Acrylic & Metal Headboards

Metal Headboards with Acrylic Finishes

• Metal headboards are often coated with acrylic enamel paint. Acrylic enamel finishes leave a metal headboard with a glossy, vibrant color or finish and protect the headboard from water, stains, and most alkaline based cleaners. Metal headboards are often constructed of hollow steel or aluminum tubing, welded at joints or assembled with hardware such as screws, washers and nuts. Many metal headboards can be disassembled for moving or storage. Foreign imports have made many metal headboards very inexpensive. Often, the makers of metal headboards featuring acrylic finishes also offer coordinating metal furniture such as bedside tables, desks and chairs.

Headboards Constructed of Acrylic and Metal

• Acrylic is a type of clear plastic that is also referred to by popular brand names such as Plexiglass or Lucite. Acrylic is a hard plastic made from petroleum products that will not discolor like other plastics. Often, metal headboards will feature acrylic finials or embellishments, such as crystals. Some expensive headboards are constructed of mainly acrylic and held together with metal hardware, such as nuts, bolts and screws. Some acrylic headboards are constructed as one piece or glued so the joints seem invisible. Acrylic is expensive because the plastic must be made in layers, or sheets. Due to this construction method, the thicker the acrylic is, the more expensive it is. Many owners treat acrylic furniture, such as headboards, with the care they would exhibit if the headboard were a work of art because of the design, beauty and expense involved. Acrylic is lightweight and easily moved for furniture rearrangement in a home.

Care

• Metal headboards boasting acrylic finishes can be cleaned with any alkaline based cleaner. Most household all purpose cleaners and degreasing detergents applied to a cleaning cloth will clean the metal headboard. Because the acrylic coating protects the metal headboard, unless there are deep scratches where metal is visible beneath, a damp cloth will usually suffice as a cleaner for everyday dust removal. Acrylic headboards can be cleaned with plastic cleaner and polishes intended for use on acrylic products. Acrylic headboards can sometimes be scratched. If this happens, the scratch can be buffed away. Avoid any cleaner containing ammonia when cleaning acrylic or acrylic based finishes.

Disadvantages

• Most metal headboards painted with acrylic paint withstand a high amount of abuse before scratching. Deep scratches can penetrate through the paint to reveal the metal beneath. This can lead to rust if the scratch is not treated with an acrylic clear coat. Cheaper metal headboards may not really have the acrylic enamel finish they claim to have and this paint is prone to chipping and scratching. Acrylic headboards are very expensive, not only due to the labor intensive construction, but also based on the current prices of oil, as acrylic is made from petroleum products.