Very nice! The Mrs has been bugging me to build a headboard, I might have to do some plagiarizing here...

but mine will be padded.

nice work man.

It looks like you are building a pillory.No holes cut for the head and hands.

Looks good!



Do you have any experience coloring and finishing wood, specifically pine? If not, you might want to do some reading before attacking it with the Minwax. Pine will blotch like a SOB if you just go at it with some oil based stain. There are a number of ways to avoid the blotching so just make sure you know what your up against and what your options are before applying anything.

ETA - i would also suggest you practice the product and technique you plan to use on a piece of scrap before hitting the headboard.

I know most woodworkers (myself included) hate the finishing part of the project but believe me, that's one of the most important parts. Take your time and do it right for an end result you will be proud of, now and in the future

Seriously, No offense intended because I know you are still learning but that right there is a perfect example of a blotchy, low quality stain job. Let me see what I can find for ya. Hold on


ETA here's some good info...

Jeff Jewitt (finishing god) advice

Jim McNamara advice

Some sanding advice

For a better understanding of "stains"

That.  OP, pine requires special care, because it's very prone to grain color reversal when stained.  In the unstained wood, the darker parts are the densest, and take up the least stain.  The lighter wood will take up more stain, and will end up darker than the previously darker portions.  

Umm... I hope that made sense... if you apply stain to bare, sanded pine, the light and dark portions will be reversed and will look blotchy.  

Check out some of the links for how to deal with pine.  BTW, I find that Jeff Jewitt's TransTint dyes work very well.

Nice job on the headboard.

Also, don't forget the anchor points for the restraints.

What do you think this is, GD? BOTD?


OP - you might try torching the wood and then coating it with urethane to get that darkened finish.

Try a "spit-coat" of shellac first.  Light shellac from Lowe's, diluted 1:5 or so.  Apply, let dry.  This should act as a sealer and greatly reduce the chances of blotchiness.  But try it out on a scrap board first.  Don't make your workpiece the test piece.

You can try that or Minwax makes a "pre-conditioner" that is made for this very purpose. I have never used it so I'm not recomending it, just letting you know about another option. 2 things though,

1. Regardless of which pre-treatment product you use, going that route will significantly affect how much stain the wood will take in. That's how it keeps from blotching but it will also make it harder to get the deep color you want, especially from an oil stain. If I was you, I would use an orange of garnet shellac as they will get you closer to the final color you are looking for. You may even like the color enough to just use the shellac with a poly or lacquer top coat? If the Shellac doesn't get you to the color you want, try a gel stain? Believe it or not, an antique cherry gel stain used sparingly over an orange shellac should get you pretty close to the color you want.

2. For the color you want, Walnut stain (by itself) is not the right color and will be a little too dark. They make an "Antique Pine" that might get you pretty close and if it's not dark enough, you can add a little of that Walnut stain to it. It's very  common to have to mix 2 or more colors together to get the "right" one. Don't worry about the can already being open, If you haven't used any (or dripped any down the sides) you can usually bring it back but those cans aren't very expensive and even if you don't use it for this project, you may use it on the next one?

Whatever you do, take you time. This headboard is coming out really nice and you don't want to blow it now. Use those scraps and try a couple of different products\techniques to find the one that you like the most and gives you the final color you want. Good luck man!

I've used the Minwax pre conditioner on a set of pine dressers we bought at Good Wood.  The stuff works great. Just follow the directions and all will be good.

I use to do little projects like this around the house all the time. Until I discovered the wife kept coming up with enough shit to keep me from playing with my toys. I now tell her to go buy her shit and let me work on my projects. Unless it means I can get a new cool tool!  I am a tool whore!

congrats, i closed on 6/1, house built 1932, doing lots of reno & resto, sealoflexed the flat part of roof, sand/finish hardwoods, tiled kitchen, carpeted bedroom, converting detached garage to mother-in-law suite.  i think your stain job on the scrap wood looks nice.  i use a rag to stain, wipe on evenly, then wipe off as much as you can, repeat until shade you want is acheived.  poly is easy, just don't stir it or brush it quickly so as to avoid bubbles, sand w/ 220 & tack cloth between coats.  i'll try to add some pics, i have lot's of buddies who work various aspects of custom home building so i'm very lucky.  right now my buddy is builing a 3x5 shower w/ 8' ceiling, floor to ceiling travertine 12x12, ceiling cut down to 4x4 on a diagonal, we framed it around a window which looks @ a wooded area so you got a nice view while showering lol.  going w/ river rock on the floor for a foot massage while you stand.  another buddy built a sweet stair case to replace the ladder to the loft.  going to poly the treads & handrails, have already sprayed the rest of it white.  currently my task is the underpinning of my porch with lattice which my insurance company is requiring.  my cabinet builder buddy made a nice hand rail for the porch as well.   the habitat for humanity re-store and craigslist have been my best friend through all this, got a $500 toilet for $35, $3500 fridge for $800, $1200 dishwasher for $200, $1200 stove for $400, and the list goes on

IMO yes, if you finished it just like that it would look like an amateur hack job. It's screaming for some type of pre-conditioner. I would go with the Shellac but the Minwax stuff should work too.

Don't use the "This is for a guest room so I'm not worried about it looking "perfect"" excuse. That's just an excuse to get lazy in the final quarter. If anything, because it's "just for the guest room" then there should be no hurry to finish it and no reason not to take your time to learn how to do it right.

Trust me, I speak from experience. Many years ago I bought a small pine cabinet from one of those "you finish it" places. At the time I had no clue either and did what I learned in wood shop which was to coat it with Minwax. The cabinet splotched just like your test board but I didn't know any better back then and thought it looked great. Now that I do know better, I cringe ever time I walk by the stupid cabinet

Good thing you did a test piece first.

Impatience is the enemy when it comes to wood finishing.  I'll post pics later of a small item I built - a display holder for a fireplace bellows.  It only took a few days to build (I made a plywood version first), but I spent a couple of weeks putting a finish on it.

Take your time, don't hit the workpiece with any stain until you have a test piece that looks right.

Here's the piece I was talking about above.  My wife dubbed it the "masterpiece", and the name has stuck





Without bellows:






With bellows:






Mahogany with brass trim.  Finish is Watco Danish oil, then General Finishes varnish, then rub with 0000 steel wool, then wax, then buff.  Putting the finish on took much longer than construction.



Note that exposure to light has darkened the wood where it isn't covered by the bellows.

looks damn fine

+1.  Nice work.

What a helpful thread.  

Looks very good.  It may be good idea to not apply stain with your pillow case.  

+ 2.

Nicely done ... very cool, OP.

Don't bring your work home with you...  



Any tips for tackling this?  I found the plans and the wife has been jonesin' for a headboard for five years.  Dropping $600 on a store-bought one is a no-go, so I might try this, if she likes the look.

Guys, any recommendations for glue?  This is a glue-intensive project.

All of the trim and cabinets in our house are a honey oak color.  Not sure if it's real oak,  but the grain is prominent.  Should I use oak boards for this?

Would I better off staining it once it is assembled?  I would assume so, so that I can fill any nail holes.

The directions call for nails - I would assume this is because you can get very narrow nails versus the wide head of a screw?

Uh, where are you supposed to attach the restraints?



ETA: sorry just realized this wasn't GD.