Product Review: Quartet Cork Wall Tiles

Recently when rearranging my home office I realized I needed to create a bulletin board for posting important papers, messages, and reminders. Keeping important items at eye level instead of buried under a stack of clutter will help me be more efficient during my work and study hours.

After deciding I needed a bulletin message area I had to make the decision on what type to purchase. I looked at several stores including Wal-Mart, Target, Office Max, Office Depot, and Hobby Lobby for a corkboard that could serve as a bulletin board. At most of these stores corkboards were small surfaces or came with a dry erase board. I wanted to cover a much larger area with my message area and all the larger bulletin boards cost more than I wanted to pay.

The solution to my dilemma? I would create my own bulletin board message area using Quartet Cork Wall Tiles sold at Office Depot. The tiles are natural corkboard shaped into 12 x 12 inch squares that attach to any flat surface. One pack comes with 4 tiles and costs 11.99; so two packs will cover an area large enough for the space behind my desk without costing me a bundle.

The tiles come with foam tape stickers that make it easy to securely mount on any surface. Once you place the tiles on the wall or other surface you can be sure they will stay. I easily attached eight tiles to the area behind my desk to create a large cork bulletin board.

The tiles created a great bulletin message area behind my workspace but there are a few problems with the product. First is the width of the cork tiles. They are only ¼ inch thick so a push pin goes all the way through the cork into the wall unless you consciously push it only partially into the cork. You can secure items on the board without pushing the pin through to the wall, but it is a hassle to worry about leaving pinholes in the wall from the bulletin board.