Teachers know there are certain projects you want to display on your classroom wall, that you don’t want to punch holes into with staples or thumbtacks, such as art work or posters that you want to last for years. So I put a chicken wire bulletin board on a wall, that I can use clothespins to easily attach items. Note: The clothespins have each student’s name on them making it easy to identify their artwork.
To create your own,
Materials needed:
Wallboard screws & mollies, thin strips (about 5/8″ thick) of wood – enough to go around twice, chicken wire, drill, paint, wire cutters, pencil, t-square, level, yardstick, and a helper.
1. Measure the height of the chicken wire. If that is the height you want your board, great, otherwise cut the chicken wire to taller and wider than you want.
2. Using your pencil, draw out the shape of your chicken wire board onto your wall, using your yardstick, level, and t-square to make sure you have 90 degree corners, and the rectangle is parallel to the floor. I painted inside this rectangle.
3. Paint the wood strips. Note: You just need to paint the top and sides. Attach the strips of wood around the perimeter, using the pencil marks on the wall. You don’t need to have the wood completely touch each other all the way around.
4. Now roll out the chicken wire and attach the chicken wire to the thin boards, using screws, and stretching it out as much as possible. Then trim the chicken wire, so that none of it hangs over the wood.
5. Now attach the wood over the chicken wire to make a frame. If you are fancy, you can do mitered corners, I didn’t. Touch up the paint, or paint over the screws, and that’s it. The reason you need to have two layers of wood, is so the chicken wire is not flush against the wall making it easier to attach the clothespins.
