How to Make A Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

My Sister is always on the lookout for new and interesting projects for me to make. A few weeks ago, she posted an image of a kraft paper roll message board something similar to this on my Facebook page.  And within a few minutes, my friends were saying how cool it was and how much did I charge for one, thinking I made it.  So, I set about making one too see how easy it was and boy it was easy.   

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

This wall-mounted paper roll message board can be used in so many ways.  You can use it as an indoor or outdoor drawing board for your toddler, shopping/ to-do list message board.  And how cool would this message board be in any classroom?

wall mounted paper roll message board

How to Make a Paper Roll Message Board

Make the Message Board Base

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To start it is a good idea to find the paper roll and to make sure it is a standard size that you will be able to replacements for. In our small town, it proved a bit difficult and the only size I could buy was 450 mm x 50 m.  I used 12mm plywood for the base, you don’t want to use wood that is too thick, or it will be too heavy to hang with the paper attached. The base for mine was cut to 1200 mm x 600 mm using a jigsaw.

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

Next, you can cut 2 pieces of plywood 600 mm x 50 mm wide, these will be used to hold the paper in place. 

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

Next, I used an orbital sander using 180 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface.  If you are going to be using thin paper this is a good idea to do.  If the surface is too rough you will see the grooves through the writing on the paper. Use a wood router and remove all the shape edges with a round-over bit for a nicer cosmetic look.

Now you can apply whichever stain you want or paint to your wood.  I used dark mahogany stain, and which was sealed in two coats of satin polyurethane.

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

Making the Pen Holder

Making a stand for the marker pens was the next step.  It makes sense to have them freely available for when you want to write something on the board. The plywood for this holder is 600 mm x 60 mm. Use a wood router with a grooving bit and cut some grooves into the holder.  Do this before you cut the wood, so it is easier to use the router.  I cut mine first and found it really difficult to add the grooves, so mine is a bit wobbly. 

Ignore the metal in the image.   That was my first attempt at making a cutting blade for the paper, but once attached it did not work.

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

Attaching the holder for the paper roll

Drill pilot holes into the message board base where you want the pen holder to be attached. Line up the holder and use the holes you have already drilled as a guide to drill through the pen holder.  Add some glue and screw the two pieces together. The holes in the front were also pre-drilled to prevent the wood from splitting.  Before you screw the wood to the base you need to add a washer to each side between the two pieces of wood.  This will allow the paper to freely flow through the two pieces of wood.

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

Adding the paper Roll

To make the rail for your paper roll to hang on, an old curtain rail and brackets will work perfectly.  Level the pole and drill holes in the wood and screw in the brackets, the pole just rests on the top.

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

To make the ends of the poles look better I had these recycled wood knobs which were way too small. To make them fit into the ends of the curtain rail a few bolts were added using epoxy glue to attach them.  Once the epoxy glue was dry the pole was spray-painted using black spray paint to match the curtain stands.

Notice board

Cutting the paper roll

The blade I made in the image earlier needed to be on the outside of the wood, which looked ugly.  It was also very awkward to tear off the used paper with that setup.  My husband came up with the idea of using the cutting strip off the kitchen foil dispenser.

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

These blades worked great but large I had to use large head nails to keep them in place. So, if anyone has a better way of doing the blade I would love to hear it. Ignore the nails in the picture they did not work.

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

To secure the board to the wall flush mounts were used which worked great.  There are so many uses for this style of board from memos, shopping list, chore list or your child can use it to draw on. 

Kraft Paper Roll Message Board

More great projects

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Repurpose piano

Kraft paper roll message board
Paper roll message board

If you love the idea but don’t like the idea of making your own, we have got you covered.  Here are some choices for you.

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you. Please feel free to share or leave a comment we would love to hear your thoughts.

DIY Mounted Paper Roll Message Board

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26 Comments

  • Reply
    Christina Woodcock
    August 15, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    I love this such a neat idea! And the color RED I love!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      October 3, 2018 at 10:11 am

      Thank you Christina, Sorry for the late reply I just found your comment in my spam folder.

