The Headboard Project

I've never really had a headboard to speak of, unless it came attached to an Ikea platform bed, and I've always wanted one (especially since we got rid of the Ikea platform bed). Torn between the upholstered headboard and a salvaged one, I opted to go for the salvage type. Ignore my basement.

Oak doors, minus original hardware, pre final sanding.

My mom told me she had 4 old solid oak doors that she found in an antique shop in Ocean City, NJ, and they had been collecting dust. Naturally, I took them and they sat in our basement, collecting dust. There were 2 doors (pictured) that I think came off a servant entrance or something like that, and 2 more doors half the size of these that I'm saving for another project. Undecided, obv. But they also all came with original hinges, screws and these kooky locks.

I'd been pinning ideas onto my pinterest for quite a while trying to decide what to do with them... then I stumbled over to Infarrantly Creative, and this tutorial for her Roadkill Rescue - Door Headboard. Total fate. I swear.

After Andrew was forced to volunteered to sand them, I rummaged through our 'scrap pile o' wood' we keep in our basement (you know, waiting for a renegade project that requires the most random selection of wood scraps), and I found left over trim from our bathroom chair rail, as well as a pine board we had left from our kitchen remodel.

We glued & nailed the trim and board together to fashion a mantle top, and I'm so thankful for that tutorial because I probably wouldn't have went the extra step because we weren't sure we'd like them just painted white or with the top rail. Glad!

Around the 3rd coat.
(Yes those are spray painted star outlines from
another project. Messy. Shh.)

Anyway, we filled the holes, sanded them and then started painting. Note to self... follow directions and prime the doors. Five coats of white paint later, I was finished! Up to this point, the whole project took about 2 days. We used wood filler and wood glue, so we let them completely cure before continuing with paint. Oh, and I distressed the mantle portion with a hammer, and lots of banging. It was great!

Mmmmm. Iron.

After they were dry, we assembled the doors using the hinges across the doors to hold them together. The screws themselves are amazing, they're squares, which I've never seen before, and the hardware is all iron (I assume) and is really in tune with the vintage vibe we have going on here.

After the doors and all were together, we used a french cleat like the tutorial suggests, except I opted for a smaller one because the large ones were gone. I'm glad the tutorial explained what to use, because I had no clue, and Andrew wanted to just screw through the doors and into the wall. After I recovered from my heart attack, I convinced him the cleat was the way to go. And it was. Kim 1, Andrew, 0.

And here is my finished product!

Distress! And a starfish. 

Voila! That's Martha Stewart quilting, btw.
But there are 2 shams to the set. Our daughter stole one.

I like the height of the headboard... our house is pretty small, and there's no other substantial size furniture in our room, so I think it makes a statement when you see it. Like, boom, there it is! I also am in the market to add a ton of decorative pillows... I need pillow forms. Talking to Andrew about extra pretty pillows is like torture, he doesn't get it. He doesn't get it!