Headboard From an Old Wooden Door

In this simple instructable I'll show you how I made a shabby chic style headboard from an old unwanted cupboard door.

Things needed; Old unwanted wooden door, paint/varnish stripper, the legs from an old headboard and some screws. Optional, duck egg paint and Danish oil.

Tools needed; paint brush, scraper, sander, screwdriver, eye protection, gloves, respirator.

Step 1: Wood Prep

To start, prep your door.

Remove all hardware, hinges and handles.

I cut off one end to make things symmetrical. (see image)

Next, brush on paint stripper (always follow manufactures instructions, safety is number one priority when using this stuff). Once that was blistering I scraped off and gave it a quick hose down.

Next stage is sanding. Needless to say you will see better results the more time and effort you put in.

I used an electric belt sander with 120 grit and move on to hand sanding with 280 grit. I also used a small file for the harder to reach places like the inner corners.

Step 2: Headboard Legs

Using the legs from our old headboard I measured out the distance between each of them and simply transferred them on to our new one.

Step 3: Finishing the Headboard

Using some old paint I had kicking around in the shed (duck egg blue) I painted the inner frame bevel (see image).

Once that was dry I did some more hand sanding, scratching the surface giving it a shabby chic feel.

I finished the headboard project with some Danish oil.

Good night...