Repurpose a footboard into a towel rack

This is probably one of the easiest DIY repurposing projects I’ve ever done. The hardest part was deciding on whether to paint this old footboard from the local Re-Store or leave it as is.

Footboard turned bathroom towel bar

I ran across this footboard at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It was pretty cheap since it was missing the headboard and I’m guessing it had been sitting there for a while. I have an ocean theme going on in pretty much all of my bathrooms, and I originally had a piece of driftwood in mind that I was going to use for a towel bar in our upstairs guest bath. But since it was round instead of flat on one side, I was having trouble figuring out how to attach it to the wall and hang a towel on it. The driftwood also had a few rough spots on it, so I didn’t want to drape towels over it and risk snagging them up either.

When I saw this footboard, I was immediately reminded of driftwood since it was pretty light in color and worn, so I thought “I wonder if…?”

Well, I got it home and it sat in my garage for at least 8 months, much to my husband’s dismay! I couldn’t decide whether I should leave it like it was or do something else, what kind of hardware to attach to it, etc. Sometimes I have too many ideas for my own good. I thought about chippy milk paint and hooks, but finally decided on getting some pipe fitting type hardware from Amazon and a couple of hook for smaller towels or maybe a bunch of dried flowers.

As far as the finish, I finally decided that since my original idea was driftwood and that is what drew me to this piece, I got out my white Debi’s DIY wax and slathered it on, making sure to work it down into all the nooks and crannies to give it an even more aged, drift-woody appearance. Then I just wiped the excess off with a piece of old T-shirt. I had my husband attach the hardware to the front and some “D” rings and picture wire to the back to hang it by, and that was that.

Did I mention that I flipped it upside down?

Yup, It just looked better that way! I think the hooks are going to be nice for all kinds of things. Some old pieces of fish netting maybe, a beachy ornament or two, some old bobbers, or even a tiny wreath covered in shells.