Heart-felt

Gluing felt to wood: Building a felt board

Thinking about gluing felt to wood? Building a felt board is simple – get started by learning how to attach felt to wood with spray adhesive. Just read our easy-to-follow guide!

Gluing felt to wood: DIY basics

Felt boards are a great interactive educational tool for children. They can be used to play games, tell stories, and teach a wide variety of subjects and topics all while cultivating an inspiring learning environment. 

The great thing is there’s no need to splash out on a pre-made board. Making your own felt board is quick, easy, and fun (not to mention, cheap!). Here’s all you need to get started:

  • piece of thin particle board
  • large piece of felt (approximately 7.5-10cm larger than the board)
  • spray adhesive
  • extra felt pieces for decorations

How to glue felt to wood: Step-by-step

Once you’ve grabbed the materials, it’s time to get started. Here’s how to glue felt to wood to create a felt board in a few easy steps:

1. Prepare a well-ventilated work area.

2. Shake the spray can approximately 10-12 times to prepare the adhesive.

3. Holding the can upright, spray an even coat of adhesive over the entire surface of the particle board. 

We advise applying multiple coats for larger boards as more decorations require a stronger felt-to-wood bond.

4. Place the piece of felt onto the wood, smoothing the surface with your hand to eliminate any bubbles.

5. Gently flip the board over so that the back of the board is facing upwards.

6. Carefully spray the glue along the perimeter of the wood while pressing the excess felt trim down along the border of the wooden board.

7. Leave the felt board to dry for approximately 10 minutes. Make sure you allow the adhesive to fully cure before use.

8. Finally, clean the adhesive spray by spraying the can upside down for a couple of seconds (until the nozzle is free of any adhesive residue) before wiping it with mineral spirits or turpentine.

Now for the fun part – decorating your felt board! Since felt easily sticks to felt there are many ways to create decorations. The first is to simply cut shapes out of felt and press them onto the board. For more rigid pieces, just cut them out of plastic, wood, or other materials. Then glue a piece of felt or sandpaper to the back so they will stick to the board.