How to make a cork board out of old wine corks:
What you need: Wine corks (~250 halves for a 22″x28″ board), cork roll, frame, wood glue, sharp razor, steamer (optional, if you want to cut your corks in half)
Have a collection of old wine corks that you just can’t seem to throw away? Don’t worry if you don’t, you can buy them at any craft store… or drink up! Wine cork boards can be a great accent piece for any type of décor – use a wooden frame for a rustic chic look, a white decorative frame to make it more shabby chic, or even a black or metal frame for a more modern look. If you plan to put the cork board in a bar area (you are using wine corks, after all), it could also be fun to glue beer bottle caps around the frame, too!
Before I even touched the wine corks, I prepped my frame by taking the glass out and reattaching the back. Then, I cut a piece of cork out of the roll and glued it into the frame using the wood glue, creating a base. This glue takes a while to set, so I used a few books to hold it in place until it bonded (overnight, if possible). In hindsight, I probably didn’t need to line the frame with cork, but it did add an extra layer of depth to the board, and the wood glue worked well on the porous surface.
While the glue was drying, I cleaned the corks in a mixture of warm water and dishwashing detergent (use gloves!!) to get rid of any residual wine and also the wine smell. I gently scrubbed each cork in the mixture and rinsed them with cool water before setting them on paper towels to dry.
Because I wanted to make two cork boards, I had the bright idea to cut the corks in half to create more (after letting the cork dry for a couple of hours). WARNING: Corks are not easy to cut in half. I tried everything – a steak knife, a giant serrated knife, an mini electric saw contraption – you get the idea. But naturally, I was still set on finding a way to do it. After relentlessly searching online, I finally read that steaming the corks would help to soften them, and it worked! I steamed batches of 10 or so in a double broiler for 6 to 10 minutes, and it made the task much more manageable.
Well, it was more a combination of steaming them and calling in reinforcements (a.k.a. Randy Cramm), but since you probably won’t be able to convince him to cut 200 corks again, I would definitely recommend steaming them. Because I wanted the design of each cork to show on both sides, I created a slit where I wanted the cut to be and my dad used a scraper blade to slice through each cork (Crammily assembly line shown below).
If this sounds far too complicated, remember that you can make your board with full corks as well, and it will look just as great! If you do decide to use full corks, I would recommend using a shallow shadow box versus a frame so that the corks don’t protrude too much.
Once all of my corks were cut and dry, I started to assemble a pattern in the frame. I wanted to keep each pair of corks together, so I placed the first set of corks in the middle of the frame and worked off of that. For the board on the left, I set the corks at a 45 degree angle to contrast the lines of the frames, and followed the same pattern until I reached the edge of the board (there were a lot of gaps because of the angles). For the cork board on the right, my friend Sofia created a more linear pattern, and even used the tops of some of the corks to add some flare around the border!
Once the corks were set in the desired pattern, I started to glue them down. I picked them up in sets of four to six, put a pool of wood glue directly on the cork board base, and then set the corks back into the pattern. Use a generous amount of glue!
Once all corks were glued in place, I worked to fill in the gaps on the edges. I continued the same pattern used throughout the rest of the board, and marked in pen where the cork met with the border of the frame. Using the scraper, I cut each cork to fit like a puzzle (also one of my favorite things) into the frame. I was able to use some corks to create multiple pieces, but I did need to cut more corks to fit the crevices in the angled pattern than in the more linear pattern. Both turned out great!
Once the cork boards were finished, I put a couple of books on top of them to help bond the wood glue and let them sit overnight. Well, with the second one at least. I made the mistake of tilting the first one upright too soon, causing a lovely trail of wood glue to seep down the back of the frame. Rookie mistake!
If you want to get really fancy, you can even create your own tacks using decorative beads, a little super glue, and some plain tacks. Simply put a dot of glue on the bead and attach the tack to create decorative tacks in minutes!
Pin a couple of pictures and/or a monogrammed letter to the board to make the perfect personalized gift, or use the corks that you’ve been saving in a jar to create a great accent piece for your home! It can also make a great housewarming gift (especially if you use the new homeowners’ corks to make it… Thanks, Ed and Mal!). Try different patterns to find what works best for you, and enjoy!