Nailhead Bulletin Board: The Tutorial

The desk area is complete in my son's bedroom and above the desk are two nailhead bulletin boards tacked with fun memories.  The nailhead bulletin board originally looked like cork cut to fit inside a regular ol' wooden frame, but I decided to update the look with painter's drop cloth and a some nailheads....

You can do this too...

Gather a framed bulletin board, fabric (I used painter's drop cloths), a staple gun, and a whole lot of these (nailheads):

Measure the frame and add two inches to each side, then cut the fabric to fit the measurement.  It should look something like this once the bulletin board is placed on top of the cut fabric...

Place the fabric on top of the bulletin board...

Smooth out the fabric and push a nailhead into each corner of the board to hold the fabric in place (I pushed the nail in the cork - not the wooden frame).

Add nailheads along one side, equal space apart.  Placing a measuring tape along the edge helped me figure out even spacing - every 1 1/2 inch.

Once the nailheads are lined up on one side, push nailheads in the opposite side of the board.  Then push the nailheads along the top, then the bottom.  Be sure to pull the fabric tight as you move along.

Double-check to make sure all the nailheads are pushed in the board... if some look out of line, pull them out and secure them again (remember, it's a bulletin board, there will be holes).  If some nailheads were a bit stubborn and didn't go in all the way, then hammer them in.  A rubber mallet is good to use so it won't take the finish off a nailhead.  I don't have one, so here's my version... a metal hammer wrapped with paper towel and taped together...

The front of the bulletin board should eventually look similar to this...

Then turn the bulletin board over and lay the fabric ends flat.

Then folder over one edge onto the wooden frame, pulling it tight...

Use a staple gun to secure the fabric to the back of the frame...

Then wrap the corners (just like folding a present)...

Staple all around the edges...

If your fabric has a lot of over-hang (like mine), take the scissors and cut off the excess....

The back of the bulletin board should now look similar to this...

And, when it's turned over, look similar to this...

Time to hang it up....

This project could also be done with a bold colored fabric or a fun print to jazz it up a little.  How have you dressed up your bulletin boards?

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