Scavenger Chic

Raised Stencil Headboard DIY

• By Joan
• September 18, 2019
• 6 Comments

I’m working on another one of my flea market finds…this time it’s the bed.  That’s him all the way on the right, in the back.  You may remember while I found the bed at the flea market,  it was actually a free find after the seller had packed up and left for the day. 

Make sure you look at my last few posts for the flea market projects I’ve tackled so far, the jack stand, tobacco sticks and silo doors. 

My supplies include the bed, Durhams Water Putty and a butterfly stencil from Michaels.  Other supplies not shown are paint, 2, 8 ft 2x3s and scrap moulding.

Instead of leaving my bed as one bed with a headboard and a footboard my great idea was to make two matching twin headboards.

At first glance they looked to be the same size but putting them side by side, the footboard was just a little bit taller.

By taking off the bottom horizontal piece on the footboard  the two pieces  were just about equal.

The horizontal piece that still remained on the headboard stuck out a little bit and had to be sanded down.

As far as headboards go, this one wasn’t very tall, 16″.  Probably made when people didn’t load their bed with tons of pillows.

Using the side rails from the bed, I can add another 5″ to the height of the headboard.

Glue the extensions to the bottom of the headboard and footboard and use more scrap wood screwed onto the back to secure. 

Clamp and let dry.

For the legs, I’m using 2, 8ft 2×3’s cut in half.  Measure the  top of the headboard and use a circular saw, table saw or jigsaw to cut a notch in the 2×3’s to support the headboard and serve as the legs of the headboards. 

Make sure when you measure you cut the notch in the top part of the 2×3, not the bottom, or you’ll be calling yourself stupid the rest of the day.  🙂

Screw the legs onto the headboards.

I’ve been seeing raised stencils on the internet for some time now and I’ve been anxious to try the technique.  This plain headboard was the perfect blank slate.

I did try this on a piece of scrap wood first and now I was ready to begin.  Tape your stencil in place.

Other crafters use Bondo, a two part wood putty, or plaster to make raised stencils.  I didn’t have either of those on hand but I did have Durhams Water Putty 

The water putty starts as a powder, use just enough water to make it the consistency of peanut butter. Using a putty knife, spread just enough of the putty to lightly cover the stencil. You can l ift the stencil off immediately.   Let dry completely.

Clean the stencil with water, dry, and you’re ready to stencil again.

Sand lightly with fine sandpaper to remove any ridges and brush off the excess.

I had some extra moulding laying around which not only gives the headboards a little architectural detail but also adds another 1 1/2″ to the height.

Paint as desired.  **If the putty is not completely dry it will flake off with the moisture from the paint

I didn’t like the line between my bedrail addition and the rest of the headboard so I pulled out one more piece of moulding.  Cut, sand,  glue and paint .

The legs just sit on the floor but can be screwed to an existing bed frame if desired.

Without pillows this is where the headboard sits on the bed.

With one pillow, you can still see the butterfly design on the headboard.

But who uses just one pillow?  You can see here why I decided to make the headboard just a little taller.

The entire time I was working on the headboards I had every intention of adding antique wax so the stencils stood out more.  All the pictures above are without the wax but when my daughter-in-law was visiting I asked her opinion and she thought I should go ahead with the wax.  So here they are with the added wax. 

I’ve shown you both so you can decide which you prefer.

I hope you get a chance to try the raised stenciling, it is so much easier than I thought it would be.  I will definitely use this technique again.

Stay inspired.

Related posts:

Flea Market Flip, Upcycled Silo Doors Old Typewriter Desk gets a Makeover Antique Clothes Wringer Coffee Table Flea Market Flip, Upcycled Wire Spool Table