At $129.00 a board, I knew I would probably never actually buy them.
But make them, yes, that I could totally do!
I gathered all my supplies at Lowes:
-(2) 2×4 pieces of oak 1/4 inch plywood cut to 17×31 ($17.04)
-(1) mdf board cut to 24×5.5 (cut twice) ($9.98)
-(2) 3/8 pine strip (cut for back corners and sides of cork board) ($2.56)
-(2) 1/2 poplar strip (cut for back corners and sides of erase board) ($3.44)
-(3) (8 feet long) trim for frame ($6.87)
-(4) corbels (I already had these)
-D-rings ($2.58)
-Monkey hook ($3.24)
-Kilz2 Primer ($7.64)
-Cork board Roll ($9.99)
-Idea Paint (snagged mine on sale for $5.00!)
First I unrolled my cork board and I cut my top piece.
I decided to layer the leftover cork board underneath to give added thickness.
I had to cut it into pieces but no one will ever know because the top layer hides it. I’m just that sneaky. 🙂
I attached the cork board to the plywood with some spray adhesive glue.
While that was drying, I primed my other piece of plywood. After my primer was dry, I applied my IdeaPaint! May I just add, this stuff is the coolest paint ever! 🙂
The next step was to glue the wood strips onto the back of the plywood. I cut the strips into eight pieces: four corner, two top/bottom and two sides. I then used some Liquid Nails to attach the pieces to my plywood.
If this step seems a little weird, let me explain. The plywood is only 1/4 inch thick but the frame I purchased is 1 inch wide. Adding these pieces of wood will support the frame. You could buy thicker plywood if you like and totally skip this step but just so you know, that will increase the cost by over $20 and make them heavier. (Whew. Hope all that makes sense.)
You can see from the above picture,
that with my supports attached the next step was to build my frame.
A few nails along with some Liquid Nails was all I used to keep everything secure.
With my frame complete, I centered it on top of my mdf board and placed the corbels on both sides.
I attached those the same way, with glue and nails.
I repeated the same steps with the dry erase board.
I applied some caulk to fill in any gaps.
Once that was dry, I covered up the middle area and gave
all the wood parts a nice coat of white glossy spray paint.
It has been raining off and on here so this part
actually took two days to complete.
Apparently spray paint doesn’t dry very fast in 100% humidity! 🙂
My last step was to install my d-rings on the back and use my Monkey Hooks to hang them. I had never tried a Monkey Hook before, but I have to say that I like them.
To install the hooks, all you do is push them in the wall, give a little twist and you’ve got your hook. An added bonus, they require no tools- just the hook. Doesn’t get much easier than that folks! It took me about 15 minutes to install them both. And here they are, hanging in little man’s room.
I think little man is really going to enjoy the dry erase board.
The first morning after I installed them, I caught him drawing up a storm. 🙂
For a little over $68 bucks I made not one, but two utility boards.
And I think they are going to be worth every penny!
Wow, this is an amazing idea. Much better than spending $129 per board.
I love these! Forget my kid’s room. I think I’m going to make them for kitchen. 🙂
(visiting from the This is How We Roll link-up)
Great idea and they don’t look hard to make at all. I bet your kids love them!
Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
Thanks for sharing at last week’s party! Hope to see you again this week. Pinned & shared.