Sunday 17 April 2016

The door headboard... for now.

The headboard is done. Sort of. Let's recap how it started...

Here's the door that cost nothing but our dignity as we dragged it half a mile.


It weighs a ton.

I sawed off one panel so that it would fit our double bed.


Then stripped the paint as it was all peeling off anyway. If it was sound I could have just painted over it.


I got some special brackets from ebay. ( Headboard Wall Mount Fixing Bolt Bracket Kit.)

One part slots inside the other. The outer section screws to the wall...


Extra holes drilled here as I put them in the wrong place. Damn measuring.

The inner part goes on the back of the headboard...


Then, if you've measured it all correctly you should be able to slide your two brackets into each other and your headboard is firmly mounted on the wall. Yesss! It worked. I did leave one of the brackets screwed on the door a little loose so I had a few mm of wiggle room if I needed it.

Using this wall mounting technique, you do get a little gap behind the headboard to accommodate the depth of the brackets.



I didn't want a little gap.
I designed a little pediment to sit on top of the headboard which would sit flush to the wall. I'd always planned on doing a fancy cornice to posh it up a bit but after extensive googling door headboards, I decided a very plain, MANLY pediment would work better.

Before pediment...


And after...




I wood glued and clamped the two strips to each other and stained them to match the original wood of the door. Then I screwed them on from the top, countersinking the screws so they could be filled and hidden.
There's still a little gap around the side of the headboard, but with the top flush to the wall, it doesn't matter.

I attached the pediment whilst the headboard was on the wall so that I didn't have to fanny around, working out my bracket depth and the amount of overhang needed. I just positioned it and drilled.

Next, it all had to come off the wall again for filling and another coat of stain. I was planning on painting and distressing but I wanted the wood that shows through the paint to be a uniform colour.

Painting was a source of disagreement. I wanted to do Chinoiserie in the panels!


Tasteful, elegant chinoiserie. Timeless and classical.

Jason was having none of it. He said he just wanted it painted one colour. All over. Flat.

My heart sank because I couldn't bring myself to do that. We discussed it. I badgered him until he said he really didn't care what I did.

Top tip; Start these conversations when your other half is watching football. Mine will agree to anything to make me shut up and go away. Headboards, it seems, are not as important as watching Liverpool.

But I compromised! That doesn't often happen.
I accept that he is a heterosexual male and doesn't want chinoiserie. Mostly because I still get to do some in my daughters room.

But I'm not bloody well painting flat solid paint.

I had a Dulux Trade paint sample made from a bit of the grey velvet they scanned in. The perfect paint colour for only a few quid. Before painting, I rubbed hard over all the edges with a candle so that the paint would distress easily in these areas.

And here's the result...

Sorry, I've not STYLED it properly with perfect pillows and uncreased bedding. Or the cellophane off the lamp...

Yes, it's very dark.



Certainly manly...


but perhaps slightly funereal?



Since ''finishing'' this headboard, I've had a NIGHTMARE finding curtains and curtain poles for this room and I've finally found some that are going to work.

But this headboard is now going to be repainted to match the curtains rather than the valance. And I will be much happier I think.

Jason couldn't care less. He's been so appalled and astonished by the anguish it has caused me choosing curtains and hanging devices, and the amount of time I've had to spend in curtain shops, (I'm not bloody making 90'' by 90''!) that he has thrown his hands up in despair over his entire bedroom and no longer wants to be consulted or informed.

Even if it involves Chinoiserie.


In other news, the armoire has now left the building and I didn't even get round to showing you that yet. Next time...


14 comments:

  1. You and I were clearly separated at birth Emma Kate (although I think you may have got more than your fair share of talent ...). I am SO into grey at the moment (and wouldn't some Chinoiserie look GREAT against that that dark grey?). I've just painted 3 walls of my dining room grey and the other in a turquoise colour (which would ALSO look great with some Chinoiserie on it). I'm determined to have some somewhere - maybe I'll paint some canvases at some point. Still haven't got around to taking some photos of the now complete bathroom but I plan to some time this week.

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    1. Excellent. Cannot wait to see.
      A friend just had a rant about using grey in interiors with our grey climate but I'm undeterred.

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  2. You are a genius. I love the final shade of funereal grey, its just my kind of thing - our spare bedroom walls are a grey-ish black!
    Those Chinoiserie panels are stunning. xxx

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  3. Your headboard looks fantastic! I'm tucking this idea away should we ever upgrade to a larger bed. Don't even start me on the nightmare of choosing curtains!!! It sounds like you've found something you both can live with and I can't wait to see. And the armoire has left your home?! Did you have a going away party? I look forward to the next installment. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks Vickie. I always feel overjoyed when something REALLY BIG leaves!

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  4. Your door headboard looks ace...you are SO clever. But you have to paint it again? What a drag ...and I should know! Just finished painting the dresser for the second time...your advice paid off and the eggshell worked over the chalk paint. Will blog soon.
    Thanks again Paint Guru! Xx

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    1. Oh thank God for that! My reputation is untarnished. Cannot wait to see! xx

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  5. I love the grey too - I see it lately on a lot of doors and window frames. I also rather liked it in its stripped state! Such a shame you've got to repaint it but sometimes one just has to admit something's not right and re-do it. I have a very talented friend who did her kitchen walls 3 times before she got it right.

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  6. Oh Wow what an amazing idea and transformation I loved the natural wood but also like it painted. I am still chuckling over the conversations with husband ;-) dee xx

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  7. I love the grey! Quite sad it's going - but I have no doubt the new colour's going to look even better (and the whole thing looks bloody marvellous). I used to use the Grand Prix as a cover when I was with Tom; 3+ hours of him being in the same room meant I was free (err... ish) to cover entire walls in maps before he noticed xxx

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  8. It looks fab and I do love the grey, but I am sure whatever new colour you paint it will look great too. M x

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  9. Such a fantastic and cleaver transformation of the door into a headboard! It’s great adding in unique and rustic pieces like this, as they create a very personal feel (and of course, a great story). The grey colour was a nice initial choice, but it’s always great having the option to change your mind at any stage. Choosing the right paint and doing a professional job of it can make all the difference to your overall feel and look.

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  10. Beautiful blog have a very nice and interesting information about the interior painting it's really good.
    Exterior Painting

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