• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Happier Homemaker logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Home & Garden
  • Printables
  • DIY
  • SHOP
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Home Tips
  • Printables
  • DIY
  • Free Organizing Course
  • Clean Routine Academy
  • Mom's Chore Toolbox
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » DIY Projects » Outdoor Projects » DIY Corn Hole Game

    Last updated: Aug 27, 2019 by Melissa Riker · 24 Comments

    DIY Corn Hole Game

    Happy Football Friday y'all!  This week's post has been a few weeks in the making but I'm so excited to share it now that it's finished! My hubby and I have been hard at work making this DIY Corn Hole game set!

    diy corn hole boards

    With the summer coming to a close we really wanted to have something to keep the family outside on the weekends once we close the pool. We decided to make these DIY Cornhold Boards and both my husband and myself and our boys have been getting a ton of use out of them!

    How to Make DIY Cornhole Boards

    Materials:
    2– 2 x 4-foot sheet of ¾-inch plywood
    3– 2 x 4 studs at 8 feet in length
    4– 4-inch long ⅜-inch carriage bolts
    4– ⅜-inch nuts
    4– ⅜-inch lock nuts
    8– ⅜-inch fender washers
    box of 3 inch deck screws
    6" hole saw
    ¾" spade bit
    drill
    jigsaw
    circular saw

    Instructions:

    Cut the studs into (4) 4' pieces to make the long sides of the cornhole frame and (4) 21" pieces to make the short sides of the board frames.  Position the 21" wood section inside either 4' piece to create your frame.  Predrill pilot holes before using the 3" screws to attach the pieces-this helps prevent the wood from splitting.

    cornhole frame

    Attach the plywood to the top of each frame with screws, again pre-drilling the pilot holes.  We used 8 screws total to attach the top-one centered along each short end and three on each long end-one at the center and the other two about 4" from each end.

    attaching cornhole board to frame

    Next it's time to drill the hole in the board.  Measure to the middle of your board (12" from each side) and 9" down from the top and mark this spot.  Center the bit on your hole saw on this mark and take your time with the saw to create your circle. 

    TIP-We found we had to use our corded drill for this part-the cordless drills didn't have the power to get through the wood.  My husband also found that loosening up then reapplying pressure as you drill helped as well.

    corn hole saw

    To create the legs cut (2) 11" long pieces of your 2 by 4 studs and miter one end to a 25-degree angle. Round the opposite end of the leg with a jigsaw, we used a roll of painter's tape to trace a semi-circle on the wood to guide our cut. Sand the rounded end until smooth-the rounded portion allows the legs to fold in when the board isn't in use.

    corn hole legs

    Measure to the center of the rounded end and drill a hole with your spade bit.  Our hole was just over an inch from the top of the rounded end.  The game is supposed to sit 12" off the ground at it's highest point so we mocked ours up to figure exactly where to drill the hole to get the proper height with the legs fully extended. By doing this you can mark the appropriate spot on the framed board as well and drill a coordinating hole on the frame with the spade bit also.

    After all the holes are drilled line up your legs and board and push your bolt through, attaching with the fender washer, nut, and lock nut on the interior.

    attaching corn hole legs

    At this point the board is finished.  We actually kept it like this two weeks before I finally motivated to paint it (hey-it's just as fun to play on a naked board right?!

    unfinished corn hole board

    Once the motivation was there I got to work staining the boards-I first conditioned the wood with Minwax Prestain then used two coats of Minwax Polyshades in Mission Oak for my base.

    staining corn hole boards

    We wanted one board for each of our schools so I found a Clemson Paw and Michigan Block M online and printed each out as a poster on four sheets of paper.  I taped the poster together and rubbed pencil on the back of the sheet to "fake" carbon paper then traced the design on the boards.  I painted them with regular old craft store acrylic paint-it took about 3 coats to get the opacity I wanted.

    corn hole painting

    After this step I was very ready to be finished but I knew they'd look so much better with coordinating stripes around the outer edges so I went for it.  On the Michigan board I used painter's tape to create the border, on the Clemson board I hand painted them with a cheap foam brush.  You can see that neither turned out perfect but I think the hand painted version was slightly better and you can't see the imperfections unless you're examining the boards very closely.

    painting boards tape or hand

    I finished up the process with 6 coats of Rustoleum Ultimate Polyeurethane in Satin because I wanted a super smooth and glossy finish.

    I decided not to make my own corn hole bags because at this point I was about done with the DIY process-the finishing portion took SO much longer than actually building the boards!  I found a pack of red and blue bean bags at our local Dicks Sporting Goods but to me the red looked more orange so I figured it would work!

    While the entire process took a bit of time (mostly just to finish it-the building took about two hours tops) I love that I got exactly what I wanted and saved a ton of money.  I think we paid ballpark $80 for all of our supplies (I had the stain, poly, and paint on hand already) rather than the $200 I had seen boards selling for so it was a good deal!

    making your own corn hole boards diy

    Do you play corn hole? We had never heard of it until recently but it's a fun way to pass the time and get some fresh air!

    « Wine Tasting Party & Free Printable Wine Tasting Cards
    Complete Fall Cleaning Checklist »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email
    • Flipboard

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather says

      April 19, 2020 at 7:33 pm

      Hey I saw the rustoleum polyurethane you used was satin. But the link posted takes you the rustoleum polyurethane in gloss. I just wanted to verify if it was satin or gloss that you used? Thank you 🙂

      Reply
    2. Angela says

      June 23, 2019 at 1:53 pm

      Where do the extra 4 fender washers go? Your materials list said to get 8 but your instructions only referenced 4.

