Liven up a boring bedroom with a painted headboard.
A small budget or limited space do not mean your bed can't have a headboard. If there is space on the wall behind it, you can design a hand-painted headboard with little money and minimal artistic talent. Choose a different paint texture or contrasting color from your walls to help the headboard stand out, and ask a helper to assist you with holding materials. Begin in the morning, and your headboard should be dry by bedtime. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure from the floor on the left side of the bed to the height you want your painted headboard. Make a mark with a pencil. Repeat on the right side of the bed.
2. Move to the left of the bed. Stand the 1-by-4 board on-end with its left edge against the height mark. Set a carpenter's level on the side of the board and adjust the board until the bubble is centered. Trace the left and right sides of the board onto the wall with a pencil using light strokes that the paint will hide (see References 1, paragraph 2). Stop at the height mark. This is the left headboard post.
3. Move to the right of the bed. Stand the board on-end with its right edge against the height mark. Set the level on the side of the board and center the bubble. Trace both sides of the board onto the wall with light pencil strokes, stopping at the height mark. This is the right headboard post.
4. Hold the board horizontally between the two faux posts at the height you would like the top of the headboard to rest. Set the level on top of the board and center the bubble. Ask a helper to trace the top and bottom of the board onto the wall. Slide the board to the left along the horizontal line and continue tracing to the post. Repeat on the right. This is the top of the headboard.
5. Place the bottom of the coffee can on the wall at the top of each headboard post. Trace around it, forming a faint circle (see References 2, page 4, paragraph 1). These are the cannon ball finials.
6. Fill in each of the headboard post outlines with the paint color of your choice using a 3-inch wide paintbrush. Fill in the horizontal headboard top outline and the cannon ball post toppers in the same manner.
7. Paint the empty space between the posts, under the top of the headboard, with the same paint or a contrasting color. Let the paint dry.
8. Trace the outlines of all the headboard segments using a narrow paintbrush and contrasting paint to add definition. Use black or gray if the headboard is white. Choose white if the headboard is black. Any contrasting color will add definition and help separate the segments.
Tags: headboard post, height mark, board onto, board onto wall, contrasting color, onto wall