A cheap and eco-friendly alternative to a headboard

Since moving into our lovely bungalow home with a tiny master bedroom, we’ve been sleeping with our mattress on the floor.  I don’t mind being so low to the ground, but it does pose some decorating issues above the bed. 

Several months ago, I painted the walls by the bed a kelly green.  I love the pop of color, but the blank space above the bed was just as noticeable as before.  I went back and forth on ideas, from floating shelves to decals to oversized photographs.  I wanted to create more warmth and texture in the room, so I finally decided on mounting salvaged wood onto the wall. 

We ended up getting a stack of used wood boards at The Rebuilding Center in north Portland, and it only cost us $16 (which is about $1 apiece)!  On the back of one of the boards, I caught sight of this tree logo that was stamped by a local lumber company.

The timber industry is huge in Oregon, so I’m sure most of the wood we picked up was milled nearby. 

After sanding the wood boards with an electric sander, we arranged them aesthetically on our back patio.  Keep in mind that there might be lead paint on salvaged wood, so you need to take precautionary steps when sanding. 

 

There was enough wood to create a backdrop a little larger than 5’ x 5’.  We cut the boards at an even length and then nailed them to the wall from the ceiling down.  

After wiping the wood clean with a damp cloth, we applied an eco-friendly finish [AFM Safecoat Polyureseal] as a protective coat.  It dries quickly, and on the same day, I was able to hang my estate sale find of a beautiful coastal scene.  (The little white triangles were my addition.) I also bought a neat retro wall lamp on Etsy that goes perfectly in the mix. 

The overall project took about half a day of work, and the total cost (which includes the wood, poster and lamp) came in at under $50.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and it really is an easy, affordable, and eco-friendly project that any diy enthusiast can tackle.