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May 19, 2014

DIY Barn Door Headboard

Last week, I revealed some big updates we made to the master bedroom. It’s a whole new direction and I’m loving it! I can’t wait to finish the entire space. In the meantime, I’m going to share some of the tutorial for pieces found in the space. Today, I’m starting with my super easy DIY Barn Door Headboard.

DIY Barn Door Headboard

Soooo, technically it’s more of a wall piece than a true headboard but that’s what I’m calling it today. Cool?

DIY BARN DOOR Headboard tutorial! Super easy using fence boards and metal pieces.

Supplies:

– 6 pieces of 5 1/2 X 6″ Red Cedar Fencing Bard ( I used this because it’s so cheap, only $2.25 per board!)

– Minwax English Chestnut Stain (and applicator i.e. rag or brush)

– Minwax High Gloss Finish 

– 120 Grit Sand Paper

– (2) 30″ Nickel Hinge

– Valspar Flat Black Spray Paint

– (2) 30″ X 2″ pieces of wood

– 12 1″ screws

Estimated Cost: $50

Easy Way To Make Barndoor Decor

Barndoor Tutorial 2

I wanted the piece to be relatively the same length as my current queen sized headboard, so I ended up cutting 8″ off each board to make the entire thing 64″.

Barndoor Tutorial3

Then I sanded and sanded. The wood wasn’t finished, which is what I wanted, so I didn’t sand until it was smooth but just enough to clean it up.

Barndoor Tutorial 6

Once the wood was prepped, I gave it one coat of Minwax English Chestnut stain. FYI this type of wood is really porous and the stain came out a little darker than it would on finished wood. Because I lost some of the variations in the wood due to how dark the stain took, I ended up distressing the wood again by sanding. This helped lighten up some of the area.

Barndoor Tutorial4

Meanwhile, I spray painted the hinges black. Finding true black iron fencing can be really expensive so this was an easy fix!

Barndoor Tutorial1

Now, before you secure the pieces together I have a little piece of advice. Because the piece is so heavy, you’ll want to make sure the screws are going straight into the studs. AND since the wood that holds the boards together will stick out a little bit from the wall, you’ll need the brackets to be screwed onto the wood pieces. Which means…. you’ll need to go measure where the studs are on the wall and then place the wood pieces on your door accordingly. I really hope that makes sense!

Barndoor Tutorial 5

Finish it off by installing the hinges (these are just for decoration and really won’t support the boards) and given the entire piece a coat of clear finish.

Modern Farmhouse Bedroom!

And this is just the beginning. More tutorials on the bedroom coming soon!

About Taryn Whiteaker

Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!

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Filed Under: DIY Home Decor, DIY Projects

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. JaneEllen says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:07 pm

    The first time I saw your headboard last week I wondered what those black things running vertically were. Aha moment. Thought maybe they were some kind of leather strapping to help hold it together. I notice the boards had ends like fencing, is that what they are or did you cut ends yourself? I might make something similar, not as wide for a sign. Your headboard looks awesome. I like that it’s something different than anybody else might have.
    We took end of a pallet, added boards between existing boards to make a good sized flag. It turned out pretty good, took me longer as I was being careful not to get paint colors where they didn’t belong. Just have to use paint pen on the stars now. Just in time for Memorial Day weekend. And wouldn’t we know, it’s going to rain from Sunday thru Wed. For Pete’s sake, every darn year it rains on Mem. weekend, rats. Would be good time to go antiquing except we don’t get paid til Wed., rats.
    Will your family do anything special for the holiday? Hope you have great week

    Reply
  2. denise says

    May 21, 2014 at 8:00 am

    can you tell me where you purchased the art on the barn door head board? I have been looking for one just like that for months. thanks

    Reply
  3. Shelby Gregory says

    April 17, 2016 at 6:46 pm

    Hi Taryn! I did this DIY Barndoor piece last fall to place above my fireplace. I love it! Thank you for sharing. Your blog has always provided me with tons of inspiration :)

    I just started a blog and am wanting to share this in a future post. Do you mind if I share your tutorial (giving you credit of course)?

    Reply
    • Taryn says

      April 17, 2016 at 8:52 pm

      HI! Thank you for your sweet comment! You are always welcome to share one picture with a link back to my blog. Thanks for asking!

      Reply
  4. sean says

    February 16, 2019 at 11:38 am

    instead of the hinges, you could use a piece of 1/8″ x 2″ flat bar with holes drilled (2 per board) to simulate a band going across the boards.

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      February 16, 2019 at 12:03 pm

      yup! Great suggestion.

      Reply

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Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home in Dallas. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

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