    • Reply
      Mike Waterhouse
      November 30, 2018 at 2:44 pm

      For the Blades I used cheap Hack Saw blades from the dollar store they work well for this and used pallet boards

      • Reply
        Anita Holland
        December 7, 2018 at 2:31 am

        That is a great idea, I will remember that for next time. Thanks for the info.

      • Reply
        David Rice
        December 11, 2018 at 12:29 pm

        Good idea, Mike. Something else that may help: attach the hack saw blades to the rear side of the horizontal wood strip.

        • Reply
          Anita Holland
          December 12, 2018 at 1:22 am

          Hi Dave, If you look in the picture with the two wooden stripes you will see a metal stripe. I sharpened that to a blade and attached it to the back to cut the paper but it did not work. It has to be on the front because you need to be able to pull upward to tear it.

  • Reply
    Debbie Hessler
    November 8, 2018 at 7:33 am

    You are totally awesome! I love everything you’ve done. I started out with a search for Unicorn Spit and look how far I’ve come!! 😂
    Because you like to use scrap pieces, I’m wondering if you might have had any PVC pipe to use, instead of buying a curtain rod.
    I did this for my front window which is some ridiculous width and the cost for a curtain rod of that length was even more ridiculous! I painted the rod to match the finial ends I had and it turned out great!
    Keep up the good work. I am truly in awe of you! 😍

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 9, 2018 at 12:11 am

      Thank you very much, that is a great compliment. I used the curtain rod because I had one lying around at home. PVC pipe would have been my second choice I always go with the easiest method. Thank you for your support.

  • Reply
    angie
    July 22, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    thanks for sharing this is so very cute
    come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Helena
    July 23, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    I ilke it very much!
    Kisses! Helena

  • Reply
    Kippi
    July 24, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    Super cool project I am pinning this one!!!
    Happy crafting,
    Kippi
    Ps. Share this project on my site kippiathome.com at the YTS blog hop

  • Reply
    Sylvia | Grace for a Gypsy
    July 27, 2019 at 2:20 am

    Wow! Another great project Anita! Thanks for linking up to the GATHERING OF FRIENDS LINK PARTY 3

  • Reply
    Leanna Forsythe
    July 28, 2019 at 9:29 pm

    One of these has been on my list forever. I kept seeing one at Michaels and at Home Sense, but neither one was large enough. This is perfect, thank you for the tutorial. I love it.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      July 29, 2019 at 1:54 am

      Thank you I always loved them, and they are so basic to make.

  • Reply
    Elise L Ho
    July 29, 2019 at 10:38 pm

    That is so cute. Kraft paper is so versatile and inexpensive.

  • Reply
    Deborah
    July 30, 2019 at 3:28 am

    I love this. YOu were my favorite pick for Waste Not Wednesday this week.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      July 30, 2019 at 4:09 am

      Thank you so much, very kind of you to say.

      • Reply
        Deborah
        July 30, 2019 at 12:28 pm

        Anita, I realized you were Leanna’s favorite two weeks ago so I needed to pick a different one…I’m sorry. Totally love this project…which is obvious by my almost doubling it as a favorite…lol.

  • Reply
    Michelle
    July 30, 2019 at 8:03 pm

    What a fun idea! And so useful. Message central in the household!

    Thanks for linking up with Creative Compulsions!

  • Reply
    Crissy
    August 2, 2019 at 2:22 pm

    Hi Anita! I loved this project. It turned out so well, and I could definitely use something like this in our house. I featured you on Tuesday Turn About this week. I hope you’ll keep joining us each week! https://www.firstdayofhome.com/tuesday-turn-about-10-diy-summer-home-decor/

    Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      August 3, 2019 at 6:44 am

      Thank you so much for hosting and the feature. I have just found these parties and I have lots of great projects I hope you will like. So I will be back.

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