Spotlight: Pallet Headboard
If you follow Pinterest, or any DIY sites, there is no doubt you have witnessed the surge of pallet furniture and projects over the last few years. Why do you think this is? Well first, if you already have the pallets or access to them, your material cost (other than finish) is virtually nothing. Also, you can have a one of a kind piece that is completely customizable. Last, let’s not forget the benefits of upcycling.
When a friend mentioned that he was planning on making a pallet headboard for his bed, and another for his niece, I asked (maybe insisted?) that he would let me share his project. I even offered to help a little.
His headboard was first, and the process pretty simple overall:
- Disassemble pallet, cut down nails
- Sand down to desired smoothness
- Layout pieces, cut to size
- Stain/paint/and seal
- Arrange boards & attach to base
- Attach trim around edges
- Install/Attach to wall
The disassembling/sanding process was the most labor intensive part. Caution must be used to avoid cracking or splitting the boards, which can be dry.
This is where I came in…the easy part, helping with the color. I picked Minwax Classic Gray for the stain and Minwax One Coat Polyurethane to seal. I played around a little to get the different finishes (one coat, one coat wiped off, 2 coats, etc). That combined with the different textures & smoothness of the boards, resulted in some great color variations.
After the stain & poly were dry, he arranged the boards, attached to the base, and put trim around the entire perimeter.
Then it was time to install finished product, turned out great right? Masculine without being too rustic, and a one-of-a-kind piece.
Once his was finished, he repeated the process for a headboard for his niece, this time using white paint he had on hand. I love how just the difference in finish makes them so unique, his niece loves it too.
Now I just need to convince him to make one for me 🙂
By The Poole 