Where can I shop for a vintage headboard?

October 29, 2009 7:45 PM

I'm want to recreate this headboard recently featured on Apartment Therapy. Does anyone know where I can look for a vintage mantle aside from craigslist & ebay?

Most options I've found through google have been $1000+ or shipping is (understandably) local only/too expensive.

I've never been to a flea market - is this the kind of thing you could find there? I live in Alabama but would be willing to travel to surrounding states if you know of any good antique stores or other options in the area.

The person who inspired me to do this project found a mantle for $10, which would be incredible but I do not expect to find something that cheap. I'm willing to pay around $100 for the mantle, is this reasonable?

Thanks for any help!

posted by thisiswater to home & garden (9 comments total)

Have you tried googling for "architectural antiques?"

Here is a place in Alabama. It appears that prices range from $150 to $10,000, so $100 might be too low, but maybe your search will prove different.
posted by Andy's Gross Wart at 7:50 PM on October 29

The Habitat for Humanity Restore may have something like that. Failing finding an old one, the millwork department in your nearest Home Depot or Lowes has all of the trim pieces to build your own.
posted by Daddy-O at 7:56 PM on October 29

There's a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Morgan County. Often, you can find just the sort of mantel surround in places like that for less than $50.00. A little sanding, some paint, and voila, a DIY headboard.
posted by Chrischris at 8:00 PM on October 29

Your best bets for old mantles are antique malls/stores, flea markets, architectural salvage, and auctions. I've seen mantles in each of those places in the last month here in Virginia. (My two local Habitat ReStores haven't had mantles any of the times I've gone in.) Antique malls and architectural salvage are likely to be pricier ($200 to way higher) than the other two. When looking at flea markets, you want ones that advertise having antiques, collectibles, used furniture, etc. I've been to plenty of flea markets that were full of socks and hello kitty knockoffs and Christian geegaws made in China complete with misspellings and psalm mangling, and not much else.

AuctionZip is the best place to find auctions near you; auctioneers frequently post pictures and lists of what they are auctioning off; you can scope out opportunities. Also, search your nearest Craigslist location. I check out all the Virginia Craiglists for my big white whale (a specific kind of printing press) regularly, and I occasionally see people selling mantles online or at yard sales there.

If you can't find any in those ways, find an old house that is being torn down and ask the demo guys if you can rescue a fireplace. You might have to slip them some cash, but they might have already dumped the mantle in a skip -- or they might have already sold it to someone else.
posted by julen at 8:36 PM on October 29

Apparently my linking skills have gone to heck. Here's the link to Auctionzip.
posted by julen at 8:38 PM on October 29

The word you want is "[architectural] salvage". It might even be possible to just ask around locally until you find a building being ripped apart or converted into apartments and snag one yourself before it hits the dump -- professional demolition involves recovering costs by selling this stuff into salvage but smaller operators and DIYers don't necessarily bother.

(My parents once snagged some lovely architectural details from the demolition of the Louis Sullivan-designed Chicago Stock Exchange by offering a security guard something like $8.50 and a stick of gum. But that was decades ago.)
posted by dhartung at 8:43 PM on October 29

Post a wanted on your local freecycle group. You may be able to score one for nothing.
posted by Mitheral at 10:22 PM on October 29

Looks like you could knock one up out of trim, molding, and plywood. Got any handy friends?
posted by codswallop at 11:03 PM on October 29

daddy-o & chrischris, great recommendation! I had never heard of ReStore before. as it turns out, I live not even a mile away from one so I can't wait to check it out.

julen, thanks for the advice on flea markets. fear of "socks and hello kitty knockoffs and Christian geegaws made in China" is exactly what kept me from going to flea markets in the past, but now I know what to look for. I've subscribed to a few local craigslist RSS feeds with the search term "mantle," so fingers crossed!

dhartung & andy - architectural! the exact googling term I was grasping for. thank you so much.

mitheral - unfortunately my local freecycle is mediocre at best. but i'll try it out, you never know what people want to get rid of!

codswallop - that's a great alternative! i'll be sure to check out home depot/lowe's if i can't find a good antique option.

thanks, everyone, for such great suggestions & making my first askmefi a success!
posted by thisiswater at 8:32 AM on October 30