Re-purposed Head Board!

I love, love, love turning thrift store finds into functional pieces of art.  My guest room has sat empty since we've moved in (I'm not going to admit we've been here over a year) and I figured with our first overnight guests coming it could use some sprucing up!  This project is so simple it hurts me to think how much people are spending on store bought head boards!  Just a few simple steps and you can have this gem for your home, too!
   
Materials:

• one old fireplace mantel (purchase from the thrift store if possible!)
• one can of any color spray paint
• hammer
• sand paper
• nails

   I started this project by high-jacking this awesome old fireplace mantel that was just sitting in my parents basement.  I was so excited when I saw it sitting there and even more so when I got the go ahead to take it.  My brother and I now both live very close to our parents home.   This is not the house where we grew up so all of our left-over childhood trinkets are packed into brown boxes and stored in my parents massive basement.   This is kind of a sticky subject in their house...so needless to say, almost every time we leave family dinner on Sunday night, we leave with a few boxes and some random clutter my dad wants to get rid of. I love this. My parents both work full time so they don't have time to do all the DIY projects like I do. Another plus for me :)


   Not much to it...first I sanded the old fireplace mantel and removed any left-over nails from the back.  There were quite a few on this one.  There were also a few on the upper inside that I couldn't quite reach so I just nailed them sideways so they were hidden and wouldn't cause any unevenness when I attached it to the wall.

   Now that you have 'primed' the mantel, choose the color you want to use. I used white because our molding is white so it just seemed like the right choice. On the flip-side, a bright color, like lime green or coral, would be really eclectic and would be a nice pop of color in the room.  
   Lay the mantel flat on several old sheets and get your spray paint ready. With wide, even strokes, cover the mantle with one coat of paint. Wait at least an hour before applying another coat. Mine took about 3 coats. I suggest applying at least two coats so everything is even.
   Let the mantel dry overnight and clear the space in the room where you are planning on putting it. Hold the mantle up to the wall and hammer a few nails into it near the bottom and top. You might have to touch up the nail holes but most likely they will be un-noticable when you put the bed in front of it.
  That's it! You have yourself a brand new headboard that is full of character and YOU made it all by yourself! Doesn't that make it even more beautiful?! Now, enjoy it! If you are looking for something to display above your new headboard, check out my Repurposed frames!

This is the spray paint I used on this project: