LOOK AT WHAT MY PARENTS FOUND.
I mean, that is AMAZING.
It was sitting in the trash room in their apartment building, and the second my mom spotted it she gave me a call and announced that I needed to run our station wagon into the city for a pickup.
Getting it into the car was not-so-fun (the process required three people, the utilization of various stuffed animals as padding, and about twenty thousand pieces of string that were not bungee cords but would have to do), and getting it out of the car all on my lonesome was even less fun…but I am so happy I did. And also so happy that I instagram-sourced for suggestions on how to spruce it up a little, because you guys were close to unanimous in what color you thought it should be…and I agreed.
Want to see the “after”?!
BOOM.
Eeeee I love it.
I think that spray paint is clearly the way to go for large, intricate pieces like this: sure, it’s a little more expensive and you waste more than you do with hand-painting…but it gives a much more professional-looking finish. If you’re planning on commencing a similar project, a few tips:
1. Unless you have a very well-ventilated room (preferably with a fan in the window) you’ll want to spray-paint outside.
2. It’s best to spray-paint in warmer weather (60-80 degrees F, but most paints will have a suggested temperature range on the label), but if you’re spray-painting outside in the wintertime just make sure that it’s above 50 degrees or so; lower temperatures mess with the consistency of the paint and make it take much longer to dry.
3. Multiple thin coats are better than one thick coat (although this is actually one and a half coats, because we ran out of spray paint and I got impatient and didn’t want to go back for more) – thin coats don’t drip, and you’ll get more even coverage. Just make sure to wait at least half an hour in between so that the first layer is fully dry.
4. If you’re worried about the paint sticking to the surface you’re painting, test an area first and use a primer if necessary.
Now, granted: the headboard is way too big for our bed, which is (sadly) a queen. But I care zero, both because…well, because I just don’t really care; I love it whether it’s a for-real headboard attached to the bed or just a piece of art…and also because it gives me an excuse to start fantasizing about buying a king-sized bed. I’m not sure that it’s possible – our bedroom is really small – but oh my god, it would be nice.
We’ll see.
