Last month in the foyer we started a new project. I wanted a way to…
How to Make a Homasote Bulletin Board
Happy Tuesday to you. I realized I never showed you how to make a homasote bulletin board like the one we made for our foyer, a project we started last year – yikes. It’s as simple as ever and of course super easy and cheap. What we all love, cheap decor.
This project started out as a way for me to hang things up on the wall and change them seasonally with minimal damage to the plaster walls we have in our house. I had the idea to make a bulletin board so we could put whatever holes in it we wanted and have some fun with our decorations. Enter homasote. This is technically a compressed fiberboard product that is sometimes used for soundproofing and insulation. It many other building uses but us crafty types use it for bulletin boards because it takes pins really easily, you can cover it with whatever you want, hang it up, frame it, cause we are crafty like that.
We found ours in the plywood aisle in The Big Orange (you know the aisle – and the store), it’s about $12 for a 4 foot x 8 foot sheet. So The Chef carried it out while I took pictures for the blog and off we went.
Once we had the sheet home we determined the size we wanted for the wall in the foyer. It was to be hung here on the left wall. {Sorry, only pic I have when we were testing paint}
We decided on a 3×4 size and cut the piece with a circular saw. Watch out when you do this because little pieces of the compressed paper will fly around. I’m getting better with the saw, straighter actually.
Then we got to work hanging the piece. We actually did this kind of backwards and ended up putting a wire on the wall and hooks in the back of the homasote. This is because we thought the hooks would hold better in the homasote rather than a screw for the wire which might come out. Make sense?
So The Chef went to work putting anchors and screws in the plaster. The way we do this is by putting painters tape on the wall so the plaster doesn’t crumble when you drill something into it.
Then he strung the wire around the screws and make it nice and tight. Those pink lines are chalk we use to make markings when we hang pieces. It wipes right off.
These are the hooks we got to secure into the back of the homasote. They are shaped so the weight of the object holds the hook in. We found them at True Value.
While hubs worked on the hanging part, I got to work putting on the fabric. I got a simple light tan colored piece that actually matches the wall color, so the art on the bulletin board stands out.
Look at my medically certified stapling technique. It’s like I’m performing CPR on the bulletin board.
Finally we had it hung up. In the fall I put on some leaf stencil art I made and at Christmas I made it into an Advent calendar.
Once the holidays were over I changed it into a winter scene with some snowflakes.
Since we had a large sheet of the homasote left over, I used some of it for the bulletin board in my craft area in the basement. This one is covered in burlap.
And there we have our homasote how to. Easy peasy. And we still have more. I might make another one for upstairs someplace.
Have you worked with homasote before? You might want to try it out!
P.S. I have not received any compensation for the mention of any product or retail outlet in this post. It is simply for information sake.
this is such a great idea! i love being able to change it season to season without really changing it… does that make sense? anyways – it looks great! 🙂
What a great idea. I’ve been playing with the idea of a bulletin board but never thought of using homesote! Thanks for shring
Oh, that’s so great! I think I’m going to make one too. I love how you made it transform with the holidays and seasons. It’s beautiful.
Hey Jessica – looks fantastic!
I’ve been wanting to make a BIG (like 4×6) bulletin board for my kids art in the playroom and found you by googling ‘homasote bulletin boards’. Yours looks great and I’m officially inspired. Thanks!
Hi Jessica-
I’m putting up a homasote bulletin board also and you are one of the few DIY sites that explains how to hang one (without screwing into the homasote board). Do you remember the name of the hooks you used? I am having trouble locating them.
Hi Theresa,
Sorry I don’t have the package still, but the photo above is the best picture I have of them. They are with the nails and hanging software last I saw them.
Jessica,
Thanks for the great info.
Question:
Does a regular stapler work to secure things to your bulletin board or do you need to use push pins?
I can’t seem to find that answer anywhere.
