DIY | How to Make a Headboard
02. Apr, 2012 
3 Comments
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DIY | How to Make a Headboard
Guest post by: Laura of Plant Eat Create
See it. Want it. Buy it Make it. This is something that we at PEC we are quite fond of. A few years back, Kristin made her own headboard and did an amazing job (home tour here). She is mighty inspiring when it comes to taking on big projects so when I mentioned I wanted to make my own headboard, she squealed (I think – she may have just said “cool!”, but in my mind she squealed). Anyway, being the good instructor that she is we were off to Home Depot in her dad’s gigantic truck to get some of the supplies. Oh, but first, here’s the finished product (costing a grand total of $53.43).
Supplies Breakdown: (note, these will be unique to the size of your bed, the look you’re going for, etc..)
- Plywood 60″x37″
- 2 2x4s 48″ long
- Foam 60″x24″x2″ (I purchased mine at Joann Fabrics)
- 2 yards of Fabric (1 piece of thick piece or 1 thin piece + quilt batting)
- Spray Glue (or spray adhesive)
- Staple Gun
- Table Saw (or find a friend with a table saw OR see if they can cut the wood for you at the hardware store)
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| “We don’t need a cart!” as Kristin flexes her muscles |
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| I just wanted to quickly point out the type of fabric I used. It’s the really fancy kind in the home decor section at Joann Fabrics. The front is suede[ish] and the back is a thick batting. |
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| click on picture to enlarge |
Step 1: Cut all of your wood, fabric and foam to the right sizes.
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| “oh, hello workshop-I-didn’t-know-existed” Our friend Dan’s basement. He’s a teacher so he automatically jumped into teaching mode when explaining the saw to me. |
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| Safety goggles! |
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| Back in our living room, cutting the foam to the right length |
Step 2: Glue the foam to the plywood. Make sure this is done in a well-vented area (even if it’s low odor). Also, make sure you have something around the edges of the plywood because the sprayer has a wide angle on it (I took the set up from the above photo, with the old sheet underneath, and moved it to the porch).
Step 3: Wrap the fabric around the plywood and staple it to the back. This step is a bit tricky and works best with two people. Optional: Apply an extra piece of fabric to the back to cover up the plywood. We opted out of this.
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| Caleb, stapling along the top |
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| manly hands |
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| When it came to the corners, I wrapped them like a present. By the way, we’re watching The Sing Off. Love that show. |
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| There are 4, 3.5″ screws in each leg. |
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| The edge where the foam meets the mattress height was secured by pulling the fabric tight an securing with a few staples. |
Step 5: Attach that baby! Since our bed is basically made of 2x4s, I got 4.5″ nut and bolt screws to go through the 2x4s on the headboard and the 2×4 that makes up the horizontal part of the back of the bed. Everything fit snug as a bug in a rug.
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| Using a nut and bolt (instead of normal screws) makes breakdown easier for moving. |
- Plywood $7.94 - Home Depot
- 2x4s $0 - free from a friend’s basement
- Foam $17.99 - Joann Fabrics with 40% off coupon
- Spray Glue $3.99 - Michael’s with 40% off coupon
- Fabric $17.51 - Joann Fabrics on Clearance
- Misc nuts, bolts and screws $6
About The Author
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How did you know I was just talking about making a headboard last night? LOL. This is teriffic. Now I have all the instructions right here. Thanks!
Fredda from The Magnificent Magnet
http://www.themagnificentmagnet.etsy.com
http://www.themagnficientmagnet.com
Hey guys! Check out this vintage version that I made with Readymade Magazine a little while back:
http://www.readymade.com/projects/hello_sleepy_head_board
Great instructions I’ve always wanted to know how to make a headboard. My daughter has been thinking about trying to make one. I’m going to save this post to show her.
Thanks