Transform your cork board with this Ikea cork board hack

I have cork boards dotted all over my home.  I use them for inspiration, to track my habits, to pin images, to display my monthly calendar and so much more.  Cork boards are so handy because you can switch stuff around on them so easily.

Recently I bought a cork board from Ikea even though I’m not crazy about the brown color of cork and also this cork board was a bit basic, but I knew I could hack it!  And at just around a fiver, it was too good to resist.

This Ikea cork board hack is super easy to do and I was really pleased with the finished result especially as the whole thing cost so little. Now it looks way more expensive than it was and of course it’s super useful too.

Ikea cork board hack

Materials:

Ikea cork board with pins (UK readers find it here)
interior paint – US readers here (+ white acrylic paint)
half drilled wooden balls* (get similar here)
gorilla glue (UK readers find it here)

*NOTE: the size of the wooden balls isn’t as important as the size of the hole in them as the hole needs to be big enough for the pins to go in but not so big that they fall out.  I used 38mm/1.5″ balls with a 9mm/0.35″ hole so you’ll also need a 9mm/0.35″ – 10mm/0.39″ hole. 

Start off by painting your cork board.  I painted the cork and the frame as the frame was a bit yellowish-white. You’ll need around 3-5 coats, depending on the type of paint you’re using. I used an interior paint as I prefer the neutral, minimalistic colours on offer.  You can however go for acrylic paint if you prefer.

My paint was by Farrow & Ball in a beige/taupe colour with underlying grey tones.  I loved how this colour went really well with the wooden push pins. If you’re using an interior paint, I suggest painting a coat or two of white acrylic paint on the cork board first.

Now it’s time to take your push pins to the next level and this couldn’t be simpler.

Squeeze a very small drop of gorilla glue in to the hole in the wooden ball. Dip the push pin in water and place in the hole. The water helps the gorilla glue to bond.

You’ll need to leave these dry for a good 2 hours.

A few tips to keep in mind with your Ikea cork board hack:
– the best way to create a firm bond is to pin the balls on to a scrap piece of thick cork and leave them to dry
– use only a tiny bit of glue because you don’t want it to leak out, otherwise your pins will get stuck to the cork they’re drying on – I learned this from experience 🙂

I’m really please with how this Ikea hack turned out.  So much that I’m planning to get a few more of these cork boards and create a wall of them.  Each one isn’t that big so about three of them would work really well on a home office wall or anywhere that you want some inspiration and organization.