How to Make a Man Cave Message Board

My hubby is a very lucky man. He doesn’t just have one man cave; he has two 😉 Yup, two!! The garage and his pub. And while I know that I’m not really allowed to have a say in how he decorates his “me time” space, I do enjoy making things that he can, hopefully, use there. He sure didn’t mind when I revamped some office storage and turned it into a toolbox.  This year I thought I’d make him a rugged and manly message board. Is there even such a thing?

Isn’t it cool? It probably took about 2 hours to put together, including waiting for the paint to dry. So if you want to make one for your hubby, here’s how I did it.

What you need

  • Drill, screwdriver and masking tape
  • A piece of wood 40 cm x 65 cm (14,5″ x 25,5″)
  • Paint. I used blackboard paint and a bright red
  • Galvanized pipe fittings and screws

How to make a Man Cave message board

Connect all the pipe fittings to form an “L-shape”. Sorry, I don’t know how else to describe it, but hopefully, the piccy below says it better than I can. Give the L-shaped thing a good wipe with some engine de-greaser before spraying it black.

I wanted to use the L-shaped thingy to hold garage wipes, but I was a little worried that the wipes would slip off. So I sneaked into the hubby’s garage man cave and found the tap portion of a gate valve. Sshhhh, don’t tell him 😉

What happens in this garage stays in this garage Click to Tweet

Screwing it onto the end cap created a much better stopper. Ugh!!!! Why can’t I think of the right words today?

Now for the message board. After sanding the piece of wood to a nice smooth finish, I gave it a coat of fire engine red spray paint and then painted the inside portion with blackboard paint. I found this adorable sign for Sinclair Motor Oil that I added on top. That’s the hubby’s surname. Unfortunately, he’s not related to the Sinclairs from the oil company, though.

To make it easier to tear the garage wipes, I just used one of those serrated metal strips that come on the box when you buy cling wrap or freezer paper and screwed it onto the message board.

Before screwing on the L-shaped thingy, I covered the board with white chalk to cure it and added another 90-degree elbow to hold the chalk pieces.

And the valve tap is a great stopper 😀

I’m guessing the hubby likes his man cave message board since he’s added it to the decor 😉

What do you think? Does it work for you?

If you like the idea of making a message board for a man cave, don’t forget to pin it for later.

Have you made anything for a man cave? I’d love to hear about it. I’m always looking for new ideas to make for my hubby.

Oh, before I forget, if you don’t want to go to the trouble of finding some of the materials we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more crafty ideas to share with you 😉

Or how about these super cool signs?

Until next time, be safe, and I hope you have a beautifully creative week.