      Reply
    3. Heather says

      July 23, 2016 at 11:11 am

      My husband and I just made our own set from your directions and it was a fun project to do together! I'm making my own bags as well...about to go fill them up with corn and finish them up. Thanks for posting your how-to. It was very easy to follow.

      Reply
    4. Stacey says

      August 29, 2015 at 11:27 am

      How has the paint held up with use of the boards? Did the polyethylene make it too slippery for the bags?

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        August 29, 2015 at 12:44 pm

        The paint has held up great two years later Stacey! The boards are very smooth from the poly but it doesn't affect play at all!

        Reply
    5. kC says

      October 12, 2014 at 1:45 am

      So your dimensions are 48X21 correct?

      Reply
      • Gary says

        September 04, 2019 at 10:27 pm

        48x24
        2 pieces cut at 48”
        2 pieces cut at 21”
        2x4 are 1 1/2”
        48 long sides with the 21” pieces in between at top and bottom(making a rectangle). So the overall measurements from corner to corner are 48x24

        Reply
    6. Amy says

      September 01, 2014 at 9:56 am

      Hi there, I'm wanting to make a Clemson set. However, I'm having trouble finding a Tiger paw template. I noticed you printed yours out poster size. How did you do this?

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        September 01, 2014 at 1:26 pm

        I just found a Clemson image file with Google image search and opened it in preview, then as a pdf. Then I pushed print and in the page setup printed it as a poster on 4 pieces of paper. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    7. Amber says

      December 18, 2013 at 12:41 pm

      I am rather inexperienced with any sort of handy work so I apologize if this is a stupid question but In order for the frame to match up with the plywood wouldn't the inside short pieces need be 20" instead of 21"? Confused..

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        December 18, 2013 at 1:04 pm

        Hey Amber! While the wood is labeled 2 by 4 it's actually a bit smaller than that due to the milling process so that's why it seems like the numbers don't add up! Kindof silly they label it like that right?!

        Reply
    8. Allison still says

      October 06, 2013 at 5:51 pm

      How much did the materials cost?

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        October 07, 2013 at 7:32 am

        I believe our wood was about $30-35 and then we chose to purchase the hole saw for $20. All the other materials we had on hand. If you didn't want to get the hole saw to save on the costs you could use a jigsaw to cut out the hole, it just may not be as smooth a circle. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    9. Deborah says

      September 22, 2013 at 12:54 pm

      You didn't address the beanbags. What size; how heavy; filled with dry beans or what?

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        September 25, 2013 at 7:31 pm

        I mentioned in the post I purchased mine at a local sporting goods store but you can easily make your own sewing 6" squares and filling with 15 oz of feed corn!

        Reply
    10. Tina says

      September 16, 2013 at 6:50 pm

      I made this yesterday using your instructions. Excellent post. Mine turned out great. The only thing I did different was use a jigsaw to cut the hole. Thanks for the great instructions.

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        September 16, 2013 at 7:08 pm

        Yay Tina! I'm so glad! I actually just pulled my jigsaw out yesterday for the first time in a couple years and wondered to myself if I should have tried that first.

        Reply
        • Mia says

          July 07, 2014 at 2:02 am

          I just made this yesterday 🙂 the boards lol great and I stained them with some stuff we had laying around. It took me aboutI thirty minutes to cut the wood and screw it all together. I paid 2.96 per 2x4 but I found that I needed four pieces of lumber to finish the whole project. We used a jigsaw to cut the holes because $35 for the drill bit was a bit too much for me 🙂 it still looks great though! Total amount invested is about $40. Lowe's also had pre cut plywood which was fantastic! We just need to finish attaching the legs but I do have a question... do you butt the legs against the plywood itself or is it not touching at all? The 25 degree angle didn't work if you try to put the legs straight up against the plywood. Awesome tutorial though! Way cheaper than buying a set, that's for sure!
          Thanks 🙂

          Reply
    11. Megan @ Our PInteresting Family says

      September 13, 2013 at 8:53 pm

      They turned out fantastic!! Love the stain you used. 🙂

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        September 15, 2013 at 9:00 pm

        Thank Megan! That is my absolute favorite stain!

        Reply
    12. Jacque says

      September 13, 2013 at 8:18 pm

      Awesome tutorial! I have to share this!!!

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        September 15, 2013 at 9:00 pm

        Thanks Jacque 😉

        Reply
    13. Amanda @ Dreamsicle Sisters says

      September 13, 2013 at 2:10 pm

      I love corn hole! I am going to make my husband build us a set!

      Reply
    14. Courtenay says

      September 13, 2013 at 8:47 am

      You rock! That is all.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Meet Melissa

    Hi, I'm Melissa and I have a passion for helping people find effective ways to clean and organize, feed their families, and truly enjoy their homes.
    More about me -->

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Reader Favorites

    chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting on blue napkin

    Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing Recipe

    Cinnamon apple bread sliced on a cutting board next to two apples

    Cinnamon Apple Bread Recipe

    large living room window with white curtains and yellow rug

    No Holes, Renter Friendly Window Treatments!

    roasted bell peppers on white plate

    Easy Oven Roasted Bell Peppers

    More Reader Favorites Here

    30 Minute Meals

    white spoon with Swedish meatballs

    Turkey Swedish Meatballs

    two bowls of chicken and dumplings

    Easy Chicken & Dumplings

    creamy cajun chicken penne pasta in skillet

    Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

    pasta primavera in white bowl

    Pasta Primavera Recipe

    See More

    Featured On:

    collage of logos of major publications and TV networks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer

    Terms & Conditions

    Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    Newsletter

    Sign Up! f

    Contact

    Contact

    Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Featured in:

    website and magazine logo collage

    Copyright © 2022

    29230 shares
    • 46