Hangin' Tough

Yesterday, I posted all about getting things back on track in the boudoir.  I gave you an update on the DIY headboard project and started going through the assembly details, then promptly left you hanging before the big reveal.  :)  Nice of me, huh?

Today, I'm going to reference New Kids On The Block and tell you all about hanging that headboard, which definitely had us singing...  "oh, oh, oh, oh, oh....hangin' tough".  Nothing like a reference to these lyrics to intrigue, right?



To get us started, let me say again that math isn't my favorite subject.  I even picked up a tank top with this saying during a trip to Vegas one year.  I used to wear the tank top to the office under my business clothes when we had important meetings... I called it my underflair and secretly got a kick out of it during loooong, boring meetings focused on numbers.  I may have let a few other select people in on my "secret", too.  ANYWAY, I digress.  The whole point I'm making here is that I don't love math and hangin' up this headboard took a fair bit of math and a whole lot of patience.

After getting everything assembled, we started by figuring out how high we wanted to mount the headboard.  Remember, I had the plywood cut to be 48 inches tall, and I knew I wanted the bottom of the headboard even with the mattress.  So, we measured up from the floor to the top of the mattress and then added that number to the overall height of the headboard.  For us, those numbers were 29 inches to the top of the mattress, plus the 48 inches for the headboard.  29 + 48 = 77   Whoohoo!  So we knew that's how high the headboard would be on the wall.  I also knew I couldn't mount it all the way at the top of the headboard, so we reduced it by 12 inches so the hangers would be about 3/4 of the way up on the plywood.  I thought it would hang more securely that way.  SOOOOO, 77 - 12 = 65 inches.  Tough math so far, right?  ;)

Once we knew that we wanted the wall side of the hangers at 65 inches, we drew a level line on the wall and started installing the hangers.  Please note that we used a stud finder to ATTEMPT installing the brackets into studs.  BUT, our stud finder is a little less than accurate.  We drilled pilot holes and if we hit a stud, great!  If we didn't hit a stud, we used wall anchors.

This is the first bracket going into the wall...with anchors and long screws.
Please note the time here... 2:10 PM on the day of the tornado.

After installing the first, we moved onto the second and then the third.  I was being really obsessive, so we checked and rechecked and then checked the level again before drilling.  Doesn't Mr. Man look thrilled?

2:25 PM... t-minus an hour or so before the tornado hit.

Fourth and final bracket going in... The Babe is awake from her nap and ready to inspect.  I think she approves.

2:35 PM... The tornado's coming soon.

After installing all the brackets, it was time to install the coordinating side of the brackets on the back of the assembled plywood.  Mr. Man had decided to take a break to watch the news about the storms and The Babe and I contemplated the best way to do this...which involved math.

Maybe if I stare at it, the solution will magically come?

Mr. Man came back into the room after watching the news and suggested that we take a break to monitor the weather.  I thought he was just sick of the project, and I was a little frustrated by the next step, so I reluctantly agreed.  We went downstairs and shortly thereafter the tornado hit, and the headboard sat just like this for at least another month.

Once I got back at the project, magically the solution did come to me quickly.  I taped sheets of paper together and made a template of the brackets on the wall.  I then taped the template onto the back of the plywood, and like magic I had the perfect replication of the brackets on the wall.  I screwed the headboard side of the brackets onto the plywood, and voilà it was ready to hang with minimal math involved.  Please note I also drew a level line on the back of the plywood at 36" inches and used that to line up my template.  EASY!  

So, after a significant tornado delay, the headboard was finally mounted on the wall for us to enjoy!  TA-DA!

I'm still not done in the master bedroom, though.  I want to change out the lamps for some "vintage" ones from Mr. Man's parents house, and I want to put in new artwork, new curtains and a new duvet.  I also sold the kitchen island that was in here (hooray for Craiglist!), so we're in desperate need of more furniture.  I plan on hitting up the flea market, though, and hopefully I'll find some interesting pieces to refurbish.  SOMEDAY.  Hopefully soon.  Barring no more tornadoes.

If you're a new reader and missed the step-by-step on assembling the headboard along with all the supplies used, click **here**!

So, after a LOOOOONG delay, that's the DIY headboard project!!  :)  And here are a few, quick lessons learned if you decide to give this a try on your own (which I highly recommend!).

--Don't go overboard with the staples.  Since you'll be stapling the batting first, then the fabric, you're going to be putting a lot of staples into roughly the same area of plywood, around the same perimeter.  I think I stapled too much because I felt the plywood weakening and splintering around one corner.  Trust yourself, use a fair amount of staples, but don't staple too close together.

--Have patience!  Easier said than done, I'm sure, but this project requires it.  Actually, the assembly part is pretty fast, but hanging it took awhile.  I think if you use the template idea, though, it will go much faster for you.  I think the whole project start to finish could be done in as few as 2-3 hours.  For reals.

--Measure, measure, measure...  Level, level, level.  The time we spent here was important, and the headboard hung perfectly at the first try. 

Well, that's it for now, folks!  Have a terrific Tuesday!

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