I love it when a plan comes together. This is the story of freecycle, a fridge, and a fabulous outcome. Have you heard of www.Freecycle.org? There is one very important, essential tip for using it. Keep reading to find out what it is.
Several years ago, when we replaced our king size mattress, we moved our old king mattress to a bare frame in the back room. New bedding and lots of pillows made it look nicer, but there was always something missing. Two years later, the back room became the baby’s room, and I was just thrilled that the bed and the crib could coexist in the same room. Major decorating had to go on hold. Flash forward, and the baby is about to leave her crib, which means she will end up sleeping in the “big bed” sooner rather than later. It may be a bit silly to have a preschooler in the same room with a king bed, but since we don’t have a guest room, it works for us.
I had an idea that I might turn an old door into a headboard. Then one day, I happened to see a post on www.Freecycle.org for a wood refrigerator side panel. The person posting actually said something like, “It looks like it might make a good headboard.” I was out to pick that baby up in no time flat in my trusty wagon. This is why I probably will never own another sedan. Even better, because it was a panel and not a solid door, it was fairly light but sturdy.
~ insert sound of passing time~
The panel sat in the garage through summer, fall, winter, spring, and another summer. That’s just how it goes sometimes. I was working out the plans to re-envision this as a headboard. I thought about just hanging the board on the wall like a picture, but the plaster walls are always a bit unpredictable, so I decided to build legs instead. Wanna see how I did it?
How to Build a Headboard from a Recycled or Freecycled Fridge Panel
1. Pretty it up. Actually, this needed very little spiffing. We lightly trimmed it for symmetry. DId you notice the little notch in the corner from the original baseboard? (I am happy to ask my hubby to do some sawing for me every now and then, and he gets full credit when he does.) I then just sanded off a few rough spots, pulled a few nails, and then wiped it down.
2. Primed. ‘Nuff said.
3. Go bold or create calm? It’s a bedroom, for heaven’s sake, so of course I went with the calm light blue. But I was tempted for just a moment.
4. Give it legs with simple 1×2″ pieces glued together.
5. When dry, I countersunk and the screwed them to the headboard. Did I mentioned how much I love to countersink drill? These odd little drill bits are like my favorite songs from the 80’s. I don’t actually get to hang out with them much, but they are still very sweet. The countersink holes were filled with spackle and (barely) allowed to dry.
6. I painted the whole thing with the light blue that I dry brushed another furniture piece with over eight years ago. What I was doing with paint from that long ago, well, I’m just not sure. Another reason to use up that color. It’s really, really light blue, but it’s not white, I promise.
7. I often think about the furniture craftsmen who learn to make the parts of the furniture no one ever sees just as beautiful as the parts that everyone sees. So I painted the back, ’cause it was just not pretty.
8. Nearly done. Once inside, I applied a coat of paste wax to protect the finish from kids.
9. I applied a vinyl design pack that I picked up for about $8, one design in each raised panel. You’ve probably seen these at the stores. I figure, even if the aforementioned destructive kids eventually peel off the design, which I just know they will, the overall headboard will still be beautiful.
10. I drilled really big holes…
and attached the legs that I made to the frame of the bed. Did I mention how much I love my local hardware store, where I could get exactly the number of bolts, nuts, and washers that I wanted?
11. I treated myself to a new bed skirt. Woohoo! I’ve been wanting to do that for years. Then just a little sidetable stylin’ (and the tea set) brought the whole look together.
So what’s the one essential tip for using www.Freecycle.org? Offer more to other Freecyclers than you take. It’s not only good karma, but it’s also good organizing.
Like this Freecycle Headboard Makeover idea? Please pin it.
