Built on the 4th of July

During our much anticipated super-fun visit to Western New York over the 4th of July (for a beautiful wedding, 2 birthday celebrations and great visits with both sides of our family), I asked my dad for his help building a West Elm-style headboard I'd seen on Ana White's site.

In return for Dad's assistance, Matt and I helped him sort through his inventory of lumber he's collected through the years. We had the pine, poplar, oak and "miscellaneous" wood sorted and re-stacked in no time. And, he had enough poplar on hand to build the entire headboard. Sweet!

Dad's workshop is stellar. There's saw dust on the floors, despite the powerful ventilation system in place. Some of the machines (table saw, wood planer, sanders) are on wheels so they can be pushed to the side or pulled into the middle when in use. He's got an awesome set-up for the miter saw that allows him to lay the wood flat on either side and make his cuts without having to hold the wood in place. There's stuff everywhere you look - tools, paint, hardware in his father's old cigar boxes that he's painted and labeled. Oh, and our 16 year old cats hang out with him in the workshop to keep him company. I'm jealous.

But back to the project. After cutting the wood to the correct sizes ('measure twice, cut once'), we used the Kreg jig to put about 40-50 pocket holes into the various pieces. I sanded down a few of the edges. While the fireworks went off in the distance, we brought the pieces upstairs and I laid them out in the pattern.

Tuesday morning, we carefully assembled everything, only to take it appart once complete so we could pack it away in our car.

Back to Philly, I primed it last night (using Behr's premium primer + paint off the shelf semigloss in Pure White, with low VOCs) and then assembled it before putting on the second coat. I still need to put a third coat on (at least), so I have it temporarily clamped to the bed frame because we're hosting company this weekend. I'll likely finish the painting early next week before mounting it for good next week.

I think it looks great, especially since it still lets the light through the windows but provides a much needed backstop for the bed.

And the price was right. The wood and hardware were free (thanks Dad!), so I only spent $12 at Home Depot on the paint and a shorty brush (short-handled, 2" angled brush...thanks for the tip, YHL) to fit into the tight spaces. The original headboard was between 200-250! And, the best part - I got to build something with my talented, renowned Dad. Best 4th of July ever.