I made a headboard for $4.70!!

Yup, true story!  $4.70!  I got all my supplies at the Habitat for Humanity Restore, that’s a mere 10 cents a foot for the wood.  And did I mention I built it myself???  No, I am not proud, why do you ask?

I wanted it to look a tad shabby, not perfect.  And I love how it turned out!  I used a homemade chalk paint, using a mixture of two paint colors, both Valspar free samples from Lowes. I mixed 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of powdered grout, and then added it to 1 cup of paint.

I found the bed frame and the mattresses on FreeCycle and guess what-- it was free! I never thought I would get a used mattress from someone I didn’t know but let me tell you, when this owner told me she had shampooed the mattress and it had dried outside in the sun for two days, I decided it was a safe bet. The owner told me she got new bedroom furniture and she had decided to buy a new mattress set with the new furniture.  I did check it out really well, and covered it with a zip mattress protector.  Even the bed frame was in perfect shape.

It took me all afternoon to design the layout and cut the pieces and put it all together. 

I don’t usually do such big projects so I had to pull out the sawhorses.

I thought about leaving it like this but decided I wanted it all the same color.  Although I do like the white posts and top. I sealed it with Kilz as I was not sure what the spots on the wood were.  I didn’t want the stains to bleed through when I was done with it!

After the chalk paint, I used a sealing wax and it has a soft luster to it!

I am very very proud of this project and also how much money I spent on it!  Gotta love a great DIY project!

I will be linking to these great parties!