Last update on 2026-04-23 / Source Amazon Affiliates

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90 comments

Greg Navage January 16, 2018 - 12:58 pm
You know what's better than two man caves? Three man caves! Shaun deserves another!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 2:41 pm
? ? ? ? ? Nope, I need a She shed first. Oh wait I've got a messy workshop, darn it!! ?
Sue Tanya McHorgh January 16, 2018 - 12:52 pm
Now this is a really good idea. Thanks for sharing this . I know some guys who would really appreciate this post.
acraftymix January 17, 2018 - 7:39 am
That's so cool Sue Tanya, thanks for sharing
Bea January 16, 2018 - 12:51 pm
This is incredible Michelle! I love this Message Board, it is so creative and it looks amazing! Really well done :)
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 2:53 pm
Thank you Bea, I'm really glad you like it
Shruti Arora January 16, 2018 - 10:14 am
This is really cool and creative, well done. Wish I could handle the tools as nicely, it would be a disaster if I tried it :)
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 11:12 am
Thank you Shruti. ? Some of the power tools still scare me a little but I do love playing with them
Tania January 16, 2018 - 8:14 am
Wow! I can't even imagine if I could do something like that, but I should try... very inspiring! Your hubby is really a lucky man because he has such a talented wife!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 11:13 am
Ahhhhh Tania, thank you for that. But I think I'm the lucky one, he's a really awesome guy
Samantha January 16, 2018 - 6:36 am
Two man caves? Lucky guy! This is such a unique idea! I really like it. It’s functional and decorative. I’m sure he loves it.
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 7:18 am
Thanks so much Samantha, the hubby does love it ?
Rachna Parmar January 16, 2018 - 6:12 am
You are uber cool to be creating such fabulous stuff for him. Meanwhile, I must hide this post from my husband. :)
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 7:19 am
LOL, thanks Rachna ?
Liz January 16, 2018 - 3:06 am
You are so creative! I love the "manly" message board!!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 4:31 am
? Thanks so much Liz
Karrie Frost January 16, 2018 - 2:56 am
What a creative project. My husband would love this! All the details really came together beautifully
acraftymix January 22, 2018 - 3:47 pm
Thank you Karrie, I'm glad you like it
Josselyn Radillo January 16, 2018 - 12:13 am
I love this DIY and I think it fits perfectly for the bar my uncle has!!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 2:55 pm
Glad you like it Josselyn, thank you
Carolann January 15, 2018 - 8:12 pm
I just love this manly message board, Michelle! The black and red are perfection! Wow, two mans caves huh? That's one lucky dude!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 4:31 am
Thanks so much Carolann. The little Sinclair sign was the inspiration behind the red and black color scheme ?
Ithfifi January 15, 2018 - 7:52 pm
That is such a great idea, Michelle! I bet he ends up keeping all your creations, I don't know how he couldn't! I love how masculine and cool this turned out, I'd love to see a ladies version, something more delicate. I actually need to stalk through your posts, I always like things and way of taking up less space on my desk.
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 7:22 am
Thanks so much Ithi ? I would really have loved to make a more feminine version for our kitchen, but we don't have the wall space. Maybe one my friends needs one ?
Tanvi Rastogi January 15, 2018 - 7:43 pm
OMG my husband would love this, and the thing is that even with my limited DIY skills I am more of an engineer and a repair person at home than he is ... so if it were ever going to be made, it would have to be me. I love how it turned by the way. All tough and macho :D
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 2:52 pm
? Thanks so very much Tanvi. You always make my day when you pop in
Hunter January 15, 2018 - 6:54 pm
We are looking into taking one of the garages & making a space for husband. He will love the ideas you've shared. Thanks so much!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 2:56 pm
Go for it Hunter, hubbies need their space too
Katrin January 15, 2018 - 8:31 pm
Aw so amazing Michelle! I'm sure he's in love with it! How you come up with this kind of awesomeness... I don't know, but it's super unique and fun!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 4:33 am
Thank you Katrin ? As long as he's happy with it then I'm good
Joanna January 15, 2018 - 5:41 pm
I love the idea behind this message board for the man cave and oh yes, your husband is definitely lucky to have 2, especially the second one being a pub. The pipe with the tap thingie (no idea how it's called, probably only a man would haha) is brilliant as well!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 4:27 pm
I'm with you on that thingie bit Joanna ?
Julia - Vintage with Laces January 15, 2018 - 5:08 pm
Your hubby must have won the man cave lottery, lol. Additionally he's got a sweet wife who creates cool stuff for his place. Tell him that he's a very lucky guy! The message board looks great and is so practical. What a wonderful gift for your hubby, Michelle!
acraftymix January 16, 2018 - 4:38 am
? He sure did Julia ? Fortunately he doesn't have terribly strict rules when it comes to his man caves as long as I don't mess with his special tools
Holly January 15, 2018 - 4:39 pm
This is such a unique idea and would definitely make a great gift! Your hubby is a lucky man! :)
acraftymix January 22, 2018 - 3:47 pm
? Thank you Holly
Amy-Lynn January 15, 2018 - 3:14 pm
This is hilarious and adorable. I feel a DIY christmas gift for my brother or father coming on! Thanks for sharing this Michelle!
acraftymix January 15, 2018 - 3:45 pm
Thanks so much Amy-Lynn. The men in our lives need message boards too, right???!! ?
Katerina Konstantinou January 15, 2018 - 3:06 pm
So easy and beautiful! My father will definitely love this for his home workshop! Thanks for the inspiration!
acraftymix January 17, 2018 - 7:36 am
Hey there Katerina, so lovely to hear from you again. Thanks so much
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