If you’re looking for a really simple, useful upholstery project to get you started, how about a pin board? Now you can purchase everything from us in a kit, ready to go!
Why is a pin board a good first upholstery project?
A pin board is an easy project which can be very creative. It also presents some technical challenges – so it’s not TOO easy! Making a pin board will sharpen up your upholstery skills and boost your confidence. It’s not too time consuming and you should have the finished article in a couple of hours.
A pin board is great for displaying postcards, birthday cards and reminders. It looks good in kitchens and is handy for pinning up shopping lists and appointments. It works well as mood board for your decorating projects. Pin boards are much more attractive and less ‘officey-looking’ than cork boards. And with no pins needed (why is it called a pin board?!), it’s a safe option for children’s rooms. And you won’t be hunting for pins all the time!
But enough of the big sell, what theme might you choose for your pin board? If you’re making one for yourself, you may already know what look you want to achieve. If it’s for a present, you can personalise the board to the taste or room décor of the person you have in mind.
There are all kinds of suitable fabrics to choose from including retro prints, pretty florals, linens, faux leather – to name a few. For a child’s room, you can go all-out with their favourite characters eg Peppa Pig or Thomas the Tank Engine. Or go for a seaside, dinosaur, space, princess theme – the list goes on!
For a teenager, something simple in their favourite colours is always a safe bet. Black fabric with a black elastic trim may not be your idea of creative heaven but could be just the thing for a Goth! Pin boards make brilliant, thoughtful gifts for weddings, anniversaries and christenings. And what about that flurry of Christmas cards, which seem to take ages to put up? To solve that problem, you could make a set of festive pin boards, which will look lovely for years.
For inspiration, check out Pinterest and Etsy online. You can experiment with different colour schemes, fabric types, arrangements of the elastic and alternative fixings and buttons. Every pin board you make will be unique and will have your personal stamp on it.
To make a pin board, you will need:
- A piece of chipboard, a good size is 46 cm (18”) x 30 cm (12“)
- Your chosen fabric
- Polyester wadding, we suggest 135g/69 cm (4 oz/27”)
- Laid cord
- Hessian, we suggest weight 366 gm (12 oz)
- Staples, suggest size 71/10
- Nails, e g Bronze Renaissance
- Nail strip (optional)

Everything you’ll need to make a pin board
How to make your pin board:
- Cut out a piece of the polyester wadding the same size as chosen board size (we are going to use 46 cm x 30 cm).
- Cut out a piece of hessian, 52 cm x 36 cm (20” x 14”)
- Cut out a piece of fabric, 56 cm x 42 cm (22” x 16”)
- Cut 6 pieces of laid cord: 2 x 66 cm (26”), 4 x 38 cm (15”).
Lay the piece of polyester wadding on the chipboard; lay the fabric on top; turn the chipboard over and pull the fabric taut over the edges, with neat corners and secure with staples.

Nice, neat corners please everyone!
Using a tape measure, mark with a light marker pen the position of the nail in the centre of the board. Then make sure that the other nails are half way between this nail and the edge of the board, and that the two at the top and bottom meet. Secure the laid cord with the nails.

Laying out the cord across the pin board
Secure the taut laid cord on the back of the board, before covering it with the hessian, folded under at the edges. Secure hessian (having folded in the edges) with staples around the edge of the board.
The making process should not take longer than one hour maximum. The hardest part of this is ensuring that both the fabric and the laid cord are pulled tightly over the edges of the board and that it is neatly folded on the corners under the hessian. Patience prevails!

Ahoy there! Our nautical pin board is trimmed with navy ribbon
On our nautical striped pin board above, the edge covered in nail strip, another optional trim. Also, you will see that we have used ribbon instead of laid cord for a different effect.
You’re finished! Now that you’ve got the first one done, we’re pretty sure your next trip will be to the fabric shop to start another. WARNING: pin boards can be addictive.
Here are a few more pin board ideas we found on Pinterest: French style, vintage and modern
Happy upholstering :)