DIY - Union Jack Pegboard Headboard

Try saying that 3 times fast.  ;)

Happy Monday!  Today is my son's 8th birthday, so it seems totally appropriate to share this particular project today.  I worked really hard to get it finished last week just in time for him to finally have his bed back before his birthday.

I had three problems to solve where the bed was concerned in my son's room.
1.  How could I make the queen size bed (we already had) fit in his somewhat small room and still have room for some kind of bookcase/storage for all of his junk stuff?

This problem was solved by creating/building a queen sized storage day bed and pushing his bed up against the wall.  This was a great solution as far as space and storage was concerned, but this led to issue number 2.

(This is a before headboard, before curtains, before paint, and before new carpet , but after building the storage platform for the bed picture. )


2.   What in the world could I use for a headboard?

3.  Since we have no space for nightstands, how can I bring in some reading lamps?

Well, it took me a while to get this all figured out, and then it took me even longer to put my nefarious plan into action.  However, I'm so excited (but not in a Jessie Spano Saved By The Bell kinda way) to call this project done-zo!   * Please tell me you remember that episode?!


The room has a Star Wars thing going on (as requested by my son), but I thought it needed a little union jack action.

I decided to use pegboard (Lowe's) to create a headboard, so that I could use these baskets (Home Depot) to hold books as well as these nifty clip-on lamps (Lowe's).

The baskets were black, but I painted them with stainless steel spray paint.  I roughed them up a little with some sandpaper to make them look like old metal baskets.  They work as a great alternative to night stands holding just what you need to have bedside - like a storm trooper alarm clock, obviously that's a must!

Besides loving the functionality the pegboard provides, I also chose to use it because it's pretty darn cheap  inexpensive, it comes in so many different sizes, and it can be painted.  I bought three boards for about $35 and some pre-primed wood trim to frame it out for around $15.  The paint I already had which means this headboard cost me around $50.  Apart from being nice and easy on the pocketbook, it totally answered number 2 and 3 above, and it only took about 10 relatively simple steps to get from point A to point Z!

Here's a recap/tutorial for anyone that's interested in creating your own:

If you've ever used pegboard for it's intended purpose then you already know that you'll want to leave a little space between the screw and the anchor.  Basically you don't want them totally flush with the wall because you want to have space to use the peg hooks/ baskets.

For all of you girls like me that don't use power saws (yet) I'm here to tell you that you can do a lot with a hand saw!  A straight cut is very easy to make.  Trust me.  If I can do it - anyone can!

I'm a big fan of pre-primed wood, especially for smaller projects.  It costs a little more but it's worth the time savings - to me anyway. 

I used this Grandin Road catalog as a guide for painting the union jack.  You don't want to overload your paint brush when you're painting pegboard.  The brush needs to stay pretty dry, so you don't get globs of paint in the tiny holes.

Do not stress or be overly concerned with perfection.  Use the holes in the pegboard as a guide for taping your lines.

The painting took the longest, but it was worthwhile.  The end result is so fun, and to quote my son, "It looks really cool!"

He loves to read.  I really wanted to give him a great space to curl up and get lost in a book either during the day..........

or at night. 

Happy Birthday to my sweet, Star Wars lovin', lego buildin', soccer playin' boy!  Now, it's time to  - party like it's your birthday!  

Are you union jack obsessed?  Did anyone google - Jessie Spano I'm so excited?  ;)  You know you loved that episode!  Have you used anything that normally goes in a garage as decor in your home? 

* Linking up at The DIY Showoff, Primitive and Proper, Home Stories A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, At The Picket Fence, Thrifty Decor Chick, Tatertots and Jello, Miss Mustard Seed, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, House of Hepworths, Serenity Now, Embracing Change

***UPDATE - So, apparantly I painted the flag upside down........oops!  You can see from step 5 above I used a catalog as my "guide".  I never would have thought that would steer me wrong, and being that I'm not all that union flag savvy I had no idea this picture was upside down (and was the signal for distress).   You learn something new every day, I guess.  The best part is I told my son about my major mistake and his response was absolutely priceless.  He said, "I think that makes it cooler - I mean you force me to go to bed at 8, so it kinda makes sense."  So, I think we'll just leave it as is for now - upside down in distress because mom makes me go to bed too early!   ;)