Leaving My Mark

Tyler and I made the decision to construct the headboard at home.  All of the items we needed for the project were in the apartment, and keeping everything within the confines of our abode would mean less schlepping up and down the stairs and in and out of cars.

We laid out the boards on the office floor - the most convenient spot in our apartment. It is carpeted, meaning no scratching our floors, and it sees the least foot traffic on a daily basis. I also figured that if wood shavings end up in the carpet we'd vacuum them up, or they would blend in! No big deal.

Laying down the boards required that I actually placed them "face-down" on the floor. Tyler and I happened to be very interested in the texture and grain of the wood that we would be seeing, but if you're not too finicky about it, you can simply slap the boards on the ground without a thought. Unfortunately for me, I actually forgot that Tyler and I had a particular design in mind and I failed to check that my boards were "face-down". I ended up screwing the top two boards into the support beams before realizing my mistake. There goes things going perfectly!

Once the boards were laid out, I marked the placement for each of my three 2x4 supports. All three beams would lie 2" from the top edge of the headboard. Leaving space between the top of the headboard and the actual support beams creates a gap that allows the support beams to go unseen (Petersik and Petersik, 89).

The position of the two side supports had to be measured carefully. I had to ensure that the beams would line up exactly with frame of my bed, where they would eventually be attached. Once this was done, I eye-balled the placement of the third support beam - about center on the "back" of the boards. Then, I prepared to drill! As with the dining room table, I had to create pilot holes to ensure that my screws would take to the wood easily.

Fortunately, I had my handy dandy countersink bit.

With this tool, I was able to simultaneously drill both a pilot hole and the necessary space for my countersink screw. All I had to do afterwards was change out the countersink attachment, replace it with my screwdriver head, and drill the screws. Unfortunately, my handy dandy countersink bit turned out to be not so handy-dandy! On the third hole, into my FIRST support beam, the drill bit snapped, leaving behind the thin, metal portin of the bit stuck inside my 2x4!

Clearly, I was not going to buy a second one, because the first one did such a good job. Consequently, I had to resort to a more laborious process:

1)Place in appropriately sized drill bit.
2) Drill pilot hole.
3a) Remember not to touch drill bit - it's hot!
3b) Remove drill bit.
4) Replace with countersink top.
5) Create countersink hole.
5) Remove countersink top.
6) Insert screwdriver top.
7) Drill in screw.
8) Repeat process for remaining 25+ screws.

Although the actual completion of this step probably didn't exceed 30 minutes, it felt like an eternity. Nonethless, when it was all said and done, I felt as though I had accomplished a great feat, and I'd done it all on my own! Ok, well maybe 80% on my own. Given the problems I'd had, I figured things could only get better from there. Little did I know...

...and we're back!

Sorry, I've been gone for so long. I really have no excuse, except to say that a few weeks back we reached the midterm at school, which meant I was busy with grading tests, calculating averages, and writing student comments. Since then, I've allowed myself to laze about a bit. Now, after a 4-day weekend, I'm ready to get back to it.

As you may remember, the next project on our agenda was the creation of a headboard for our master bedroom. We purchased the wood several weeks back, but it sat in the trunk of my car for quite sometime. Then, it sat on the office floor. Finally, a few days back, I decided it had enough sitting.

This would be the first project that I would do "on my own". With the dining room table, Tyler had done most of the wood working. Sure, I drilled a couple of nails and helped clamp together some boards, but my role was mostly sanding, staining and assisting. This time would be different. While I sought Tyler's advice occasionally, I did 80-90% of the work. Did I make some mistakes? Yes. Do I wish I could do-over certain parts? Yes, but I have to say I'm very proud of the final product, and more importantly, Tyler likes it!

Before officially starting the project, Tyler and I waded through the wide variety of headboard options - fabric wood, tall, wide, etc. Quickly, we concluded that we liked the look of wood. However, wooden headboards came in their own variety of shapes, sizes and designs.

Vertical boards...

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Horizontal boards...

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With a frame...

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or without, like the headboard two images back. Light wood? Dark wood?

After much consideration, we decided we wanted our headboard to be composed of horizontal boards, in a variety of widths, stained a dark, rich walnut color.

Before beginning of the "heavy" labor, I had to buy a few final items for the project, namely wood screws. With the dining room table, we'd bought 2" #12 screws to accomodate the thick, wooden boards that would be potentially holding a great deal of weight - plates, serving bowls, vases, etc. The boards for the headboard would not be serving such a purpose so we bought thinner #8 screws. The screws would be drilled (part way) through the boards that would create the face of the headboard (3/4 in thick) and the 2 x 4s that would join the individual boards together. Therefore, I estimated that 2 in #8 screws would do the trick. 

I should add that the screws were also of the "countersink" variety (or flat).

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I had no idea before I got into DIYing that there were so many different types of screws, and each type serves a different purpose. It is overwhelming at times. We went with countersink screws because they would sit flush with the back of the 2 x 4s once they were in place. This would ensure that the screws would not scratch the wall behind it. As renters, the less damage we can do to our place, the better!

For the screws to actually sit flush with the wood, we had to buy a special drill bit, made for countersink screws. The bit would create the appropriate shape for the pilot holes (second from the left).

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I was very excited about my new "tool" and thus, armed with the appropriate equipment, I was ready to officially get the project underway.

If at first you don't succeed...

...try a different type of Gorilla Glue!

After a busy week, I finally made it back to Target where I picked up the type of Gorilla Glue that would bond glass to ceramics. The result...voila! my new jewelry stand!

Above.

From the side.

I absolutely love it. It's so cute, and it perfectly contains the jewelry that I often throw to the side at the end of the day. What you see before you, however, did not come without its own set of challenges. Unfortunately, nothing about this DIY project went smoothly.

I discovered why this type of Gorilla Glue is not called SUPER glue:

1. Waiting time is no longer 1 or 2 minutes, but 1 or 2 hours. Errrg.

2. Putting pressure on the two newly attached surfaces is key. Otherwise, the resulting bond will not be as strong.

3. Regular Gorilla Glue expands. Therefore, gentle pressure when squeezing is key, as is a damp rag/Q-tip to wipe away an excess that oozes out when the two surfaces meet. 

4. Always, always, check the position of your candlesticks from multiple angles before allowing the glue to set. I discovered AFTER the glue had dried that one of my tiers wasn't centered, making the entire stand look wonky. Fortunately, someone online claimed that glass cleaner would break down the glue, which meant there was hope that I could correct my mistake. A couple of spritzes plus two minutes to soak did the trick, and I happily made my repairs in a matter of minutes.