Gold Painted Corkboard

It’s Pinterest challenge time!  Today, I’m joining in on the Pinterest challenge put together by Young House Love, Bower Power, Decor and the Dog, and The Remodeled Life in which we actually MAKE a project inspired by something we pinned on Pinterest.  I took today’s challenge quite literally as I made something perfect for “pinning” – an updated corkboard!

My husband had a standard boring corkboard hanging near his desk in our home office (this is separate from the awesome, much girlier desk I have for myself).  The corkboard got the job done, but it’s surely nothing to brag about.



I decided to spice it up with some spray paint thanks to some inspiration I found on Pinterest. The first pin (found here, originally from Ballard Designs) gave me the idea to transform a regular bulletin board into something prettier, and the second pin (found here, from The Happy Home) gave me the idea to paint it.




So I cleared off the corkboard and got to work spray painting it.  I first covered up the actual corkboard so I could start by spray painting the frame.  I used Rustoleum spray paint in “night tide.”  It was a can I had grabbed on clearance from Home Depot a while ago, but I hadn’t used before.  I thought the color would be more navy, but it ended up being more like a deep turquoise. 



The nice thing about spray painting a corkboard is that I didn’t need to tape off the inside, I just used thumbtacks to keep my newspaper in place.  As a bonus, I spray painted the thumbtacks too so they would coordinate with the finished product.  Here’s how it looked when I was done painting the frame- better already!



Then I got to work on the actual corkboard.  I decided to spray paint gold stripes which gradually got wider.  I started off with about a 1 inch strip at the top and made each of the following strips about a quarter of an inch wider.  At the very bottom, I decided to add the word “work” for some added interest.  To make the letters, I pulled up some block letters on my computer screen and used it as a light box to trace the words onto a wide strip of painter’s tape.  Then I just cut them out with scissors and an exacto knife.  It was actually much easier to do than I thought it would be.



Then it was time for the fun part, spray painting the whole thing gold.  I used Touch ‘n Tone spray paint (from Walmart for under $2) in “metallic gold.”  And here’s how this baby looks now:



And now with some stuff on it.  You know, important work things, like pictures of my dog.





Much more glam!  Well…about as “glam” as a cork board can look in my opinion.  I like that the gold is subtle next to the original cork color, but it’s still colorful enough to add some shine and a fun look.  I really like how the word at the bottom turned out too.



Since I had all of the supplies already at hand, this project cost me a whopping zero dollars and it didn’t cost me much time either.  The corkboard went from something I mostly didn’t notice to something that makes me happy when I look at it now!  Isn’t that the best, especially from a quick and free project?


Have you made any freebie updates to anything you own lately?  Are you also joining in on the Pinterest party today?

P.S. You can find my past Pinterest challenge projects here: Map Photo Frame, Gallery Wall, Photo Coasters, Summer Fun List Poster.

P.P.S. You can follow me on Pinterest here.


I'm also linking up this project to parties at Beneath My Heart, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage, We Are That Family, Beyond the Picket Fence, Someday Crafts, Katie's Nesting Spot, A Glimpse Inside, My Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous, If It's Not Baroque, Designed Decor, Shaken Together Life, Tatertots and Jello, Whipper Berry, Funky Junk Interiors, Serenity Now, Uncommon Designs, Home Stories AtoZ