I’m a creative person, so when I see an image that appeals to me for a project I’m working on, I like to post it on a wall so that I can see it regularly.  When my office walls started to look like this, I knew I had to do something about it.

I created magnetic boards to cover all the walls above our desks in the office.  I chose to do magnetic boards instead of cork boards because I liked all the different creative options for magnets.  Also, they don’t show holes over time.

Here’s what I used:

The metal was a sheet of 16″ x 36″ joist lining from Home Depot.  I checked at the store that it was magnetic before I purchased it.  This metal was perfect for my needs because it was big enough to fit my space (although I did trim it down in length) and it was easy to cut with the wire cutters (also used in the Ikea Floor Lamp project).  I had to use three different materials to cover the sheets because I didn’t have enough material of one style to do all the boards.  I rather liked the combination of patterns and colors.

This is a really simple DIY project.  Just measure the boards to the size you need.  Cut and then cover.  My materials consisted of fabric, paper, and adhesive vinyl.  I used adhesive spray to cover the fabric and paper, then used masking tape on the backs of the boards to ensure the fabric and paper would stay.

How to do corners… the photos are self-explanatory, I hope.

The magnetic boards were affixed to the walls with double sided foam tape.  And now I have beautifully organized walls that can hold inspirational photos, receipts, pending disputes, and things not to forget.  Next step: clear off desk.  Ugh, neverending chore.

Total time:  Each board took about half an hour.  The majority of the time was spent in cutting the metal.

Total cost:  As I ran out of spray adhesive, I had to buy a new can.  The paper and fabric materials were picked up from Urban Source.  The floral adhesive vinyl were leftover pieces from the year I lived abroad in Korea, so they didn’t cost anything.  The sheet metals were purchased from Home Depot for about $5.  The average total for each 16″ x 30″ board was about $8.  I made seven boards total.