I knew I needed a headboard. I’ve known for an over extended period of time. I’ve ignored getting one mostly because I knew I could make a better one. Given due time. Well due time has come and I think I have an idea. If I up-cycled this old whiskey barrel and gave it new life as a headboard, I think it would look most excellent behind my bed. I’ve decided that The Whiskey Barrel Project will become a headboard, eventually.
In most past project planning I usually use one of two methods. One requires more time planning, less time struggling, and more time enjoying. The second requires no time planning, more work, and less time enjoying.
Palmer’s Proper Method #1:
Digging deep into the Pinterest archives for “Pinspiration”
Palmer’s Proper Method #2:
Just Winging It
This method is much more complicated and involves no planning and oftentimes much more headache.
Obviously, I went for Palmer’s Proper Method #2 as it is the most reasonable course of action. In fact, it’s my default method in most of my DIYs because I love not listening to myself and making things way more complicated than they need to be.
So here is my thinking:
If I lay the wooden barrel staves face side up and stacked them together it should form a large rectangle resembling a potential headboard. I would attach them together somehow with a frame of some sort to help maintain structure. The final piece of the puzzle would figure out feet of the headboard. The part that touches the ground and would also attach to the back on the bed frame.
If all goes well I should have a pretty sick headboard for my bed. There may only be a few things needed from Home Depot because I already had most items on hand.
The length of a bed to fit a headboard for my queen size is about 5 feet. This was found with a quick google search on “queen size beds.” With the whiskey barrel already dismantled due to a moving mishap I ran off to the hardware store and returned with these items:
- 4 2x4s each measuring 5 feet long
- 2-inch constructions screws
- 3-inch construction screws
This should be enough to get started so this whiskey barrel is finally ready to be given new and eternal life! Muh hahahah. (In my head I have a sinister voice and lightning bolts are flashing behind me in the distance.)
Making the Lip
I kicked off the project by building out a resting spot for the staves. Let’s call it a “lip.” The lip is what all of the whiskey barrel slats are attached to and is the top of the headboard. Using 2 pieces of 2×4 wood, I created a perpendicular “T” section with the wider length of one 2×4 to the thinner side of the other 2×4. These were drilled into place with 5 3-inch screws.
So far so good.
Attaching the Staves
I had a slight bump in the road when the staves were finally laid in place. (I also had to google what these pieces were actually called because wtf knows that kind of information?) I realized after I had placed a few slats together flat on the ground that the whiskey barrel, when fully constructed, was round. I don’t think that would work too well for a headboard.
I opted for an alternated pattern using one stave face side up, followed by one face side down. This made the structure flat and also filled up more empty space from the previous concept.
I also ended up using much more of the staves that I had originally anticipated leaving only two remaining after the 5-foot lip was covered. (save them though, I’m glad I did and you’ll see why later).
Pro Tip: When drilling the oak staves you’ll want to first make a drill hole. This makes adding the screws a much easier process.
I finished the first part of the headboard with a repeat of “Making the Lip” section. This was used for the bottom section of the headboard.
I decided to give it a rest and call it a day. So far so good! The rest of this project should be a piece of cake, or so I thought…
Stay tuned for the next step in the Whiskey Barrel Project by subscribing below. Contact me for questions or concerns via email using the contact form in the orange section to the right or by sending a message through the facebook chat icon below. Finally, please share and pin this post if you are getting inspired from what I’m sharing. Leave a comment below about what inspired you the most! Your support is much appreciated!
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