Monday, June 24, 2013

Drop Cloth Love...



The Herlihy Do-It-Yourself Home Spiff Up 
has resumed and I have started painting 
other parts of the house now...  

I still hate painting, 
but I dislike even more to spend thousands 
for professional painters, so there we are... 

Okay, if I had zillions, I'd shell out the bucks 
to have it done, 
but I don't, 
so it's all me 
or dingy walls forever...  

The upside is the serious workout of painting 
and the end result looks fresh and bright,
but generally, the whole thing sucks...  

Our home repair list is beyond daunting, 
but there are a few fun projects 
I have thrown in for a my own personal sanity...  

I have wanted a proper headboard 
ever since we got new mattresses 
a few years ago...  

The ones I like in Pottery Barn




 

  catalogs are gorgeous 
and start at around $600.00...

Purchasing one of those is so not going to happen, 
so I had to make it myself...  

DIY headboards are one of those 
truly rewarding projects because 

A, they are quick to assemble
for those who need instant gratification, 

B, they are rather inexpensive to build 
 
and C, the sense of accomplishment 
and bang for your buck is BIG...  

As you might remember
from a couple of my other projects of the past, 
I am a big fan of the canvas drop cloths 
sold at Home Depot...  

They are durable, a nice natural, 
wheat color and they are CHEAP!  

Depending on the size of the bed, 
you may need one or two pieces of MDF.  
Home Depot will cut the wood 
to the width and height you desire...  

Menards, will NOT, we learned...
  

You will also need spray adhesive, 

metal brackets and screws to connect the wood, 

upholstery foam and batting, 

the fabric of your choice, 

stapler and staples 

and if you want the look of brass hardware,
 a roll of nail heads.  

I found them at Jo Ann Fabrics...  

T$ connected the two MDF boards 
to make a headboard large enough 
for our king sized bed... 

 

Note:  We assembled the headboard 
in our bedroom since it was so big 
we knew it might not fit through the door 
after it was put together...  

Next we sprayed the adhesive to the wood 
and carefully pressed the foam down... 


That spray adhesive is STICKY!  
Lay out newpapers or a drop cloth 
to prevent over spray hitting your carpet, furniture, etc.
If you can do this outdoors, 
I would recommend it...

I cut off any overlapping foam with scissors...
  
 

Then I laid down the fabric on the floor, 
with the batting on top of it...

We carefully placed the foam-covered wood on top
of the batting-topped fabric
and adjusted everything 
until it was flat and smooth...  

We first stapled the batting to the wood, 
making sure all was snug and tight...  

Next we stapled the drop cloth all around the perimeter, 
making sure there were no goofy pulls or wrinkles...  

This is a two-man job, Friends! 

It's a great opportunity to bond with your spouse, 
child, best buddy as you create a thing of beauty, 
together...

One person to pull the fabric tightly, 
the other to staple away... 

I have made headboards solo, 
but it's not as much fun...

Once the headboard was finished, 
I decided to add the popular nail head look...  

The awesome thing is that the nail heads 
come in rolls...  

One roll at Jo Ann is $21.99, 
but bring your half-off coupon! 


Please ignore the pasty leg and hand....  

EEEEK!

Kate helped me draw the guide line in pencil.

Please do this, because, like me, 
I'll bet you will get to this part 
of the headboard project in the evening... 

You will be crabby and dog tired. 

 There is nothing worse than realizing 
the line is five inches wide at one end 
and two inches at the other... 

 It will make you want to commit a felony 
and no one wants that... 

Not that this has happened to me or anything...
 
The neat thing about the roll of nail heads 
is that you only have to pound in 
every 5th nail head... 


It goes on very quickly 
and it is easier to keep straight 
as you pound the brads 
into the headboard...


Take your time and make sure the line 
of nail heads are following your pencil line...  


Note: Seven year olds are not so skilled yet
with hammers... 


We killed a couple of tacks, 
but oh well... 

I am so happy with how the headboard turned out!  

Once I get the bedroom painted, 
it will look even better, 
but it is gratifying to save about six hundred dollars 
to get a very similar looking product... 


Can't wait to start the next DIY...

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