So far, every project I’ve seen uses push pins. Makes me wonder if homasote is too dense/firm for wimpy staples to go into.
Re your homasote bulletin board:
How are those hooks screwed to the back of the board holding up? ARE they holding up? I ask because homasote is, after all, just compressed paper, and your board is 3×4 — a not insignificant chunk of weight (even though homasote is relatively lightweight). Have those hooks stayed in the board over time, or have they pulled out? Did you glue them on before you screwed them in?
And now that it’s a year later, is there anything you would do differently a second time around?
Many thanks!
Deborah
Hi Deborah. The hooks I used go right into the board. I don’t know what the exact name of them is but if you go look around the picture hanging section you should see them. They have little spikes on the side that you put in the homasote.
They are holding up, the go in the board and the weight of the board holds them in, does that make sense?
Yes they have held up. We put the wire into the plaster wall and hooked those hooks that are in the homasote onto the wire, kind of backwards of what you would do normally with a picture on a wall. I did not glue them on.
I think this was the only solution for how to hang this since we needed something that dug into the homasote but still could hook onto something on the wall.
I might have tried a French cleat, which is used for heavier items. If you look it up, you can see what it is. You can make one or buy one at a home improvement store.
Hope this helps!
Where did you get the frame to make your bulletin board?
Hi Marci,
The frame in the last picture of this post is from a thrift store. I get most of my frames there since the are very affordable and you can then paint them to your liking. I spray painted that one the blue color. Hope this helps!
Do you think the Homasote would work being drilled/anchored directly into the wall? I’ve been looking for a cheap way to have a large fabric-covered bulletin board at work (I work at a company that sells fabric, so I’ll have no problem finding what I want there). The guys here would have no problem with attaching the whole thing to the wall, if it’d not rip apart during the installation…
Hi Karen,
Yes I do think you can attach it right to the wall by drilling through it. You might want to test a small piece first. I hope this works for you!
I just bought a sheet of Homasote and had it cut in half to make two smaller bulletin boards. I LOVE them! The one question I have for you is…does your Homasote have an odor to it? Mine has a smell to it that I am hoping will go away. It almost smells like dirty socks??? Thanks!
Hi Jody,
Maybe I remember a smell? But it wasn’t much and I don’t smell anything anymore. So don’t worry, any dirty sock odor is from where it was. It is compressed paper, so it will go away I’m sure. Have fun with your projects!
HI Jessica,
Did you use 3M or other adhesive spray to hold down the fabric in addition to the staples?
Thanks,
Kay
Hi Kay,
No I did not use any spray adhesive to hold down the fabric. I might try it if the fabric was thin, but since it was heavier, it seems to hold up on its own. Hope this helps.
How would you attach an entire 4 x 8 sheet of Homosote to a plaster and lathe wall? Also, does painting it affect its ability to act as a bulletin board? Thanks.
Hi Wendy,
I’ve never painted homasote but I imagine it won’t have much effect on how it hold pins. It might absorb some of the paint, so you could need a few coats. To attach this to the wall, we put the wire into the homasote with clips and put the screws in our wall. This is how I hang items on plaster walls:
http://decoradventures.com/2012/03/how-to-hang-items-on-plaster-walls.html
You could also use a product called monkey hooks (this is an affiliate link): http://amzn.to/2aRiizI
Hope this helps you!
HI I bought a large framed mirror 46×34 from home goods. I was able to remove the mirror. I would like to make a cork board. Am I able to cover the Homasote w cork then cover it with fabric . Do u think it will still fit in the frame. Or is it unnecessary to cover with cork ,just cover with fabric. or should i use foam board covered in cork then fabric. what do u suggest. I never did this before
Thanks
Christine
Hi Christine,
I think it would be enough just to use the homatose and cover that with fabric. Pins need a bit of a push to go in, but it’s more sturdy than foam board, which I’ve found doesn’t hold staples or pins well.
I’m sure your project will turn out great, let me know!