Whitewashed Pallet Headboard

We made this Whitewashed Pallet Headboard in about 20 hours and used ten pallets to build it. The result is a beautiful, rustic headboard.

How we planned and built this Whitewashed Pallet Headboard:

We started the project by removing the plank boards from the frame. This was definitely the hardest and most time-consuming part of the project! We removed the remaining nails from all of the deck boards with claw hammers.

I knew I wanted a tall headboard.  We laid out the pattern of wood in the yard to see how we needed to assemble it. We got a piece of 1/4″ plywood the size of the overall headboard dimensions cut at our local hardware store after we had the pattern the way we liked.  We started cutting down the planks one by one and used a nail gun to secure them to the plywood. After we had attached all the boards, we sanded it down until it was smooth, but left some of the rustic pallet texture intact.

Finishing:

We used a paint & water mixture (1/4 paint and 3/4 water) along with a paintbrush and whitewashed the wood. Basically, we painted it on and wiped it off with a rag. We’re happy with the beautiful, pale color that could fit in any beachfront home. We attached two beams to the back of the headboard since it was going to be so heavy. We secured the beams in place with screws. This helped stabilize the structure and made it easier to carry upstairs to our bedroom.  We secured it to the wall by using very large screws and simply screwed the two top corners into our bedroom wall. We’re happy with the final look of our new headboard.