Rainbow Bulletin Board – Easy To Follow DIY
Published on July 10, 2020 | Last Updated on January 18, 2022
We have a desk nook right outside our playroom upstairs and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with it since we moved in last summer. I toyed with the idea of adding wallpaper but I wanted the space to be functional and an extension of the playroom! Piper loves anything to do with arts and crafts and we typically do all the projects in the kitchen but there’s a wet bar in the playroom with a sink so I decided that’s where all the fun messy projects will happen!
I saw a tutorial for creating a bulletin board wall on Chrissy Marie’s blog (who you should totally follow if you don’t already!) and decided to put my own colorful spin on it!
How to make a Rainbow Bulletin Board
Materials:
- Corkboard roll: This roll is BIG and you could cover a lot of space with it. This is the one Chrissy used, so I decided to go with her recommendation vs. trial and error.
- Sharp Exacto knife: We learned this the hard way at first. If your blade isn’t super sharp, the cork with tear and crumble.
- Small nails
- Hammer
- Pencil
- Ruler or yardstick
- Paint in the colors of your choice
- Paint brush
- String
Steps To Follow
I followed Chrissy’s tutorial for measuring the cork, cutting, and attaching to the wall. I will say, this is definitely a two-person project. Thankfully, my mom is always down for a craft project!
Once the cork wall is hung, it’s on to the fun part – the rainbow! I picked up six sample sizes from Lowe’s and it was the perfect amount of paint for the project. I’ve included my color choices below!
Sherwin Williams HGTV Home Colors:
Light Pink – Priscilla
Coral – Dishy Coral
Blue – Bluish
Mint – Aqueous
Purple – Euphoric Lilac
Yellow – Dutch Tulip
You’ll decide how thick you want each color of the rainbow. Use a ruler to mark each of the stripes on the corner of the wall. My stripes are six inches each for reference.
We’re going to take a trip back to geometry class with the old pencil and string compass trick! Seriously though, this was super helpful to create perfect arches! You’ll tie the string around the drawing edge of the pencil. You want to make sure the string is long enough to go the full length of the top of the rainbow!
Then one person will hold the string in the corner and the other person will place the tip of the pencil at the first mark made for the stripe. Keep the string tight and start drawing the arch with the pencil.
You’ll repeat the process until you have the outline of each stripe. Then you’ll start with the bottom color of paint and work your way up! Of course my ADD got the best of me and I ended up going out of order, lol.
Tips:
- Paint the center of the stripes first with a large brush then do the outline with a small brush. This allows for the neighboring stripes to dry before you paint the edges.
- Try to keep the paint thin and even. I tried to use a roller but had better luck with a brush.
- When the paint is wet it will cause the cork to expand. Mine started coming away from the wall but it contracted when it was dry. After 24 hours or so you can hammer in more nails where ever it needs reinforcements.
These boards are great for any room in your home. They’ll brighten up the space with their vibrant colors and creative designs that suit every personality!
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I also enlarged my library area this year and created a cozy, reading space for my kids. I wanted the space to feel like a mini Barnes and Noble with mountains of books that the children couldn t wait to get their hands on! If you notice, I also left a large space of open bulletin board to display my student s work. Keeping the walls as empty as possible was a priority for me.