W08_Homeproject

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Home Project

By M. Rene Tate

Headboard Project Ravenscroft School sixth grade social studies teacher Greg Anysz does not spend all his free time grading papers and preparing lesson plans. This Weekend Warrior is also a “bona fide wood working genius.”

Anysz was browsing through an upscale Home Décor magazine and saw a photo of a headboard made out of three doors. “It was a gorgeous headboard,” states Anysz. “But what was not so beautiful was the $945.00 price tag!”

After thoroughly investigating the design, he decided that this was something that he was going to attempt to make himself.

“I wanted the piece to be very authentic – with a touch of history,” commented Anysz. So he headed to an antique shop off Highway 70 in Durham, where he found three doors, approximately 60 years old, for a total of $65.00.

The doors were in pretty bad condition but that did not stop him. “Typically you can sand down old painted wood, but in this case the doors were badly chipped and were outside for an undisclosed amount of time,” explains Anysz.

Jasco paint & stain remover was used to strip the paint down to the wood. “The remover is nasty,” warns Anysz. “Make sure you wear heavy duty rubber gloves as this product will burn your skin – and it can be messy!”

After the paint was completely removed, Anysz used multiple sanders to get to the original wood. It is also recommended to wear a mask as the paint could be very old and could release unknown toxins into the air.

Next Kilz was applied to seal away moisture and mold. Then a clean white paint was applied. After it was dry a sander was used in the creases to create a distressed look. As a personal touch, crown molding was added for flair. The final step was to mount the headboard to the wall using L brackets.

The final price for this project (not including tools) was $95.00 with a timeframe of four days.

If you have a Home Project that you would like to share, email your story to editor@newhomesandideas.com.