DIY Headboard How-To

Today I can finally show you the completed DIY headboard, and how she came to be.  Big day.  I’ll cut right to the chase with a tutorial for any of you who are feeling inspired and ready to tackle a project.

Materials & Budget Breakdown:

2 yards of fabric - $50.00

Batting (we got enough for a king size quilt) - $28.99

Plywood (we got a 4x8 sheet of ¾” thick Cat Sheathing Fir) - $29.37

Hanging Kit - $3.99

Staple Gun & Staples (already owned) - $0.00

Construction Paper & Pencil (already owned) - $0.00

Measuring Tape (already owned) - $0.00

X-Acto Knife (or scissors) (already owned) - $0.00

Scotch Tape (already owned) - $0.00

Jig Saw (already owned) - $0.00

Sand Paper (already owned) $0.00

Total Cost: $112.35

The fabric arrived last week and I was SO excited to get this done, but we had to wait until the next weekend because we were going out of town.  So when this past Friday rolled around, John and I couldn’t wait to get the rest of our supplies.  Yep -  we had our little wine date, watched the sun set and then headed over to Home Depot for standard Friday night fun.  #nerdalert.  

We at least had the patience to wait until Saturday morning to put it all together.  But trust me, the second I popped up out of bed Saturday morning, I was begging John to get up so that we could get ‘er done.  And so we did.

First, I created a template out of the construction paper.  We have a queen bed, which is 60” wide (this is a standard measurement), so I cut the construction paper to 64” to leave 2” on either side of the bed.  Then I just made a few measurements – the center mark (at 32”), and then the ¼ marks (at 16” from either side).  From the top, I measured 6” down on one side so that I could create a slight curve for the top of the headboard.  I made that mark on the side end of the template.  From there, I made even marks between the end and the center marks, steadily going up from 6” at the side end, to ½” at the center.  The picture should help show this.  Once I had my measurements marked, I took a red pencil and sketched in the curved shape, following the various heights that I had noted. 

Next, I took my X-Acto knife and cut out the curve on my construction paper template.  I taped it onto the piece of wood so that it wouldn’t blow away in the wind.  Cutting the template out really wasn’t necessary, so this step can definitely be skipped. 

We don’t have a proper work bench, so John put the piece of wood on top of the patio table.  To keep it sturdy while he cut, I stood on top of it…. Nothing wrong with using what you’ve got – in this case, my body weight.  When we were at Home Depot we had them cut the wood down to the right size so that all we would have to do at home was cut out the shape for the top of the headboard.  I don't know why I have never seen this machine before - but it is AWESOME.  Everyone should have one in their home.  Ok, that's extreme.  Everyone should go to Home Depot and have them cut your wood with their awesome machine.  

The piece of wood came standard in 4' x 8', so we had it cut down to 64” wide (a standard queen bed is 60” and we wanted an extra 2” on each side) x 40” height.  The height is really just preference – we wanted the headboard to be a focal point, so we chose to make it pretty big.  I also knew that I was going to be cutting off at least 6” for the curved shape, so I factored that in.

So with me standing on top of the wood, on top of the table, John got to cutting!  He used the jig saw and followed my template, ever so steadily.  I was happy to give this job up to him – some day I will get better with the power tools, but this just wasn’t that day. 

He cut out over template to the center point, and then we flipped the template over so that it was exactly symmetrical to the other side.  

 Then, voila!

John sanded down the top a bit so that it was smooth and even, but if you don’t have a sander, it’s not entirely necessary because it will be covered with batting and fabric anyways. 

Onto the fluff!  I laid the batting down and layered it evenly – I ended up with about three layers.  If I were to do it again, I would have done more batting so that it would be a little cushier.  I’ve also seen it done with a piece of soft foam, glued to the headboard, with the batting wrapped around that.  Anyways – batting in place, I laid the cut headboard on top of it and started stapling it in with the staple gun.  I started with one side, then pulled the opposite side very taut.  I went back and forth between these sides, making sure it was taut and even.  Then I did the bottom and top – making note of the corners and curves of the top. 

There was some extra batting around the back, so I just trimmed it down with scissors.  The front looked like this…

Next, I laid the fabric down on the floor, print side down, paying special attention to wrinkles and the lines of the print.  With a lot of fabrics, you will want to iron the entire piece before this step.  I just ironed the ends – the rest of it was already perfectly smooth.  With the fabric flat on the ground, I laid the board on top of it.  I straightened it out and made sure that the bottom of the headboard lined up with the fabric.  This was particularly important with this fabric, because it has horizontal stripes.  While the stripes have a slight wave to them, and are by no means perfectly even, I still wanted to make sure they were generally horizontal, rather than diagonal across the headboard.  But, whatever floats your boat.

From there, I followed the same process I did with the batting – staple it in on one side – I did a staple on either end, and the center.  Then I went to the opposite side and pulled the fabric really taut and did the same thing – a staple on either end, and in the center.  Then, continually pulling the fabric taut, I continued to fill in the space with staples. 

Then came the corners.  I think the pictures will do the best job explaining how to make these look nice and crisp…

Then, same step with the bottom and top.  Initially, I was a little worried about stapling the fabric into the curved top – I thought it might look wrinkled – but that was not the case.  I stapled it in the same way I did with the straight edges – just pulling the fabric taut and spreading the staples out evenly – ends to center, then filling in the middle spaces.  

The back ended up looking like this…

Then came time to hang her up.  We got a hanging kit that has a 50lb capacity… don’t worry, the headboard is way less than 50lbs.  We measured 16” in and 6”down from either side of the headboard and screwed in the hanging gear. 

Then we took our measurements for the wall and hammered in the counterpart. 

Then we hung her up and ooohed and awwwed like proud parents. 

Here is a before and after…

The wall was inexcusably bare before, so really anything on the wall would have helped.  But I think this pretty headboard just makes it work.  I might put up some hanging shelves that I had above our bed in our old house – but since we are only going to be here for another few months, I might spare the wall those extra holes.  Nothing to do with me being lazy :)  

For just over $100.00, this project makes a BIG difference.  I am pleased – especially considering good upholstered headboards average about $500.00.  We spent way less than that, and were able to customize it with the exact fabric and shape we wanted.  Plus, we win the sense of accomplishment that we never would have gotten from clicking “buy” online at West Elm.  Pat on the back, Suite D. 

Now I’m wondering what’s next!  There is plenty on our to-do list.  I’m thinking about hacking the IKEA dresser and turning it into something totally amaze-balls.  Stay tuned. 

xxx