Before and After: A $35 DIY Transforms Old Doors into a One-of-a-Kind Headboard

A great headboard instantly elevates a bedroom, taking the main focal point of the room — the bed — from understated to luxe. But headboards can be expensive, with trendier options costing hundreds of dollars.

If you love the look of a statement-making headboard but don’t have those kinds of funds to spend on your bed, get inspired by this inexpensive DIY headboard by Michele Lewis (@Girlonabudgetdiy).

“I recently fell in love with door headboards; however, at $800 and up, I find them a bit pricey,” she says. But she figured she could make something similar herself using secondhand doors. She kept an eye out on social media for neighbors who were looking to offload their project leftovers. Not long after, Michele scored — she found two interior French doors for $10.

Michele wasn’t content to use the doors as they were, though, with their plain white and clear glass combo. First, Michele used paint she had around the house to give them an antiqued look. She started by painting the doors black, and once the paint dried, she sanded some of it off to create a distressed finish.

Then, Michele purchased some faux tile wallpaper for $25 and used it to cover the glass panes. “The tile wallpaper was super simple, self-adhesive, and can be removed and relaid if you do not get it perfect,” Michele says.

To finish the project, Michele attached four D-ring picture hangers to the backs of each door and mounted the whole thing to the wall.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out,” says Michele. “I love the vintage, unique look and having something that you are not going to walk into anyone else’s home and see the same item.”

Just as impressive as the finished product? The fact that the entire DIY cost just $35 and took only two hours to complete. Talk about bang for your buck!

Inspired? Submit your own project here.