CREDIT: BRITTANY ROACH

If you're anything like me, you don't believe in tossing something out unless you've tried your very best to make it beautiful and looking new again.

I've had my bulletin board for years, and before that it was my great grandmother's... and let me tell you, after the board was passed down to me, it has seen many different styles. It had gotten to the point where I've refinished it so many times, it has started to show its true age. I was determined to make this bulletin board look brand spanking new again and I did just that in the most money friendly way!

Before you start any re-finishing project, you must have a vision for what you want your old piece to transform into. I got my inspiration from a fabric headboard that I'd seen in a décor magazine. Other great places you could look for inspiration and ideas are craft blogs and Pinterest!

And now to get started! My bulletin board had a wooden frame that has seen better days, so my first step was to carefully take it off without damaging the cork. Already I had noticed the shape of the board has changed significantly!

My next mission was to find fabric to cover my board. Since my board was painted many times over the years, I determined using fabric rather than paint would give it the perfect facelift to make my board look new again. I went to Fabricland and rummaged through the clearance section and found a great deal on a beautiful fabric! I recommend getting an upholstery fabric for your bulletin board because it is more durable and will not show the pushpin holes.

Once you have found the perfect fabric, the next step is to cut out a piece big enough to wrap around your board to the rear side of it. After this step is complete, staple the fabric to the back. Make sure your staples are going through the fabric and into the cork — you don't want your fabric to fall off! You can also put in some flat top pushpins for some extra support.

I decided to finish my bulletin board with adding a little glam to the outside of the board. This idea came from the fabric headboard I saw in the décor magazine; it had furniture pins along the frame of the board. I purchased my furniture pins from Canadian Tire. When it came time to place my furniture pins on my board, I just eyeballed the spacing.

Refinishing anything old is easy once you have a vision, and it can even be completely budget-friendly. The final result will always leave you with a one-of-a-kind piece to show off. Enjoy making your own custom cork board!