The one thing that has stayed true and unchanged in our home is our DIY door headboard we created when we first moved in. This has been a staple piece in our bedroom and I really don’t see us changing anytime soon.
It all started when my hubby found an old wood door in the barn on our property. In fact, here is the exact picture he sent me when he found it. I had been looking for this exact door to make a door headboard, it was meant to be!
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I quickly stopped by Home Depot to pick up a 1″x4″ common board and a piece of decorative trim. This is all you should need to turn a boring wood door into a farmhouse style door headboard.
We propped the door up on some sawhorses and I started by giving the door a light sanding with my orbital sander to get any loose paint off. I planned on painting the door when we were finished.
We then took the decorative trim and cut it to length with our miter saw. You’ll want to cut it the exact same length as your door.
Next, cut your 1″x4″ common board to the same length as your door as well.
Once both pieces are cut, lay the decorative trim flush with the side of the door, and use the common board to create a ledge, but make sure this is flush with what will be the back of your door headboard. Nail in place using a brad nailer.
Once you’re finished, fill in any nail holes and paint/stain your door headboard in the color of your choosing. I chose to paint the entire door white, then go back over it with one coat of Annie Sloan’s Graphite Chalk Paint and then whitewashed over it with Rustoleum’s Linen White Chalk Paint. Once the paint was dry, I used a 5-in-1 paint tool to chip away the paint, exposing the original color of the door too.
Your door headboard will be very heavy, so I always recommend hanging with french cleat’s. You can find these at any home improvement store or online depending on the size of your project.
I also want to add that your typical door size will make a king size headboard such as we have. To make a smaller door headboard, you would simply cut the length of the door down on a table saw.
Door Headboard Materials
Old Door
(1) 1″x4″ Common Board Cut to Length
(1) Piece of Decorative Trim Cut to Length
Chalk Paint
That’s it! We didn’t have to buy a bed set or spend a ton of money to get the look we wanted. Because we had all the tools on hand, left over chalk paint and the door was found in our barn, we spent a whole whopping $9 on this project for the french cleats! We love our door headboard and will use it for years to come!
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I didn’t see a picture of the French cleat u r talking about. Also I would like to do this but not hang it on the wall. How could I do that?
So I love this going to keep an eye out for a door. But I’m loving that blanket or throw that is on these bed and I was wondering where to got. Thank you. You have a Lovely home
Hi Debbie! If you head to my home page, you’ll see a link down below for our farmhouse style bedroom makeover. You will find all our products linked there. Thank you!