It lurked beneath the stairs in our basement. The space was cold and dark, and echoed an empty feeling from the 1920's. The last true sighting of it was June 5th, 2010 when this photo was taken...
It's..... THE DOOR! 'Dun, dun, duuuuuunnnnn'!!!!!!!
Okay, that's enough of the silly door drama. As we mentioned in our plan for the Master Bedroom, we discovered an old door in our basement that is original to our house. We thought it would be cool to turn into a headboard for our bed. However, our plan was foiled last night after a sad discovery.
I had asked Alex to get that old door up from the basement so we could look at the work we needed to do on it. Alex's response was "Where is the door anyway?" That's when I realized it had really been a long time since either of us had laid eyes on it. At least I remembered it was still there under the stairs.
Alex crawled into the dark space behind the stairs and turned the door on it's side to get it out. Once he got it into the light he yelled, "Nope, there's no way we are using this door for anything."
I thought 'oh he is just being picky or difficult'. But once I got a good look at it I knew he was right.
"YUCK!"
"YUCK!"
It was sad. It really made me wonder how long the door was sitting down there under the stairs decaying? 10 years? 20? Maybe 40? It was pretty gross and I bet it is covered in lead paint from the 1920's. There is no way I would want to sleep near that.
With that dream dashed, we don't have a headboard idea ready to go anymore, booo! Also, we sold our metal bedframe on Craigslist over the weekend so our mattress and boxspring (shown below) are just chilling on the floor. Rocco is the only one happy about that, the little pup can finally jump up onto the bed!
The bright side is we wanted to get rid of that bedframe anyway so that part isn't a bummer, but I thought we would have had the headboard ready to go.
Now that our options are open, what should we do for the headboard?
I would like to stick to something wood that is painted white. We sold the metal bedframe for $90, so I can't justify spending more than that or I will feel foolish. And, as much as I would love to do one of those cute DIY tufted upholstered headboards, I'm not thinking that would look right with the fluffy white bedding we have in mind.
Do you still like the door repurposed as a headboard idea?
Should we hit up one of our favorite local architectural salvage spots for a similar door?
Or do you have a fun idea/ DIY suggestion?
We're all ears, please let us know!
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HeHe - sounds vaguely familiar. My husband and I bought a door about 5 or 6 years ago to make in to a headboard. We sanded and painted it but it never quite made it behind the bed.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea and maybe you will get your headboard done before me!
you know me, I'd still use the door - it's awesome!!! Just a little scrubadub and good as new. :) Then again, the pictures may not do it justice... if it's REALLY bad - I'd still go the door route via a ReStore or Arch Salvage place.
ReplyDeletePs - does this mean you're moving your bed to where your dresser is! Say yes, Say yes!!!
Have you thought about going to a Habitat Restore and looking for an old door? I know the one we have is filled with some vintage finds!
ReplyDeleteThat door isn't that bad! Abatron makes an epoxy that can be used to rebuild missing chunks of wood. Any lead paint can come off with either a heatgun or chemical stripper followed by a belt sander.
ReplyDeleteBut, that's understandably a lot of work for a headboard. I bet it would burn really well!
It depends on how much you want to use that particular door. There is an epoxy wood hardener product and wood fill kit on the market that I had good results with (I got mine from North End Hardware a couple of years ago). The hardener absorbs into wood and fills crevices to halt deterioration and improve structural integrity. The wood fill that came with the kit cures nice and hard. The old paint would probably need to be striped off the corner of the door to be worked on, at least, to improve how well the wood hardener absorbs. Neither paint stripper nor the wood hardener product are things you would want to use in a poorly ventilated room - or indoors at all IMO.
ReplyDeleteWhat about displaying some artwork?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a door. I really like using old shutters or windows.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Ana White's farmhouse bed plans? I think it could be done pretty cheaply if get some of the wood from craigslist :) http://ana-white.com/2009/10/from-queen-to-full-size-farmhouse-bed_2616.html I also like the first one in this post with the two doors: http://tatertotsandjello.com/2010/08/20-headboard-ideas.html
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Ooooo!!!! I haven't heard of these beds! Thank you for posting this fresh idea! I have to show my hubby...
DeleteI definitely think a door would still be awesome, or what about a pallet headboard?
ReplyDeletegood luck cant wait to see what you end up choosing
ReplyDeleteWhy not go a different direction and use the old door as a table? It could be stripped, trimmed and painted and then covered with glass or plexiglass with legs added or set on sawhorses and used elsewhere in your home or on a porch. Many possibilities... even hung on a wall as a backdrop for pictures,etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat about doing something with some of those old windows??
ReplyDeleteYes, we thought about that after the door didn't work out :) I have found a couple of images where they use them side by side. I might have to paint them white? Not sure what to do with the glass though, that would have to come out, I wouldn't want a pane to ever break or something near where we sleep! Cool idea, thanks!!!
DeleteThanks for the ideas everybody! Regarding the door, I guess I didn't emphasize how bad it is, it is really, really, bad! It feels brittle, like it would crack in half and I think at somepoint it was exposed to water in the basement (we've had those lovely issues), so there is no way we are going to use it, too icky. I am planning on checking out the local architectural salvage spots for a replacement door. I like those Ana White Farmhouse beds, I will have to show the hubby! He might go for that style minus the drawers under the mattress, I know he isn't into that part of the look. Oh, and Amber, I might move the bed over there and see how the rooms looks, as of now I am not sure if it would fit. It might not leave enough space at the end of the bed to the door. We'll see! So many good ideas! Thank you!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI used a door for our guest room bed and love it! You can find one cheap I'm sure. :)
ReplyDeleteI actually have a different idea for you! What if you did a headboard out of some rustic wood planks like this one...
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/pin/226728162459923076/
But then paint 3 or 4 large numbers on it instead? I think it could be very your style but also be a bit classier to go with the room's style!
They have lots of doors at "Better Homes & Garbage" in your area that aren't very expensive. (I vote find a new door---♥ the idea)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bhandgarbage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=62&Itemid=105