DIY Headboard from A 1913 Jim Beam Barrel

After catching up on the first three parts of this DIY, try it yourself using the steps below. Hopefully, you’ll find inspiration from what I am sharing and decide to go for it and make something even better.

I had this Jim Beam whiskey barrel from Jim Beam. It was in an old family shed and stored for who knows how long. Decades?. When I initially started this DIY, I didn’t really have any expectation of what would come out of it. In fact, in the beginning I didn’t even have a plan for what this Whiskey Barrel’s new life would be.

It was given a new life as a side table. While functional, it was awkwardly tall. In the latest move, it took a turn for the worse as, per usual, I was trying to transport it. The whole barrel fell apart like pick-up sticks on the floor.

Luckily, because of my obsession with saving absolutely everything I can in hopes of later upcycling, I kept the barrel.

When the time came for me to add a headpiece to my bed, “The Whiskey Barrel Project” was born. The idea of a new life for these scattered sticks was put into action and tracked using the series listed below. I documented this process over a four-part series doing my best to track its upcycling progress.

I did this because I know myself. I am more than aware that more than likely, I eventually will lose track of my thoughts and it all. Remembering is not my thing unless ideas are tracked.

This one’s dirty old Jim Beam Whiskey Barrel eventually would become a DIY Whiskey Barrel Headboard. Here is that process:

Materials:

(3) 2” x 4” x 5’ boards
(2) 2” x 4” x 4’ boards
2” constructions screws
3” construction screws
Dark Oak wood stain
Whiskey Barrel

Instructions

The Frame

Step 1:

First, lay the framework for this DIY Whiskey Barrel Headboard on the floor using 2, 2” x 4” x 4’ boards parallel to one another.

Step 2: Lay the cross-section and top section with 2, 2” x 4” x 5’ boards and attach using 2 3” inch screws.

Step 3:

On the top side of the frame, attach a 2” x 4” x 5’ laid flat first by using wood glue, with 3 ½” screws on the sides of the framework, then (5) 2 ½” screws on the top board, one in the middle and two in between the middle and edges. Ensure that the top section and back section are even when laying the board on the ground. The top section of this will be used in the next step.

The Staves

Step 4:

Alternate between up facing and downfacing staves across the framework where each stave’s placement is at the top section, under the lip made in step 3. Attach using 2 ½” screws first at the top, then bottom continuing the pattern across the framework.

Step 5:

Sand the entire piece until smooth. Using a dark oak wood stain, stain the entire surface of the piece and allow it to dry for about 3 hours. With a clean cloth, wipe off any excess stain that may be on the surface still.

Step 6:

This last step has two paths. The first path is by attaching the headboard to the wall. The second, my path is to create a rest around the entire bed using 2’ x 4’ s. Attach 2 boards these boards directly into the bed frame using screws the same diameter as the ones included at purchase with a length about two times the original.