We recently over-ordered some fabric and wondered how we could upcycle it. The home office also needed some love so us office gals thought we'd get stuck into some good old kiwi DIY and create something inspiring for the wall, a pinboard! Keep reading for our step-by-step guide on how to make this easy DIY pinboard!
1. Choose your fabric
If you’re a creative (or you love shopping), this is the fun part. Head down to your local fabric store and pick up a roll of your favourite fabric. Or shop online if it’s more convenient. Ours is from Martha’s. Check out their range of lovely fabrics here: https://marthas.co.nz/. We had 2m surplus so went large! Our fabric is called 'Motherboard'. Here's the link: https://marthas.co.nz/products/motherboard
2. Pick up the rest of your materials
Next, head down on down to your local hardware store for the rest of your materials. We found everything we needed at Mitre 10. You’ll need a sheet of ply, gorilla glue (or similar super-glue) and some cork tiles. We found these 9-pack of Homelux cork tiles at Mitre 10 so we bought two. These tiles are 305x305mm and 4.8mm thick. You’ll also need a staple gun and some form of saw if you don’t already have one at home and are after a particular size.
Here are the links to the particular products we bought:
If you don't have a handy lad to trim your ply, this would be a good size to squeeze into your car: https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/ibs-untreated-cut-panel-ply-w-1200mm-h-600mm-d-12mm/p/160699
3. Cut ply to size
With the shopping done, next you’ll need to cut the ply to size. Or in our case, find a handy lad to cut it for you. Going off the wall space and size of the cork tiles, we cut our ply to 915x1830mm. Make sure you (or the handy lad) wear safety glasses!
4. Apply cork tiles to ply
Next step is to stick the cork tiles onto the ply. We cut our ply to perfectly fit all 18 cork tiles, so 3 tiles wide by 6 tiles high. Give each tile a good layer of gorilla glue and apply pressure to stick onto the ply. When the ply is covered, leave it to dry.
5. Cover with fabric
When the glue is dry, cut your fabric to size. Lay your fabric out on a solid surface with the pattern face down on the table and place your ply on top with the cork tiles face down. We recommend measuring about 50-100mm from each edge of the ply and trim. If in doubt, cut it bigger – you can always cut again! When it comes to stapling the fabric, many hands make light work. We recommend finding a friend (or two) to help pull the fabric tight while you staple.
6. Set up and get pinning
And that’s it! All that’s left to do now is to install. Your home office will be your favourite room of the house now. Enjoy pinning! And don't forget to share your finished product and tag us.
