Large Wall Art From A Corkboard + Wallpaper Scraps

4 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy

Here's how you can take an old corkboard, some leftover wallpaper (OR EVEN WRAPPING PAPER) scraps, and create high-end looking art for your home.

For my bedroom, I needed a large framed piece of art to hang over my bed. But large frames are expensive. Looking through my garage, I realized I had an old cork board on-hand that has just been collecting dust.

I know not everyone just hoards office supplies but I have seen these at thrift stores for super cheap. Like $2 - $5 cheap. So you could feasibly replicate this entire project for less than $10.

First, you'll need to remove all hardware (except for the hanging hardware on the back) from the cork board. Use pliers to remove brand plaques.

Give the board a good scrub down and sand the wooden frame lightly if you plan to paint. I used just a damp rag with a little dish detergent to clean my corkboard up.

Paint the frame of the board, if desired. For the coastal look I wanted, I opted to spray paint the frame with a bright white paint. Since the cork will be covered, I didn't take the time to tape off the interior for overspray protection. Allow paint to dry.

Once paint has dried, spray the center of the board with Aileen’s Tacky Spray, or another spray adhesive.

Choose your art print. You can use any size print (as long as it's smaller than the board itself) because next you'll be trimming it out with a faux mat. So if your print doesn't cover the entire cork board space, that's okay. I used a print of a watercolor I painted myself (this is available as a free download on my blog, so head over to the actual blog post if you'd like to use this Ocean Watercolor yourself).

Place your art print on the board, using a ruler to make sure each edge is the exact same distance from the frame.

For instance, my frame was 32” wide and the print was 19”, so each side would have 7.5” of space between the edge of the picture and the frame. Write down these measurements, as they are the length and width your wallpaper scraps will be trimmed down to.

After measuring and marking the exact dimensions needed to cover the cork area on the back of your wallpaper or wrapping paper scrap, use a very sharp pair of scissors to trim appropriately.

** I had leftover grasscloth wallpaper, so this is what I used to create my art mat. I loved the look of the texture against the artwork. However, you can use any large scraps of paper you have. While wallpaper works best (because it's think and sturdy), you could feasibly do this with wrapping paper. Just use extra precaution when working with thinner papers so as to not tear or rip them.

Spray the back of the wallpaper/wrapping paper with the same spray adhesive you used before.

Place the first strip down on the cork board, making sure you’ve placed it evenly. Use a wallpaper smoothing stool to smooth any wrinkles or air bubbles.

Use a putty knife to gently tuck the excess paper under the frame.

Repeat each step on the parallel side.

On the parallel side, repeat the same steps. Next, we will work with the adjacent sides.

Repeat the trimming steps with the next two strips but DO NOT APPLY ADHESIVE.

Once the paper is trimmed, lay it face-up on the cork board as you would to apply it. Then take a ruler with a straight edge and trace the angle from the corner of the frame to the corner of the art print.

You will cut this line to create your custom look.

Use a pair of sharp scissors to cut the excess overlapping paper along the angled line you have marked.

Repeat this process on all four corners.

Then spray adhesive and secure the strips to the board and tuck paper under the frame as we did before. If a putty knife will not fit, you can also use the blade of a box cutter.

You’re done! Hang your artwork on your wall and enjoy the fact that

you now have a custom piece of artwork with expensive-looking matting for less than $10!

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Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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