Window Cleaning Time

Create The Illusion Of A Window With This DIY Old Shutter Headboard

20 April 2015

Lawrence Robinson

Hiring a contractor to have the windows and shutters replaced around your home is an exciting adventure, because your home's exterior is about to get a brand new look. But before you toss out the old wood shutters, think about what you can make with them instead. If you want to repurpose them into something for the inside of your home, a faux window headboard is one easy idea. This guide explains the steps you'll need to complete in order to accomplish this task.

Step 1: Obtain the Shutters and Other Materials

Save as many shutters as it takes to reach across your bed. Use a tape measure to find the width. Then divide that measurement by the width of the shutters. The number you get is the number of shutters you'll need. Make sure the shutters are wood so you can create a distressed look. Other items that you'll need include:

• putty knife
• medium-grit sandpaper
• vacuum cleaner with attachments
• fine-grit sandpaper
• small paintbrush
• medium paintbrush
• two paint colors (one shade lighter than the other but the same tone)

Step 2: Sand the Shutters

Take the shutters to a well-ventilated area in your home and use the putty knife to scrape off chipped paint. Refrain from digging into the wood; you're only removing the loose paint.

Use the medium-grit sandpaper to sand off the remaining paint on the shutters. Connect your vacuum cleaner attachments, and vacuum the sawdust and paint from around the entire area so that you don't accidentally get it on the shutters as you're performing the next steps.

Step 3: Paint the Shutters

Apply the lighter shade of the paint to the shutters with the medium paintbrush. Use the small paintbrush to reach places that are hard to get to with the medium-sized brush. There is no need to paint the back of the shutters because that side won't be seen. Only paint the front, as well as the top, bottom and side edges.

While the coat of lighter paint is drying, rinse out the paintbrushes and hang them out to dry in the sun. Once the paint is dry to the touch, usually within a couple hours, paint the shutters with the darker shade. Wait for the paint to dry before moving on to the next step.

Step 4: Create the "Distressed" Look

Look at shutters and determine where you want the "aged" or "distressed" areas to be. Typically, you'll want the distressed spots to be sporadic in various places, but small spots along the edge should be included.

Use the fine-grit sandpaper to sand the top layer of paint off so that the lighter color underneath shows through. Don't sand the entire shutter, only sporadic spot. Choose a few area to sand off both coats of paint to show the actual wood.  

Once you have created the desired look, hang the shutters on the wall above your bed. Then enjoy your faux-window with the distressed look and feel. Ask your contractor (such as one from Screen Masters) for more ideas on repurposing old window shutters, or the windows themselves for DIY projects around the home.

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