DIY Pushpin Board Use Foam Board and 3D Printer

In this Instructable, I'll show you how to make large pushpin board (bulletin board) inexpensively use construction foam board and fabric. I also designed a set mounting bracket that can be 3D printed to allow easy and secure mounting of the finished board to the wall.

Following are the material needed for the project:

1. JM AP™ Foil-Faced Polyisocyanurate Continuous Insulation board, 3/4 inch thick
2. 3M Super 77 Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive
3. The fabric of your choice
4. #6 x 3/4 wood screws
5. 3D printed brackets

I purchased the foam board as well as the spray glue and the screws from the local home improvement store. The foam board comes in a 4x8 sheet. The 3/4 inch foil-faced polyisocyanurate board has desired rigidity and density for this project, and the foil facing gives a nice smooth surface for bonding with fabric use spray glue.

You can choose any fabric fits your decor. I used a piece of scrap microfiber fabric from the local craft store.

I also printed the mounting brackets on my 3D printer use PLA filament. The STL files for the brackets can be found below.

1. Cut the foam board to the desired size. Using a straight edge as a guide, cut the board use a sharp utility knife. I decided to make two pushpin boards, one is measured as 4x6 feet and another one as 2x4 feet from the one 4x8 foam board.
2. Cut the fabric to the size, add at least 6 inches for each side to allow the fabric to fold over the side of the foam board and being glued to the back of the foam board.

Use a steam iron to remove the creases from the fabric.

Both sides of the foam board are covered by foil facers. One side has a printed reflective foil facer and the other side has a printed non-reflective foil facer. I use the none-refective side as the front as it is smoother than the reflective side.

1. Once you decided on the orientation of the final product, mark the central location where the bracket will be installed. Measure about 5 inches from the upper edge of the and 12 inches from the sides of the board to install the mounting bracket.
2. The 3 studs are 55mm (2 1/8 inch) apart. Use an X-Acto knife to cut the holes for the studs as shown in the picture.
3. Push the mounting bracket with the studs through the holes, use the X-Acto knife to trace the edge of the bracket and cut the foil.
4. Use a Dremel tool to create a 2mm (1/8 inch) deep cavity to fit the mounting bracket to make it not visible from the front.
5. Use 3 wood screws to connect the back piece of the mounting bracket to the front piece.

1. Start from the front, lightly spray the foam board with the 3M 77 spray glue then put the fabric down slowly from one side to the opposite end. I used a clean paint roller to help remove the bubbles along the way.
2. Once the front is done, flip the board over and work on the sides. Lightly spray the glue to the side of the board and about 2-3 inch on the back, fold the fabric over nicely then glue to the back. Repeat the step to each of the 4 sides.
3. At the corner, it is easier to remove a small piece of fabric before gluing as shown in the picture.

Use 1 1/2 inch wood screws to install the wall clip of the mounting bracket to the wall, preferably onto wall studs. Then simply drop the finished pushpin board on to the wall clips to finish the installation.