DIY Upholstered Headboard

 

I've had this headboard project for my guest bedroom on my to-do list for a while now and I finally gathered all my supplies to make it. As you know from my Pottery Barn Clock post that I love pretty much everything from PB. I saw this headboard on their website and I knew I could make something similar for WAY less. Theirs (with shipping) will run you about $1,000... I paid $50! Although mine is a bit thinner than the one at PB, it still looks great (in my opinion) and no one will know it was a DIY unless you tell them. 

Materials and measurements:

One plywood board- cut 5ft X 3ft

One 2X4 wood- cut 4ft long

 1" Foam-- 4 yards

Batting-- 2 yards

Fabric-- 2 yards

Upholstery Nails 7-- 24 count boxes

Spray adhesive

Tools:

Tape measure

Pencil 

Circular saw 

Staple gun

Flat head Screwdriver

Rubber hammer

HERE WE GO!

Warning: Lots of pictures!!

  

 You will start off with a basic plywood board. I had John cut it to fit our queen size bed. He cut 5ft X 3ft. Your measurements might be different, so measure out how long and how tall you will need to cut.

 

After you're done with all the cutting. Spray your board with a spray adhesive in order for the foam to stick to the board.

Apply the foam to the sprayed board and cut along the edges. Be sure to really press the foam to the board. I used 1 inch high density urethane foam that I bought from Jo-Ann craft store.

 

Next step is to apply your batting. I used a light batting to get a nice even shape. 

 

As for the fabric, I used cotton canvas duck, which is a heavy weight fabric used for upholstery furniture.  I bought 2 yards from Hobby Lobby for $5.50 per yard w/ 40% off coupon. Lay your ironed fabric down.

Flip your board with all the cushions over. You'll need someone to help you with this one.

 

You will be needing a staple gun for this next step. I got mine from Home Depot, they are no more than $10 bucks. 

Pull the fabric over the board and staple. This works best if you have an extra hand to help you out. One pulls while the other staples.

The corners are a little tricky, you'll have to mess around with them till you get a nice, smooth shape. Here is how we did it. Smooth out your fabric and bring it over, flattening and tucking in the corner with a flat head screwdriver, then staple.

It should look something like this-- once you stapled all the way around. 

 

I used 7-- 24 count boxes of furniture nails that I got from Jo-Ann. 

 

With a rubber hammer, nail your tacks on the edge of the board. Be sure to nail on the wood part and try to go in a straight line,  it's pretty challenging but when you are all done you can pull out and re-nail ones that are way off.

Last step is to screw in the legs. I used 2X4s that I got John to cut 4 feet long. Again, you might want/need them longer or shorter depending on how high/low you want your headboard to stand. We used 2 inch screws to screw the legs on to the board. Make sure you DO NOT use longer screws that will come out on the other side of the plywood. You need to make sure you find screws that will run through the 2X4 and half way into the plywood.

One thing I will do differently next time I make a headboard is, I will use more foam to get a thicker look.