I should start out by saying that this project was inspired by a total copycat of Project #73 in the “Young House Love” book. Which is a really, really great resource for simple DIY projects with idiot-proof instructions.
To summarize: (because you really should get the book) I went to Home Depot and got some planks of wood. I used teak planks because they were cheap and had the most character. Since the Raspberry Towers bed is a Full size (about 54 inches wide) I had the planks cut to 60 inches so the headboard would stick out a little on either side. I got (8) 4″ wide planks to make a 32″ high headboard. HOWEVAH- it turns out that “lumber measurements are unreliable” (which I guess this is something we all just accept?) and so it came out to 28″ instead. Oh well.
Okay, so assembly goes like this:
Step One: Have a friend who’s a carpenter and just let them do it. JUST KIDDING JUST KIDDING JUST KIDDING, you can totally handle this on your own. In my case, I just figured a little professional supervision couldn’t hurt. And it didn’t! It only made things better! He suggested using 3 long clamps to hold the horizontal pieces tightly in place while fastening them together to make the headboard sturdier. So I’m glad we added that step, but seriously, I did a lot of actual carpenter-ing too.
Step Two: Figure out how long you want to leave the stain on using these super sophisticated test strips made out of Sharpie and lumber scraps.
Step Three: Stain yer board, dude! I think I ended up leaving the stain on for 7-ish minutes before wiping it off. Bonus points if you can complete this task without being photographed by a loved one.
Step Four: ADMIRE YOUR HANDIWORK BECAUSE YOU BUILD THINGS OUT OF WOOD AND YOU ARE TRIUMPHANT!
The supplies for this project cost $55. I would argue that it looks like it cost much more. Me and everyone I know loved how this came out. Props to you, Young House Love, and a HUGE THANKS to Pat, who is not only an amazing Carpenter-Witch but is also funny and genuinely nice to be around.
