I am a big believer that you should never tackle a project unless it solves a problem. Seriously. I am lazy like that. And yes, sometimes the problem is that you are bored and your project fills that craving for creativity….unless you have four kids and then, you are probably thinking WHATEVER MY PROJECT IS A NAP.
Preach my friend. Preach. Naps are my version of a date night. Complete with Barry White music. (I almost typed Barry Manilow there….totally different vibe. Definitely not nap music.)
Okay….so if you recall, we constructed the beds for the boys a while back. Click here to read that old post. They were originally bunk beds that we found in the trash and needed some tweaking to make functional. The problem with bunk beds is that the headboard and the footboard are usually the same height. We even added “finials” to the headboard portion of the boys bed but as you can see below…their pillows could go right over the top of the headboard rail. I wanted a proper headboard so that they didn’t find themselves pushing against the window or falling off the end.
I figured that a 3/4″ thick piece of plywood would solve that problem. We bought one sheet of 4×8 plywood and decided on a simple design that we could add to the existing headboard to make it more ‘headboardy’. That is a legit word. It’s too legit to quit. yay. yay.
I started by measuring and marking the height and width I needed.
Then to make it a smidge more interesting than just square, I decided to do a round cut out on both corners. That was achieved by marking 10″ over and 10″ down from each corner….then I used a rounded pot to make the curve.
Cutting them out was super simple.
I wish I was better with the jigsaw. I think I might practice on some scraps and do some fun designs.
Anyhooo….I cut out the boards and then sanded them lightly.
Since this was plywood, it was important to use edge banding to make it look like a solid piece of wood. We have an old iron that we use for this type of thing but if you don’t have one, I would definitely suggest using a piece of parchment paper to protect your iron.
After the edge banding was on the exposed edges, I sanded them all down really well (that is the key to edge banding….a good sanding to blend it in) and prepped the boards for paint.
I wasn’t in the mood to repaint the entire beds so I decided that I would just use the same paint that I used for the rest of them to make the headboards look like they had been there all along.
The color is Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore.
Okay…so I had the paint can on the edge of my makeshift workspace….just like this….
And Weston walks over, moves the brush off and takes the entire paint can and dumps it on his chest. I’m not even kidding. It was like a game to him. He dumped it right smack dab in the center of his plaid overalls (it was a very cute outfit by the way) and it poured down his front into a giant puddle and he started smearing it around with his foot. Paint problems for the boys room = 2.
Next came installation. Since the existing headboards already had a brace across the back, we decided that the best way to attach the new headboards would be screwing them directly into the existing brace.
The boys had wrestle mania while daddy worked.
Poor LJ. Weston is constantly trying to sit on his head.
Jeremy used a couple dark screws and it was super simple.
They are low enough and dark enough that you can’t really see them at all unless you are really close.
Oh and I wanted to show you the edge banding all painted up. Looks good right!?
So here is the finished product. Totally high enough to act like a real headboard but looks like it’s been there all along because of the color and the round corner cut outs.
Oh and just so you can see what it looks like ‘in-use’….here is a picture of how high it looks when the pillows are in normal sleep mode….or when tummy time is in session 🙂
So there you have it…the new boys headboards. The best part is that if we change our minds or the boys want bunk beds down the line, we can remove the four screws and stack them back up. Easy peasy!
What a good, easy idea to do! And poor Weston… was he blue for awhile or did it come off easily? I painted with oil paints the other day and will probably have white dots all over my arms for the rest of summer.
How did you ever get the paint removed from your child?
I love how those came out! Thanks for the inspiration. We are in desperate need of a headboard in our bedroom, but I’ve been too indecisive. Something simple like this might do it! Also, thanks for showing us how to add that edging. I had no idea!
Great idea! They’re really cute and I LOVE the color. It was so nice meeting you today! We should totally schedule a playdate for the kiddos. 🙂
Totally cute idea. Would never know they didn’t come like that.
I can’t wait to see the rooms finishing touches…I spy a bit of arrow action? 😉
Looks great! Did you use a poly coat to finish the beds or just the paint? I just finished painting a bed frame and debating on whether or not to spend the time on the poly coat.
Once again, I am amazed at what you get accomplished! I think I need more pictures of Weston covered in paint though! Headboards look great even though you had to endure wrestle mania while it was being installed!
Ok, so I know you have all kinds of spare time right now and are probably just hanging out watching the Fixer Upper reruns and stuff . . .and the first thing I thought when I saw the boys beds put together with the new headboards . . .Monogram! How cute would they be with the boys’ monograms on them? Go ahead and get on that -you know in between the nursing and diaper changes! 🙂 Love your blog!
They totally look like they were meant to be there all along!
Oh, Katie. I don’t know how you do all of it, but you do it well. #somanybabies #somanyprojects
ooohhh that would look cute 🙂
xo – kb
I just did the paint. I figured that if I did the poly then it would be harder to recoat if a bad nick or scratch happened.
xo – kb
Ahhh Leslie! I was so embarrassed to run into you looking straight outta a horror movie. You are so sweet to even consider seeing this hot mess again 🙂
xo – kb
Well, we immediately stripped the kid down and then washed it off his skin while it was still wet! Thankfully the paint is water based!
xo – kb
It came off Weston pretty easily…although his little cuticles were blue for a couple days 🙂 Thankfully I use water based paint!
xo – kb
My favorite part… The boy pile. Brings back such lovely memories. Their more fun to watch then a pile of kittens. Lol.
Oh good! I’m glad to know that head-sitting is totally normal big brother behavior! We’ve got 6 boys (and one girl smack dab in between) and it’s my 3 year old who does this to the two year old. So weird!
Please promise me you took photos of Weston trying out for Blue Man Group. And might someday share this in a bloopers blog. I would LOVE a bloopers blog of all the mistakes that happen in real life. Although in my recollection, when disasters strike, I’m usually trying to clean up the mess, not reach for the camera.
Back on topic; headboards look great and sturdy enough to last for a few years of wrestle mania…
You’re crazy! You just had a baby and you were fully clothed AND in public-you’re my hero!! My oldest (Madelynn) was like, “Who are those boys, I want to play with them?!?!
These look amazing! I love the blue you chose – also, “headboardy” is my new favourite word!