DIY Upholstered Bulletin Board
This DIY upholstered bulletin board is easy, affordable, and provides a beautiful space for your child to display their treasures. Transform a basic cork board into a chic upholstered bulletin board with this tutorial. 
I picked up this 36x36 cork bulletin board at Hobby Lobby for $20 almost two years ago for Noelle's room in the house we were renting at the time. After moving into this house though, I realized how perfect the shape and size were for Hannah's bedroom. This was a very straightforward DIY project that took me a few hours one afternoon, and I'm so happy with how it turned out.
DIY Upholstered Bulletin Board
Materials:
- 36x36 Cork Bulletin Board (or any size you choose)
- 1x2 Pine Trim Pieces
- Batting
- Fabric of Choice (for this size board, you'll need around 1.25 - 1.5 yards)
- Staple Gun
- Scissors
- Hammer
- Nailhead Trim
- Phillips Head Screwdriver
- Needle Nose Pliers
Framing The Bulletin Board
1 | Remove the existing frame. I used needle nose pliers to remove the corner staple and then the frame came off easily. While you're doing this, go ahead and use a screwdriver to remove the hangers from the back and set aside.
This will leave you with a nice flat edge to add your own, thicker frame to in the next step.
2 | Add a thicker frame using 1x2 pine trim boards. I have a framing tutorial for this HERE.
You want to make sure the cork portion of the board is flush with the face of the new frame and that there is an overhang on the back side, as pictured below.
Upholstering The Bulletin Board
1 | Lay the batting out flat and set the framed bulletin board on top with front side facing down. Cut the batting to size.
2 | Staple the batting securely to the wood frame on all four sides, leaving the corners un-stapled.
The corners need to be tight and really square, so I've included pictures of how I fold my corners over to keep them sharp.
The back of the bulletin board should look like this once all four sides and corners are tightly stapled down.
3 | Lay the fabric out flat (back/wrong side up) and set the batting-wrapped bulletin board on top with front side facing down. Cut the fabric to size.
4 | Staple the fabric to the inside of the overhanging frame on the backside of the bulletin board, making sure to put one staple in the middle of each of the four sides before moving on. This ensures the fabric will sit straight.
Once you've got a staple in all four sides, work your way around the frame, stapling fairly close together until the fabric is secure. Leave your corners un-stapled.
Tight corners make DIY upholstery look professional, so I always take extra care to get these right. I photographed each fold I made so you can see exactly how to achieve professional-looking upholstered corners.
Once the fabric is stapled down nice and tight, trim off any excess, turn the bulletin board over and admire your work.
It should basically look like a thick painter's canvas when you're done.
Adding Nailhead Trim
Now it's time to add nailhead trim if you've chosen to do this step. Traditional nailhead trim consists of individual nails you have to try to line up and nail in. This product makes adding nailhead trim so easy because all the "nails" are connected and you only add an actual nail every 4-5 heads.
I wanted a fairly thick border, so instead of nailing this trim into the wood frame, I chose to place the trim right along the line where the frame met the bulletin board. It worked out perfectly and gave me the border I wanted. Just make sure to use some sort of cloth between the hammer and the nailheads or you'll scratch the finish a bit.
The final step is to reattach the hangers you removed. Screw them into the wood frame on top of the fabric on the backside of the bulletin board and it's ready to hang.
So that's it. An easy way to take an inexpensive bulletin board and turn it into something that looks just like the expensive pin boards at Pottery Barn.
This DIY upholstered bulletin board is perfect for keeping all your child's pictures, concert tickets, drawings, and other memories corralled in one place, while also looking nice. It's an easy, affordable project that can be completed in a few hours and hold a childhood's worth of memories.So tell me, would you attempt this DIY upholstered bulletin board for your child's room?[mv_create title="DIY Fabric Bulletin Board" key="1" thumbnail="https://wildflowerhomeinteriors.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/diy-upholstered-bulletin-board-28.jpg" type="diy"]
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SOURCES:Yellow Custom Name BannerTurquoise Plaid Lumbar Pillow (fabric is from a local fabric store...I made the pillow cover)Yellow Ochre Block Print Pillow (fabric is a fat quarter...I made the pillow cover)Rattan Parasol Lamps - Home GoodsWall Color - Sherwin Williams Swiss Coffee in Satin FinishTrim Color - Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige in Satin Finish