How to Dress Down a Fancy Headboard

Stack pillows in front of your headboard to hide it quickly. If you don't have time for a renovation project, place throw pillows in a neutral shade in front of the headboard. Although this won't permanently fix the problem of a gaudy headboard, it works in a pinch if an uninvited guest comes over.

Paint the headboard with a matte paint in a dark color. If your bright gold headboard is an eyesore, painting it a dark brown or black takes away some of the focus. Sand the entire headboard with 180-grit sandpaper, then wipe any dust away with a wet rag. Paint the headboard with primer and two coats of dark paint, allowing it to dry 24 hours between each coat.

Rub the headboard with a rag soaked in turpentine to take away the finish of a brightly colored headboard. The turpentine thins the paint, giving it a softer, more faded color. Continue to rub paint away evenly until you have reached your desired look.

Distress the headboard with a kitchen knife and a piece of steel wool to make scrapes and scratches in it. Rub the headboard carefully with steel wool to create scratches, then cut chips of the headboard away with a knife to gouge the paint and expose the wood. Continue until the headboard looks old and distressed, then rub paste wax into the wood with a clean cloth to create a uniform look.

Apply a crackling medium to the headboard with a foam brush to give it an antique look. Clean the headboard with a damp cloth. Use a foam brush to paint the headboard with crackling medium, then allow it to dry for 40 minutes. Paint the entire headboard with a satin-finish paint in the color of your choice -- as it begins to crackle, wipe the paint away with a rag soaked in turpentine for a subtle, peeling-paint look.