Thursday, August 8, 2013

Headboard Makeover

We are in the {very slow} process of converting my little girl's room into a big girl room. I have several different hues of pink painted around the room right now, in the vain attempt to find just the right shade of pink. It kind of looks like a patchwork quilt. Any tips on the perfect pink paint would be gratefully appreciated {no, really...help me}. While I have stalled on the paint color, we are still continuing to forge ahead with the project.

One of the first things we did to jump start this conversion to big girl room, was buy a queen sized bed. Not so much for my daughter as for all the guests we have that visit us. No more air mattresses, y'all! Well, that's a lie. We will probably still need to use the air mattresses. My family is pretty big. But it's a small step in the right direction.


Before we even bought the mattress, I was out scouring Craigslist for a headboard. And oh my, there are a lot of people who are very proud of their queen sized wooden headboards. I couldn't seem to find a deal on anything. Until this little gem came along:



Maybe more like a diamond in the rough than an actual gem but I knew that I could make it shine. And for only $15 for a solid wood headboard, I couldn't say no.


It was a little rough and wasn't as girly as I wanted. But I had seen furniture appliques at local home improvement stores and found a few that I liked to add some girlish charm. Unfortunately, they were all too big for the headboard! Which lead me to search the internet and find The Bella Cottage, which has an impressive selection of beautiful furniture appliques. And I loved that they were all replicas of wooden carvings from the 1800's. How cool is that? I am a sucker for antiques so I was really excited to find something like this to add to my daughter's headboard. {Disclaimer: The Bella Cottage did not pay me to say any of these nice things. I just wanted to share this little shop with you guys because I think it's awesome.}


The piece is made of a lightweight resin and was super easy to attach. I simply found the middle of the headboard added a little smear of wood glue


applied and let dry. I did use some painter's tape to hold it in place until the glue dried but I don't think it really needed it.


Once the applique was firmly attached, it was time to paint it! I decided to try my hand at using chalk paint {mainly because I didn't want to have to sand anything} and settled on Annie Sloan's Old White for the color. After a good wipe down with a degreaser (I used Simple Green), I was ready to begin. I had talked with the pros at the Annie Sloan retailer and they recommended watering the paint down to extend the paint and also to help eliminate brush strokes. I used a ratio of 2 to 1 (paint to water) and after the first coat, I was little nervous.

 


 


However, by the second coat I was converted. I love the velvety, matte finish of the chalk paint and how simple it is to use.


I ended up nixing my original idea of doing a shabby chic headboard {I just couldn't bear to sand down that beautiful chalk paint!} and instead applied four thin coats to give it an even coverage.

 

Since I watered the paint down, I didn't have any brush strokes and the finish ended up being very even and smooth.


I moved the headboard inside at this point since I had heard that the wax can melt in hot temperatures, even after applying it. And I have no idea what is hotter than the inside of an uninsulated garage in Texas in August. Maybe the surface of Mercury. Maybe.


Using the wax brush, I dabbed it in the clear wax and applied using firm pressure and a circular motion. Working in little sections, I would apply the wax, then use a rag and wipe off the excess. Think: wax on, wax off. {Note: for rags, I just used an old shirt of my hubby's. It was shirt I really disliked, so I had a lot of fun cutting it up to use for this project. After, I got his permission of course.} After the first coat was finished, I went back and buffed the wax some more. I think this really helped it to smooth it out and make it feel really soft.


After two coats of wax, I was finished! The wax was dry within a day but it will take about three weeks to cure, which means no hard handling until then.




I love how this headboard turned out.



From blah and boring to vintage looking and fabulous, I think this makeover was a success.


My daughter really enjoyed watching me work on this headboard. When I was finished and I showed her, she said "Oh, wow! Is that my new bed? I love it, Mommy!"

 

And that is why I adore doing projects for her.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I set up the headboard in our guest room for the sake of the photos. I didn't think the pink patchwork paint job would be a very flattering backdrop. Pinkie promise there will be more photos as her room transformation becomes more finalized.




 



Linking up with these outstanding parties:

8 comments:

  1. That looks perfect! I love the applique - I'll be checking that out right now ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Heather! I love the applique too and am so glad I found that site! I will be a frequent customer, I'm sure... :)

      Delete
  2. LOVE it! Great job! Buying stuff these days off craigslist or anywhere for that matter is tough. People are watching all the shows on TV and they think they have some spectacular find. But anyway, I love it and especially love the applique. GREAT work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kristen! I have noticed that about CL too. It's become almost like a waiting game now to find something awesome for a great price. But when you do, it's such a great feeling!

      Delete
  3. This is SO pretty! I am dying to try out some chalk paint!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jessica! You definitely should try it! I am hooked now. :)

      Delete
  4. Wow! What a transformation! Thanks for linking up to the B&A party!

    ReplyDelete