DIY Pallet Headboard

 When we bought our new bed we thought about getting a headboard right away too. We had a hard time finding one we really liked and the ones we did like were pretty expensive. So when we got our hands on some old pallets,  I knew what our first project would be. A headboard!

 I had seen a few ideas on Pinterest of what I sorta had in mind, but once we got working on it and drew out plans we made it up as we went. 

We began by carefully removing all the boards from the pallets and pulling out the nails. Then we decided what side of each board looked best and sanded them nice and smooth. 

Next we build the frame.

We started by deciding how high and how wide we wanted the headboard to be. We measured the bed frame and wrote it all down on our sketch of it.

We originally thought we'd do 5 vertical back braces but then changed our mind and did 4. But then realized 6 would be better! Hey, we're not pros. We're winging it as we go! 

  

Then the fun part... fitting the boards all in. For the most part we wanted them all to end on the frame so we could make sure the ends were adequately attached. 

We also added a ledge/shelf to the top of the headboard to finish it off. 

What I love so much about this project is that the imperfections of each board just add to the character of the whole piece.

 We sanded down the areas the screws went in and wiped the sawdust and anything else off it. And then it was ready to be stained!

  

We wanted some color but not too dark that you couldn't see the wood grains. So we did one coating and let it sit for a bit and then wiped off the excess. I love the shade it came out as! 

Three days of drying and it was ready to be put up! 

I'm so happy with how it turned out! Now I'm even more excited to create some more things with the rest of the pallets!