How To Create A Stylish Headboard From Old Plantation Shutters

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When the time comes to replace your existing plantation shutters, you can use the old ones to create an impressive, shabby chic, distressed-look headboard for your bedroom.  You'll need a few basic DIY skills for this project and it can be completed in just one day.  Here's how to do it.

What you'll need

  • old plantation shutters
  • screwdriver
  • screws, anchors, and mending braces
  • hammer
  • drill
  • spray primer
  • latex paint
  • paintbrush
  • paper towel
  • sandpaper
  • drop cloth

You'll find everything you need for this job in your local DIY store if you don't already have the requirements in your tool kit.

How to do it

  1. Remove any doorknobs, hinges, etc. from the shutters.  Place the shutters on a large drop cloth to protect the floor while you're working.  
  2. Now coat the front and sides of the shutters with spray primer.  Hold the can about half a metre from the shutters and move the can smoothly back and forth.  This helps to prevent drips and gives a more even coverage.  Allow the primer to dry.  
  3. When the primer is dry, you can paint the shutters.  You can make the shutters appear more weathered and distressed by wiping some of the paint off the brush with a paper towel before applying it to the wood.  This specialist technique, called "dry brushing", allows a small amount of bare wood and primer to show through the paint, giving the shabby look you want.  
  4. To finish off the weathered look, wait until the paint is completely dry, and then sand the parts of the shutters that would have been most exposed to the elements, for example the outside edges of the shutters and the front of the louvres.  
  5. Join the shutters together by screwing mending braces to the top, middle, and bottom of each one.  
  6. Set the shutters in the required position behind your bed to form a headboard.  Drill a small hole through each shutter to mark the wall with the desired position of each anchor.  These should be sited one in each top corner of each shutter.  Now move the shutters away from the wall, and drive the anchors into the predrilled holes.  
  7. Move the shutters back into place, and fix them securely to the wall by using the drill to drive a screw through the front of each shutter and into the anchors.

In conclusion

You can create a stunning, shabby chic headboard from your old plantation shutters by following the guide above.  Why not paint your new wooden timber shutters to coordinate with your new headboard?

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8 June 2016

Compelling and Creative Commentary on Construction and Contractors: A Blog

Welcome! My name is Frances, and this is my first blog. Whether you found me through a Google search or were passed my link by a friend, I am so glad you found my blog. I plan to fill it with a range of commentary on the world of contracting and construction work, and I hope that you find my ideas compelling and creative. I am a dog trainer, but I have always loved the world of construction. I tend to work a lot on the weekends and evenings, when my clients are off work. As a result, I have a lot of time to write during the day, and I decided to create this blog. Thank you for reading.