How To Make Own Headboard – In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to build a headboard. I’ll list all the tools and materials you’ll need for the project, and give you detailed instructions for each step. But first, a little background on this DIY headboard I built for my daughter. She found a headboard for her college bedroom that she really liked. Of course she asked me if I could build it for her. And of course I couldn’t say no. It’s a simple design that’s very easy to build, and in this tutorial I’m going to show you exactly how to do it!
Before we get started, if you’re looking for a bigger project, you might want to check out the full DIY bed I built.
How To Make Own Headboard
My daughter gave me short notice on this project, which meant I didn’t have a lot of time to get it done. So I decided to keep it very simple with a limited amount of clips. I let the boards and spacing determine the overall height of the headboard.
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I laid out all the boards and used two quarters (like in the coins) as spaces between each one. Then I measured the total height of all the boards with the blanks (quarters) in place, which came out to 30 5/16″.
For the back of the headboard you can use almost any type of wood as it will not be seen. It should only be 3/4 inch thick. I used some scraps of 1×12 cedar that I had left over from our build.
I cut all the cedar pieces to 30 5/16″, which was the headboard height I measured in step 1.
I placed these two boards above and below. Next, glued and nailed two of the Cedar boards to the back, as shown above, making sure all the corners are even.
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Then I added the rest of the cedar planks. When I got to the last board, it was too wide. So I measured how wide it needed to be and used a table saw to cut it to the right width.
Once I nailed and glued all the back pieces, I flipped the headboard over to add the remaining Poplar boards to the front. I cut three more pieces of 1×6 and five pieces of 1×3, all 53 inches long.
Using the 2 quarters as spacers, I glued and nailed the front boards, alternating between the 1x6s and the 1x3s. I nailed them in from the bottom so there would be no nail holes in the front of the headboard.
After I finished all the front pieces, it was time to add 1x2s around the edge of the headboard. I cut two pieces of the 1×2 Poplar 31 13/16″ long, and two pieces 54″ long, all with a 45 degree angle on each side.
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After nailing the last piece of wood, I filled all the nail holes with wood putty. The only holes I filled were the ones in the border pieces. All the other holes were in the back of the headstock. Since the back won’t be seen, I didn’t worry about it.
My daughter wanted a light and airy look for her bedroom, so we decided to keep the color of the headboard very close to its light natural tone. I applied one coat of a light gray stain.
I hung the headboard on the wall behind her bed, just like a picture. First, I located the studs in the wall and attached metal hangers to the back of the headboard in locations that corresponded to the stud locations.
Then I turned some screws into the knobs and made sure they were level. And finally I lifted the headstock onto the screws.
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Now that you know how to build a headboard, hopefully you can use this tutorial and create one for yourself or someone you know! Erin Johnson is a writer who covers all things home, plant and design related. She loves Dolly Parton, comedy and being outside (in that order). She is originally from Tennessee, but currently lives in Brooklyn with her 11-year-old dog named Pup.
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Perfectly organizing a bedroom is one thing, but a full-fledged headboard DIY can feel a little out of reach. Fortunately, headboards are actually one of the simpler pieces of furniture to do yourself, since – unlike a chair or a table – they don’t need to be sturdy or carry any weight.
The other great thing about headboards is that they are very flexible in style. Yes, you have your classic wooden or upholstered headboards, but almost anything that is hung or painted behind your bed can be a headboard.
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Need some inspiration? Here are 23 DIY staples that range from simple styling and repurposing to full woodworking projects—in styles made to match almost any decor.
Laurel from The House That DIY Built says that this was one of her first big DIY projects, and has some advice for anyone trying to do a big DIY installation like this:
“Make sure you have helpers available to attach the sign to the ceiling,” she says. “It took three people standing on our bed holding it up and one person fixing it to the ceiling with big screws because it was very heavy and uncomfortable.”
Riley from Campbell House explains how she created this chic headboard for her guest bedroom in her tutorial here. Her advice for beginners? “A beautiful home doesn’t happen overnight. Give yourself time and grace,” she says. She also adds that with a little creativity and elbow grease you can create beauty within any budget.
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Chanelle says that when her adorable 8- and 12-year-old clients showed her photos of rooms they liked, earth tones emerged as a common theme.
“Looking for something inexpensive but with a big impact, we landed on the painted headboard,” she says. So the headboard came first, but she adds that the colored bedspreads were an IKEA find.
Lauren from @seed.and.salvage made this headboard for under $10, thanks to bamboo fan finds from a 99-cent store.
Artist and architect Hannah (@hnnh_trry) brings together several DIY favorites on her bedroom wall: a simple plywood headboard against a patterned hand-painted wall with bold artwork (which she also created) centered above the bed. The finished product is fun and playful, but Hannah said she learned the hard way that if a shop cuts wood for you, double check that the dimensions are cut correctly before hauling it home.
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Rebecca Riel (@rielfinishings) says that when she upgraded to a king size bed, she chose to make their own headboard rather than spend a fortune on a new one. She used pine boards, a layer of plywood, miter saw, brad nailer and Gorilla glue.
“This project was not as complicated or as expensive as it seems,” she says. “The part that took the most time was staining and whitewashing each individual plate. I really wanted it to have a recycled look and it took some time to achieve this effect.”
Katie McColm said she pinned a similar headboard on her Pinterest about 20 times before deciding to just do it herself. The final project cost her only $48 (about a fifth of the price of a brand new headboard in this style).
While the streamlined look of the headboard is super chic, Katie took it a step further by adding shelves made from reclaimed wood to the side in place of bedside tables.
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“You’ll surprise yourself with what you can do with some wood and some screws,” she says. “You don’t need a garage full of tools either! There are so many DIY projects that need to be done with just a miter saw, wood glue, screws, a drill, some sandpaper and a beautiful stain.”
Alexander and his partner, Cesar, used their time in quarantine to dive into some DIYs – one of which was to make their bedroom a true sanctuary. Alexander says he started by choosing a bold color for the wall behind the bed.
“I painted it black to give the existing gray walls a nice contrast. The black will emphasize the warmth of the wooden frame around the mirror and the green colors of the plants,” he says.
Add a chic circular mirror and shelf full of flowing, blooming plants, and we could lay here all day.
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No woodwork is required here. See how the team at The House That Lars Built painted this incredibly bright and fun rainbow headboard in the tutorial on their website.
Erin Spain shows how she created this fun headboard for her son in her tutorial here. The pop of orange really kicks this one up a notch. She chose to anchor it to the wall, but said you could also bolt the headboard to the bed frame itself.
“I was at a vintage sale and I saw them, and I immediately pictured a headboard for a boho bedroom I was working on,” she says. She stood up the three pieces side by side and