Headboard

I built a headboard for my guest room. It's my own design. Check it out!

Here's what you need to create a queen-size headboard just like mine.

Materials:

• 3 3/4 yds of upholstery fabric (54" wide). I used very dark brown vinyl, almost black
• Thread to match
• Batting, at least 66" x 50"; I took apart an old comforter and re-used the batting inside
  
• Four 2" x 3" eight-foot boards
• About twenty 1 1/2" drywall or multi-purpose screws to construct wood frame
• 1/4" hardboard, lauan, or plywood, 61 1/2" wide x 31" long (the length was arbitrary...see step 2)
  
• About fourteen 1" drywall or multi-purpose screws to attach the hardboard/plywood to the wood frame
  
• Four 1 1/2" lag bolts, 1/4" diameter shaft, used to attach the headboard to the bed frame
  
• Eight 1/4" washers, also used to attach the headboard to the bed frame
• Lots and lots of staples

Tools:

• Scissors
• Tape measure, straight edge, and framing square (or a really good eye!)
  
• Circular saw
• Drill with a countersink bit (or get creative with a big bit and a small bit, or use a pocket holer), a screwdriver bit, and a bit for the lag bolt pilot hole (try a 3/16" bit)
  
• Staple gun (this project was a good excuse to use my awesome pneumatic one, but a manual one would work just as well)
  
• Ratchet and socket for lag bolts

Step 1. Cut the upholstery fabric or vinyl. You'll need 24 pieces of 16.5" x 16.5" to cover the front and back, 10 pieces of 16.5" x 3" for the top and sides, and 8 pieces of 16.5" x 2" for the bottom, and two small pieces so that you can tuck the sides into the bottom (approx 3" x 2"). Sew them together into a "sleeve". Use 1/2" seam allowances.

Step 2. Build a frame. The side rails are 46" each (cut from a single board). The top, bottom, and middle stretchers are 56 1/2" (cut from the remaining three boards). Toenail a pilot hole using a countersink bit (or use pocket holes) so that the screw heads don't stick out on the edges.

I made the two short pieces by cutting in half one of the 39 1/2" waste pieces from a stretcher, but you can make them longer if you like. Since only the top part will be leaned against, you only need to reinforce that portion. I originally planned to reinforce the whole thing, but I soon realized it would not only be unnecessary but also incredibly heavy.

Screw the hardboard on top. Again, only the top part of the headboard will be used, so you only need to cover that part.

Step 3. Place the batting on a flat surface. Lay the headboard frame, hardboard down, on top. Staple the batting around the edges. Here's the back side. All done.

Front side. Tada!

Step 4. Wrestle the sleeve down over the top of the batting-covered frame. Tug and stretch the vinyl until the corners and edges are taut. Mine fit like a glove! Finish it off by closing the bottom. Tuck the small pieces from the sides in first (like flaps on a cardboard box), then staple down the flaps from the front and back. The flaps should overlap.

Step 5. Attach to bed frame. (I hadn't actually done that when I took this picture. It's slightly taller when attached.) Line up the holes and mark them on the headboard. Carefully cut the holes in the vinyl so the screws don't tear it apart. Put one washer on the bolt, then slide it through the oblong hole in the frame, then add another washer (to keep the vinyl from tearing). Ratchet it down tight into the wood.

Looks pretty good, doesn't it? I got the vinyl on sale, I already had the hardboard, and I got the batting for free. So, all together, I invested less than $20! What a deal!