UPHOLSTERED DIY HEADBOARD

Have you ever searched and searched for the perfect headboard? No, well that was my last sixish months. I thought I wanted a metal one because ya know they are so trendy right now, but I then realized I wanted a more classic headboard.

So the search was on once again and I found one, but the price tag was well… expensive. So off to Pinterest I went, and came up with a plan to make it myself.

Materials

(2) 1×4’s
(1) 1/2 inch thick plywood
A set of two linen curtains
(1) One inch thick mattress pad
3 ft of batting
Staple Gun
1/2 inch screw

Step 1:

Cut down large plywood to make your wings, and the back of the head board. Below is my plan and the board cut up.

Step 2:

Assemble the wings of the headboard. You will need the two 55″ long pieces, two 48″ long pieces and the two 7″ pieces. I took one of the longest pieces and put it on bottom. Then put the shorter piece and put it directly on top, and finish the top layer with the smaller 7″ piece. You can see it in the picture below. I then used wood glue to secure them and I screwed them together for extra measure.

Step 3:

To attach the wing later, you will need to add the 1×4 to the edge of the doubled up pieces you’ve already made. I set the 1×4 up against the wing part already put together and measured out how long it was. I then cut down the 1×4 to be the same size. Finally, I attached the 1×4 to the edge with screws. You will repeat this process to create two wings.

Step 4:

Once all the pieces were cute and put together I was able to start upholstering the wings. I used the fabric batting to go around the plywood part of the wing. I left the 1×4 un upholstered because it will be hidden behind the main headboard anyway. Below is a video of how I put the batting on the wings.

After putting the batting on, I put long strips of the linen curtain and used that to wrap around the wings. I used the same process that I did for the fabric batting.

Step 5:

To upholster the main part of the headboard I added a bit more fluff. I used a twin size mattress pad and attached that to the plywood first. The mattress pad was a little to long, so I had to cut it down to size. I left about 1-2 inch overlap so it would make the edges more rounded. To attach the mattress pad, I used an adhesive spray but it didn’t hold up as well as I hoped. I then cut the fabric batting bigger so I could wrap around the back to hold the mattress pad in place. Then I used a staple gun to attach. Leaving the top edge unstapled will allow me to later wrap it over the top of the wings for a more finished look.

Staple gun the batting first, then the linen curtain. Leave the top part unstapled.

Step 6:

Attaching the wings. This part was a tad difficult and if I made this headboard again, I would have a different plan of attach. Regardless, here is what I did this time. First, I took the main part of the headboard and flipped it over to the back. Then, I used clamps to put the 1×4 (the exposed wood part) part of the wing onto the back. This allowed me to drill in holes and then screw it together without extra help. Beware, drilling through fabric or batting is rough. The fabric tends to hold onto the bit and not allow you to be able to pull the drill bit out. If I were to do this part again, I would plan exactly where to drill and cut the fabric back at that point. Never the less, I persisted and accomplished my task. I mean whats a project without a little learning.