How to Distress a Headboard

Headboards are a useful piece of furniture to add style and comfort to your bedroom. If you are looking to give your bedroom a new look but don’t want to replace your headboard, change the look of your existing headboard by distressing. When you distress, you damage the finish with a variety of tools to give your headboard the look of being well worn.

Headboard
Tack cloth
Dropcloth
Fine grit sanding block
Hammer
Nails
Stain in a color darker than your headboard finish
Rag
Polyurethane sealant

Instructions

- 1
  Place your headboard on a dropcloth. Wipe the headboard down with a tack cloth to remove dirt, dust or debris.
- 2
  Rub a fine-grit sanding block along the edges of the headboard to reveal the wood grain beneath. Rub the sanding block along the front of the headboard where your head would hit as well as on the legs. The sanding simulates years of wear on your headboard.
- 3
  Use a hammer and nails to make small holes in random areas of your headboard to make it look like naturally-occurring worm holes.
- 4
  Use a hammer to make dents along the edges and face of the headboard.
- 5
  Wipe the headboard down with a clean tack cloth.
- 6
  Gently shake the can of stain to mix. Open the can and dip in a rag and rub it along the areas you sanded. Wipe the excess stain away immediately, leaving only the sanded areas with the stain. Dab the worm holes and dents with stain as well and wipe away the excess stain. Allow the stain time to dry, according to the instructions on the stain can.
- 7
  Spray the headboard with a coat of polyurethane sealant to protect your distressed finish.

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