Furniture Facelift: Becca’s Dumpster Headboard

I must be rubbing off on the people around me. My good pal Becca came to me with this headboard she rescued from the garbage truck. It’s a little dingy and a little banged up but you’d never know after Becca finished with it! This headboard was just leaning against the dumpster, all but forgotten from society, when Becca came and dragged off scooped up this guy and brought him home. I love happy endings!

My favorite part of this particular DIY is the fact that Becca enlisted several minions to help her with this whale of sanding job. If you look close in this next frame you can see just how hard she worked those poor souls, I mean come on that guy is literally ZzZzZzZz… on the couch! Haha, just kidding, that’s what friends are for right? But with a little elbow grease and some good ‘ole shellacking she turned this homely old chunk of wood into a classy and glossy headboard.

The cost of her supplies was pretty easy on the pocketbook:

paint – $8

electric sander – borrowed

headboard – found

labor – forced

brush – $6

primer – $4

Sandpaper – $2

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total = $20

Why anyone throws away good solid wood I’ll never know. She lucked out on this piece because it was a quality piece, (for the benefits of MDF click here) that was well finished. The downside was all the sanding that was involved. She then wiped all the extra dust off the headboard and began the painting process. She first laid a few light coats of primer and let that dry. Becca chose a semi-gloss black to finish the piece with and it took another 4 light coats of paint. Never underestimate the power of a glossy black.

Now it has made a cozy little home for itself in her bedroom.

And they lived happily ever after! I love how much a coat of paint can do to a piece! What have you been painting recently? Any rescue stories you would love to share about dumpster diving? Do you think dumpster diving is completely disgusting?

Want to share your latest DIY project? Send it to info@compartmentlife.com. Compartment Life reserves the right to be picky and finicky about the pictures we want to use.

-You know you love me-

Shannon