DIY Project - Hope Chest

This weekend I scored a great hope chest from Carroll Creek Antiques, Etc. in Frederick, MD for only $42.  I knew the chest would need some work, so after purchasing the chest I headed to the Home Depot to pick up some supplies.  I picked up a sanding sponge for $3, contact paper for $7 and clear gloss lacquer spray for $5.

Outside:  Before

 Inside:  Before

I started by cleaning the inside and outside of the chest with mild soap and water.  I highly suggest this for anything you pick up at an antique store because you never know how long it's been on display in the store and you never know how long it was sitting in an attic or basement before that.

Starting to clean with mild soap and water

You can see how dirty it was!  I made sure to lay down a towel before starting the cleaning process.

Halfway there!

Once I finished cleaning it up, I sanded all of the wood and pulled off as much of the paper from the inside of the chest as I could.  I also sanded a few rust spots off of the metal parts.

Next I started to measure and cut the contact paper to put inside of the chest.  

Then I placed the contact paper into the chest and smoothed it out with a piece of thick paper.

Finished bottom

Then I started to paper the walls and edges

After that was completed, I began on the top.  At the end, I went back and filled in all of the edges and spots that I missed.

Next, it was time to spray it with the Rust-Oleum clear gloss spray lacquer.  I sprayed one coat and let it dry overnight.  Then I sprayed another coat and let it dry over the next day.  It was very easy to do, I just followed the directions on the can, which were to spray evenly over the product (wood, metal, etc.) and then let it dry for a full 24 hours.  It suggests using at least two coats.  

And... here's the final product!  It's now ready for all of my wedding keepsakes!  

Inside Before                                                                             Inside After

Outside Before                                                                         Outside After

Getting Crafty

I was looking at new beds at Crate and Barrel a few weeks ago with my Mom and fell in love with one that had a fabric headboard.  I decided that it was exactly what I wanted, until I looked at the price!  My Mom looked at it and said that it didn't look that hard to make and suggested I make one myself.  So I did.  Check it out...

Step One

We measured my current bed and decided how long and wide the bed frame should be.

Step Two

We took the measurements to Home Depot and got someone to help us pick out the right wood.  He said that for the size we wanted we'd have to cut two pieces of wood and connect the two pieces somehow.  There was an extra piece of wood so I got him to cut it into four smaller pieces for a separate art project I've been wanting to do.

Thanks for the help!

Cutting the wood

Finished product

At Home Depot we found metal pieces and screws to connect the smaller piece of wood to the larger one.  We already had a drill, so we bought a drill bit in the correct size for the new screws.  

Step Three

Next we headed to the fabric store to pick out the fabric for the bed.  Luckily there were three fabric stores located in Seven Corners next to Home Depot.  I picked out some mustard yellow fabric to match my bedding.  

Step Four

After purchasing the fabric, we needed some foam backing.  We found some foam that was $30/yard.  With the bed frame being a little under three yards, I thought $90 for foam was a little outrageous.  So what did I do instead?  I bought a foam mattress topper at the fabric store for only $30.  

Thrifty foam replacement

Step Five

Now it was time to assemble the headboard.  We measured where we wanted to attach the wood and drilled holes into the two pieces of wood.  Then we attached the metal pieces with screws.  

The drill and metal connector pieces

Drilling the holes to attach the metal pieces

Step Six

The next step was to attach the foam backing with a staple gun.  We wrapped the foam around the top and sides of the board and stapled it securely.

Step Seven

Next we used a steamer to get the wrinkles out of the fabric.  Then we stretched the fabric around the foam backing and used a staple gun to attach it to the wood as well.

Finished headboard

DIY fabric headboard:  $80

And now for the results...

Fabric headboard from Crate and Barrel:  $800

Want to see what I did with the extra piece of wood that I had cut into four smaller pieces?  I turned it into the DC flag for an interesting piece of artwork.