WHEN I FOUND THESE OLD HEADBOARDS AT MY LOCAL THRIFT STORE, I KNEW I NEEDED THEM. THEY DIDN’T HAVE A FOOTBOARD OR RAILS, SO I KNEW I WOULD HAVE TO BE CREATIVE WITH IT.
Here is a low quality picture of a little high quality craftsmanship. They really just don’t make things like this anymore. It’s sad, but it definitely makes us appreciate it more. These headboards were $4.99 each. What.
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1. Coat Hooks
Supplies for Project #1
- Antique Headboard
- White Paint
- Hooks (with screws)
- Paint brush
- Drill
- Circular Saw
- D Rings
- Picture Hangers
- Hammer
- Philips Head Screw Driver
Easiest project ever (maybe not quite, but close….). You ready?
Since we were not planning on using it as a headboard, we used a circular saw to cut off the legs. I think that was the most advanced part of this project, I promise 😉
After that, I gave it a good paint job with just a shelf white, and then we measured, drilled pilot holes, and then screwed the hooks into the wood.
On the back, I attached two “D Rings” that I picked up at Home Depot for just a few bucks. This gave me a way to hang it on the wall. They’re really simple to attach. You just measure and use a Philips head screw driver to screw them in.
So as you can tell, it was pretty simple and a huge difference! Sometimes I get nervous altering a vintage piece, but these headboards were just sitting at a thrift store and they were missing pieces. I wouldn’t exactly call that functional.
2. Chalkboard
Supplies for Project #2
- Antique Headboard
- Knobs or Hooks
- Cup Pull
- Chalkboard Paint
- White Chalk Paint
- Circular Saw
- Skinny Trim Pieces (from Home Depot or Lowe’s)
- Cork Squares
- Spray Adhesive
- D Rings
- Picture Hangers
- Hammer
- Philips Head Screw Driver
Project #2 was much like the first. The main difference is that we didn’t cut the legs off all the way to the bottom of the actual headboard part. We just cut the legs off right to the first horizontal board (closest to the ground).
From there, we cut a board to fit in between the legs where there was a gap, and we used spray adhesive to attach cork squares on it, each separated by a trim piece.
While this was a simple project, we did add a few thoughtful details in order to add a little extra functionality. We added a few knobs to hold coats, bags, keys and so on.
The black part is chalkboard paint (not to be confused with “chalk paint”) and then the rest is just painted with a shelf white (surprise).
Lastly, we added a shelf just below the cork, but that’s totally optional. This is honestly just about making something that’s functional for you and your family, whatever that looks like.
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