboards

Corkboards make excellent photo walls in the home. You can display any number of photos on them and rearrange them however you’d like. It’s easier to add or remove photos on a corkboard compared to framed photos that might be hung on a wall.

You can neatly arrange photos across the entire board, randomly pin them, or hang them using push pin clips. There are no rules when it comes to photo corkboards. Arrange your photos however you’d like and have some fun with it.

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Corkboard Chore Charts

Turn your corkboard into a chore chart for either your kids or everyone in your home. The chore chart can keep track of who is responsible for what chore and if that task was completed. The kitchen is a perfect spot for this since everyone will see and be reminded of the chores they are responsible for.

Add a bit of fun with star-shaped tacks to represent a job well done.

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Corkboard Calendars and Schedules

A kitchen corkboard can be used for calendars or schedules. Read above in our DIY section to learn how to create your own corkboard calendar. As the busiest place in a home, the kitchen is an ideal spot for a calendar, as everyone will see it. Use push pin hooks to hang important documents, receipts, reminders, invitations, or anything else the family needs to keep track of.

Corkboards can also be used for crafting personalized schedules, such as a meal schedule or exercise schedule for the week.

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Corkboard Office Calendar

Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Corkboards make great calendars. A big, office-wide calendar will keep your employees informed and involved in office life. It’s a simple way to keep track of holidays, birthdays, and other important office events. Pin important dates on the calendar for everyone to see. The office-wide calendar will provide a full perspective of what’s up and coming so that the team can adjust accordingly.

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Corkboard Office World Map

A corkboard world map in an office lobby or meeting room is a stylish feature and conversation starter. You can denote where in the world businesses or clients you’ve worked with are located, where different members of your team are from, or places people on your team have visited for work or pleasure.

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Corkboard Wall

If you purchase a cork wall covering roll, you can turn an entire office wall into a corkboard. This not only gives you more space to post information but it also creates a unique look and feature wall. You can use it for posting office information, brainstorming sessions, planning meetings, or displaying projects.

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Corkboard Agile Wall

Agile teams often meet on a daily basis for a standup meeting that gets everyone on the same page about what was completed, what needs to be completed next, and any possible roadblocks that could occur. This meeting is best supported by an agile wall that clearly displays the flow of work and top-priority tasks. Large corkboards or corkboard walls provide an adaptable canvas for agile teams to plan and prioritize.

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💡 Using a Bullet Journal for Work and Other Agile Organization Resources

Paper Covered Corkboards

You can buy big sheets of paper that will cover a cork bulletin board. The paper, or even bristol board, will be thin enough that you can still pin other things on the corkboard overtop of the colored paper. Look for paper that’s colorful, fun, and engaging.

Involve the entire class by asking them what color boards they want in the classroom. Have a vote to engage students and to establish a space they feel a part of.

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Fun Borders and Themed Corkboards

If you don’t want to entirely cover your board in colors, you can add colorful or themed trim around the edges. Adding a border is super easy to do and provides a dash of fun for the classroom. There are hundreds of different border styles, from plain colors to shapes to holiday themes, such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or graduation.

Choosing a monthly theme can keep things interesting. You can base the theme on what time of year it is, upcoming holidays, what the students are currently learning, or a classroom-wide vote.

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Interactive Corkboards

Corkboards are flexible and versatile, which makes them perfect for engaging students. Get them involved in the classroom using a corkboard for tasks, chores, announcements, birthdays, congratulations, or questions. Let them take part in designing and organizing the corkboard using sticky notes and question cards. The more you can get everyone involved, the better!

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💡 Classroom Decoration Ideas for High School to Elementary School