Crafts & DIY
Woman buys an ugly mantel from yard sale then turns it into a chic headboard for her bedroom
She took "trash" and turned it into treasure!
Jonathan Arrastia
12.11.20

Let’s face it, most of us dislike looking at ugly things

Whether it makes you feel uncomfortable or you simply have a weak stomach, some things just irredeemably atrocious. However, there are times when a second chance comes like the second wind of life: spontaneous and gratifying.

A woman by the name of Sandy goes driving down the road and spots a yard sale one day. She observes a selection of furniture, chairs, and various other household trinkets. Sandy couldn’t hesitate but stop by and check out the merchandise.

“Obviously I had to stop! Duh. I was trying to flirt with guy who lives there (who was soo cute) and suddenly I saw this really dilapidated mantel sitting on side of garage all wet from the rain.”

Cute crush aside, how did this mantel capture her attention? Whatever it was that possessed Sandy, it told her she had to get it. She apparently fell to her knees after she discovered the price and decided right then and there she would purchase it. Talk about an impulsive decision!

Sandy
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Sandy

One Woman’s Trash, Is Another Woman’s Mantel

As it turns out, Sandy’s trigger-happy decision worked for the best since she ended up lowering the price from $55 to $35 and was about to get it delivered for no cost!

The months waned by as the old, dilapidated mantel spent time collecting dust in Sandy’s storage. She finally got a hold of it and decided to go to work. And work she did!

Sandy
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Sandy

“After an insane amount of scrubbing and sanding and wood filler and more sanding, I nearly gave up. But NO! I felt her screaming “make me pretty again”. So I put my arm in a sling and continued to slug it out with her imperfections.”

The next step was covering that bad boy up with paint. What many would think would be the simplest part of the project, was actually the most time-consuming. Sandy had gone through several renditions of paint, which made her question the look she was going for. She finally settled for a Walmart brand Waverly acrylic Plaster color since it created a slight gleam and shininess to the mantel.

Moreover, the DIY champion was determined to see this project through to the end. Sandy visited Hobby Lobby and purchased pleather fabric and foam batting. She then glued the batting to the wood, then stapled it over so that it could fit nicely.

“Then I got a roll of studded nail heads and tacked those on to give definition. Holy cow! I’m actually seeing my vision come to light! Then I decided I needed to add boards on each side to even it out with top of the mantel. So off to Peddlers I go. I cut the board in half and then attached them to sides with liquid wood and wood glue.”

Here’s a nice view of the pleather with its shiny aesthetic.

Sandy
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Sandy

The foam batting was used to glue the wood piece to cover up the pleather. Make sure the dimensions are exact so you don’t have any sides sticking out awkwardly.

Sandy
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Sandy

“Even on a roll, this stuff was crazy hard to install by myself. Not impossible, but hard. I lost one fingernail over it, but it’s worth it!”

Sandy
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Sandy

Just when Sandy thought she was about to finish, she realized she needed to add more style to it. A little bit of glam and glitter is all it would take. She added a decorative stencil to give it more shine.

Sandy
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Sandy

Voila! Her project is finished and her new mantel even has a name: Mabel!

Sandy
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Sandy

Her last addition was a small picture above the bed. Variety is the spice of life and Sandy made sure to apply it. She pushed herself to her limit and was quite satisfied by the result.

Sandy
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Sandy

This should remind us to never throw things away that might end up coming back in years down the road in prime form.

Sandy
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Sandy

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Source: Collinswooddesigns, Hometalk

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