How to Paint a Geometric Design on an Old Headboard

My daughter recently bought a house, and she is now trying to fill up all the bedrooms with furniture. Buying all new furniture is not in the budget, so I gave an old free headboard a modern makeover. The idea for this design was based on the barn quilt headboard I made her. It was made cutting 100's of small pieces of wood into shapes, painted and then gluing them together like a jigsaw. This is an easy way to get a similar effect.

Step 1: Find an Old Headboard

This headboard was part of a 4 poster bed which was broken and on its way to the landfill until my friend thought of me. I jumped at the offer as I always do to free wood. I used a handsaw to cut the bedpost shorter.

Step 2: Fill in All the Holes

Even though it was chalk paint and they say you don't need a primer, I always add one. On past projects I have had the wood bleeding through my chalk paint and making dark unsightly patches. Fill in any holes with wood filler and when dry sand the filler smooth. The headboard did have these big holes left by the side supports which were too big for wood filler. To fill the holes I used some plywood cut to size and pushed into the gaps. Then the gap was filled with the wood filler and sanded smooth once dry.

Step 3: Add a Base Coat

The headboard was given 2 coats of white chalk paint as a base colour.

Step 4: Add a Design Using Painters Tape

Using painter's tape I randomly added shapes to the headboard. I started with big triangles and gradually made smaller ones inside them. Smooth down the tape to prevent any paint bleeding through.

Step 5: Paint Inside the Shapes

Using a small foam paint roller I randomly painted the shapes using 2 shades grey chalk paint. Paint one colour at a time to prevent the colours from smudging.

Step 6: Remove the Tape

Once the paint is totally dry you can remove the painter's tape to reveal your design. I found this part so exciting.

Step 7: Seal the Paint for Durability

To seal the paint and make it more durable, the headboard was given 2 coats of water-based polyurethane.

Step 8: Finished Headboard

And that was my headboard makeover done. This was quick and easy and the results were stunning. The pictures do not do the colours justice. And your trash has just become a treasure for a few more years.