Name: Julia M.
Location: Washington, DC
Time: Off and on for about 4 days (there's a lot of drying time)... about 8 hours total.
Cost: About $60 for the wood, canvases, glue, and poly. Had the tools already.
Headboards! Many want them, few have them and they cost a lot. And why so much for a simple board? Here Julia gives us her take, and very nicely done at that. Head below the jump for all her pics, tools, and instructions and VOTING...
Tell us the tools and resources you used for the project:
14 sheets of 4" x 24" x 3/8" basswood
1 sheet of 4" x 24" x 1/32" basswood
2 20" x 24" braced canvases
1 bottle wood glue
1 can minwax oil-based poly-urethane(semi-gloss)
1 disposable paintbrush
1 x-acto knife
1 ruler
1 pencil
2-3 sheets 60-grit sandpaper
1 effective dustbuster
paper towels
Share step by step instructions for how you completed the project:
I needed a headboard, wanted wood, and didn't have any powertools or a nearby hardware store (I'm a grad student living smack dab in the middle of washington DC). I'd tried to match the color of the Ikea-tastic duvet cover earlier without much success, so I had the two canvases already primed (and that's why they're purple in this photo).
(1) plan a design. Mine called for the thicker basswood to be cut into 6 12" pieces and 8 peices with 45-degree angles at each end -- four that were 24" at their longes point and 16" on the other side, and four that were 20" at their longest point and 12" on the other side.
(2) cut basswood carefully. I did the 45 -degree angle by measuring 4" from the base of each board and drawing a diagonal.
(3) arrange the pieces on the board and sand for the best fit.
(4) cover back with glue and set from one end to the other -- start with one 24" piece, then add one 20" side, then the 12" pieces, then the final 24" piece.
(5) lay upsidedown and cover back with books to minimize buckling (the wood is still fairly thin so it's a risk). Allow to dry for several hours.
(6) fill in the remaining cracks with wood glue and wipe the excess with a damp paper towel. Allow to dry for another couple hours.
(7) turn over and sand to remove the remaining buckling and even the surface.
(8) face the sides of the canvas with 3/4" strips of the thin basswood (four 24" and four 20" strips). glue and let dry.
(9) vaccuum surrounding area and face of wood. wipe wood clean with a damp paper towel
(10) add several (I used 3) coats of clear polyurethane. Allow it to dry for at least 24 hours after the last coat.
(11) hang on the wall with one nail in the corner of each canvas. Use a level.
Done!
Copyright © 2007 Apartment Therapy
AT,DC in the house. nice headboard. did u put the red comforter on there for valentine's day?
offtopic: the DC ppl should get together.
view SD913's profile
I think it's gorgeous and classy but what I really want to know is where you got that beautiful red bedding?
Please tell, I want, I want
view Mod girl's profile
very nice work on the headboard, and i'd also love to know where that bedding came from.
SD913: i'm pretty new to (obsessing over) this site, but i agree dc needs a meetup.
view dckntr's profile
A real accomplishment on a shoestring graduate student's budget.
view Aldyth's profile
That bedding is from Ikea.
view GlamGirl's profile
AT:DC is certainly representing in the January Jumpstarts!
I love the red bedding and the look of the faux headboard, but wonder if you can lean back on it or if that might cause the basswood to snap or just come unglued as the canvas depresses?
view CQ in DC's profile
It's amazing what a headboard can do for the look of the entire bed. And yay for AT:DC!
view CapitolHille's profile
Thanks for all the compliments, guys!
Glamgirl is right, the bedding is from Ikea -- I think it's called Tanja Brodyr. It comes in the red here but also in a lovely rich purple, tan, and cream. The accent pillow is from World Market.
To CQ in DC: that was definitly a consideration, but I used braced canvases (they have extra pieces of wood across the middle) to help avoid that. Also, between the glue and the varnish, the wood is pretty unflexible -- I haven't had a problem with buckling when I lean on them.
And no, I didn't pick the color for V-day. I love the richness of it, and I like the cleanness of white, but I'm trying to pick up some accent colors to make the whole place look less like a valentine's day card. I'm thinking purple, orange, and sage green right now, though I like the idea of turqouise too. Any suggestions?
Finally, I love the idea of a DC meetup!
Thanks again!
Julia
view JulesDC's profile
I'm from DC too.
Nice job, but it looks a bit too small for the mattress?
view st@cy's profile
maybe we could meet at dwr in adams morgan one night! lol
view SD913's profile
Yeah, whatever happened to the AT:DC site happening? I mean, I'm happy reading all the other posts, but I'd love to have someone giving me resources in our area!
Yay--DC AT Meetup! :)
view Christine (the one in DC)'s profile
I think I would have liked this more if if were one piece instead of two, but it's still really creative. Nice job.
view chairgal's profile
AT:DC,
(sorry to hijack julia's thread, but since there's some interest i'll post it here.)
i called dwr:adams morgan and spoke to a nice man named dave, they're hosting an event on feb. 22 @ 7pm. when i told him who we were, he said they would love to have us. it's the "champagne chair contest". he says they'll be having champagne and chocolate, i'm so there! since most of us are fans of dwr, design, and mcm, i think it would be a fitting place to meet-up.
email: uwish913@yahoo.com if you think u can attend, maybe we can get a little group going!
:)
SD913
view SD913's profile