Project Home Rennovation: Master Bedroom DIY Painted Headboard.

Last week I finally put the petal to the metal and knocked out another big project around the house that's been hanging over my head: find a cheap headboard for our bedroom.  Previously, I was thinking of constructing one similar to this.  However, in my daily blog reading I came upon this photo:

...and thought, a painted headboard would be cheaper, easier, and just as smart looking, so why not?  And from start to finish, it cost me exactly $6 (in paint, as we had all the other supplies). 

What you'll need: 

Painter's tape, measuring device, pencil, laser level with tripod, and not pictured, electrical tape if you plan to use any curved shapes.  

And of course, your blank canvas, and inspiration photo to boot.  

What You'll Do:

1. Tape off where the corners of the bed meet the wall.  Set up laser level to project a vertical line 3 inches out from each side of the bed; tape this line from the baseboards up to about 18" above the horizontal tape marking the height of the bed.

2. Move the vertical laser line in 4 inches, mark, and then switch it to the horizontal setting to mark up 4 inches from your last mark.  This will guide you to mark out the curved corner section of the design.  

3. Mark 6 inches in from the laser line shown above.  Add a vertical piece of tape to get a 90 degree angle here.  Be sure to do the same on both sides of the bed as you progress. 

4. Begin to draw your rounded top edge by sketching out a grid as follows: Find the exact middle between the uppermost corners that you've just marked out.  Next, mark the middle of both sections to divide the space into quarters.  Continue with this process until you have markings every 3-5 inches, however your space can be divided up.

5. Mark the arch: Place a ruler with the bottom edge lined up with the middle point on your grid.  Mark 10 inches up.  Move outward, point by point and descending an inch or two at a time (this will depend on your own space).  Be sure to the mark the same measurement on points positioned in the same spot on opposite sides.  Finally, connect your dots to create an arch.

6. Tape along straight edges.  Use electrical tape around the main arch, as it is flexible enough to gently curve, and overlap the outer edges with painter's tape to extend the coverage and guarantee a stick.

7. Lap the edges with a brush, carefully free handing any untaped edges.

8. Use a roller to fill in the shape.  Re-coat, removing tape immediately after you finish your final coat (I find the tape causes less damage this way).  Finally, touch up any hairy edges and you're done!

This is a project that really only takes about a day off and on to complete from the shopping to the end.  And I do have to say, for $6, it's well worth the work!